Eco-friendly brand experience and brand loyalty: investigating the impact of normative considerations in the electric vehicle context

Despite the climate emergency, marketing managers in the automotive industry face challenges in stimulating demand for innovations that can decrease greenhouse gas emissions, such as electric vehicles (EVs). Applying the value-identity-personal norm model, this study investigates the influence of normative factors on eco-friendly brand experience and brand loyalty for electric vehicles. We use structural equation modelling to analyse survey data collected from owners of electric vehicles in Sweden. The results show that personal norms directly and positively impact eco-friendly brand experience but not brand loyalty. The impact of personal norms on brand loyalty is found to be fully mediated by eco-friendly brand experience. Based on the findings, we encourage future research to explore the interrelationships between norms and branding, and their potential to stimulate pro-environmental behaviour.