Insignificance drives bonding: How awe toward nature influences consumers' preference for warm brands

Companies often shape their brands into warm images to strengthen emotional connections with consumers, thereby enhancing brand competitiveness. Prior research has explored the influence of a certain situational factor on preferences for warm brands; however, few studies have investigated how incidental emotions influence preferences for products with a warm brand image. As an incidental emotion, awe has been shown to influence individuals' psychological perceptions and product preferences, yet few studies have explored its effects on individuals’ need perception and preference for products with a warm brand image. Based on the Appraisal Tendency Framework and the prototype theory of awe, this study examines how awe toward nature, which is activated as a kind of incidental emotion, affects consumers' preference for warm brands (relative to less warm brands), its mechanism and boundary conditions through four studies. The findings show that, compared with the neutral condition, awe toward nature increases consumer preference for warm brands (Study 1) and boosts consumer favorability of warm brand advertisements (Study 2). Perceived self-size and the need for affiliation play serial mediating roles in the effect of awe toward nature on warm brand preference (Study 1). Additionally, we demonstrate that both consumers' narcissism levels (Study 3) and the anthropomorphism of nature (Study 4) moderate the main effects of awe toward nature on preferences for warm brands. These findings provide insights for marketers regarding how and where to promote products with a warm brand image, as well as how warm brands can design advertisements and conduct social media promotions.