Two Defending Strategies of Threatened Brand Identity in Co-Branding: the Moderating Role of Perceived Identity Fit

Brand identity is one of the most important drivers of a successful brand as it allows consumers to connect to a brand at deeper levels. However, little is known about whether a strong brand identity can hinder or facilitate a brand’s alliance with another brand. In this research, we investigate whether consumers with strong identification with a brand will perceive its alliance with another brand (co-branding) to be a threat to their own identity and how consumers address the threat by employing defensive strategies such as decoupling and biased assimilation.

Citation:

Na Xiao and Fang Wan (2011) ,"Two Defending Strategies of Threatened Brand Identity in Co-Branding: the Moderating Role of Perceived Identity Fit", in E - European Advances in Consumer Research Volume 9, eds. Alan Bradshaw, Chris Hackley, and Pauline Maclaran, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 628.