Smartphone advocacy: perceived brand authenticity and love and the need for uniqueness

Purpose Maintaining customer fascination with and devotion to the brand requires more investigation of emotional attachments and authenticity. Using the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) paradigm and self-determination theory (SDT), the present study seeks to examine the influence of brand authenticity (S) and brand love (O) on brand advocacy (R), along with the mediating function of brand love and the moderating effect of the need for uniqueness. Design/methodology/approach The data collected from 384 smartphone consumers were analyzed via variance-based partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings The results indicate that, except for continuity, brand authenticity dimensions exhibit a significant positive influence on brand love and advocacy. The findings demonstrate that brand love is a mediator, whereas the need for uniqueness moderates the examined factors. Originality/value In the context of smartphone brand advocacy, this study is the initial attempt to investigate the integration of the S-O-R paradigm and self-determination theory (SDT) with consumers’ emotional and cognitive states.