The power of love: how consumer-brand bonds influence WOM and switching intention.

The digital marketing transformation phenomenon has recently attracted significant attention, driven by digitalization and the need for new conceptual frameworks. This study investigates the role of consumers' sense of brand community, brand integrity, and brand interaction in shaping brand love. Additionally, it examines the impact of brand love on switching intention and the intensity of word-of-mouth communication. A survey involving 279 participants was conducted in the context of streaming television services using a convenience sample. This research comprises two studies. In Study 1, hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Study 2 conducted a hierarchical cluster analysis. The results confirm the antecedents proposed for brand love. Additionally, brand love was found to have a highly significant effect on word-of-mouth intensity. The current study highlights the direct influence of integrity, sense of brand community and interaction on brand love. In addition, it encounters the significant role brand love plays in evoking WOM intensity. Furthermore, the present study identifies four groups to categorize brand lovers in a cluster analysis.