From Love to Loyalty: The Role of Brand Compassion in Brand Relationships Among Fashion Consumers

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-10-2025

Abstract

This study introduces brand compassion as a pivotal construct that drives consumers’ prosocial behavior towards brands. By drawing insights from psychology, sociology, and management, brand compassion is conceptualized as a moral framework that reflects a deep commitment to caring for a brand, characterized by consumers’ willingness to support and protect it. This study examines brand compassion’s relationship with established constructs – namely brand love, brand attachment, and brand loyalty – to expand and deepen brand relationship theory. Data was collected from a sample of 243 young fashion consumers through a structured questionnaire. Reliability and validity were established using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling with Mplus 8.3. Results reveal that brand compassion is a distinct construct within the brand relationships research, comprising of three defining attributes: (i) emotional connection, (ii) morality, and (iii) protective action. These elements collectively influence consumers’ prosocial behavior toward brands. Findings also confirm that brand compassion is influenced by brand love and brand attachment and leads to brand loyalty, clarifying its integral role within brand relationship constructs. This study is the first to introduce brand compassion as a novel construct and offers valuable insights for brand and marketing managers.

Comments

Originally published in the Review of Marketing Science

Publication Title

Review of Marketing Science

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1515/roms-2025-0036

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