Impact of Emotional Branding on Brand Trustworthiness with mediating role of Brand Commitment

Human emotions play a vital role in cognitive processes, decision-making, purchasing behavior, and social interactions. In any market, consumer engagement with brands is not just transactional; it is intensive, deep-rooted, stable, and emotionally attached. Establishing trust and loyalty between customers and brands has become increasingly crucial, extending beyond mere satisfaction based on benefits. As a result, emotional branding and emotional marketing are gaining significance and recognition among practitioners and marketing researchers, as they enhance credibility for customers. This descriptive study primarily aims to analyze the mediating role of brand commitment in the relationship between emotional branding and brand trustworthiness. A convenience sampling technique was adopted to gather 308 samples using an online questionnaire. The sampling adequacy for the study was determined by the KMO and Bartlett’s test, yielding a value of 0.935. Data were analyzed using correlation, stepwise regression, and mediation analysis in SPSS and JAMOVI to assess the mediating role of brand commitment in the relationship between emotional branding and brand trustworthiness. The findings indicate a robust and positive relationship among emotional branding, brand trustworthiness, and brand commitment. The stepwise regression model revealed that emotional branding antecedents significantly predict both brand trustworthiness and brand commitment. Furthermore, mediation analysis confirmed that emotional branding antecedents significantly impact brand trustworthiness, with brand commitment serving as a mediator, thus validating the mediation analysis. This study recommends that brand trustworthiness can be improved through emotional branding strategies, leveraging the mediating effect of brand commitment activities. Consequently, marketers can achieve a higher level of brand trustworthiness and commitment by enhancing emotional branding strategies with their customers. The research concludes that emotional branding strategies are significant predictors of brand trustworthiness, with brand commitment playing a vital mediating role in this relationship. Future research could explore these dynamics in different geographical areas and consider additional variables, such as brand satisfaction, brand love, and brand attachment, to further enrich the model.