From Mix-and-Match to Head-to-Toe: How Brand Combinations Affect Observer

MARKETING

Speaker : Isabelle Engeler

IESE Business School

Zoom link : https://hec-fr.zoom.us/j/91809310046

Abstract 

Consumers may use brands in many combinations—from mixing-and-matching multiple brands (multi-brand combination; e.g., runner with Nike shoes, Puma shirt, and Asics shorts) to using a single brand (mono-brand combination; e.g., runner with Nike shoes, shirt, and shorts), and all permutations in between. A set of nine studies examines one distinctive consequence of varying brand combinations: the effect on observers’ trust in another consumer’s recommendations. Even holding constant a focal product (e.g., Nike shoes), observers tend to trust a mono-brand user’s recommendations less than a multi-brand user’s recommendation (Studies 1A-1C). This reduced trust is driven by inferences about how the focal product was chosen: observers believe mono-brand (vs. multi-brand) users placed relatively greater importance on the brand—a feature that often serves as a mental shortcut for choices—and therefore infer mono-brand users made quicker, less thoughtful decisions (Studies 2A and 2B). However, the effect diminishes when observers hold particularly favorable attitudes toward the focal brand (Study 3). Downstream, such reduced trust can affect observers’ own behaviors (e.g., social media following intentions, information seeking, and recommendation taking; Studies 4A–4C). Taken together, the findings confirm that brand combinations elicit responses distinct from single brands, offering fruitful avenues for future research.

Keywords: choice inferences, brand combinations, decision thoughtfulness, consumer trust, advocacy and influencer marketing, social influence