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The changing nature of consumer-brand relationships depicts that emotions of consumers concerning brands have gained substantial importance. The current study has taken coffee chain brands as a stimulus to understand consumer emotions. The research design is cross-sectional in nature. Present study has proposed a framework through extension of Sternberg's triangular theory of love with integration of few other novel constructs of branding. The framework is empirically validated using AMOS for structural equation modelling. Findings of the study shows that intimacy, passion and, commitment, significantly influences brand love. Brand love has a significant direct effect on brand advocacy the effect is also mediated through brand sacredness and brand fidelity. Further, it is observed that brand love is an essential antecedent of brand advocacy in coffee chain brands, which is a substantial input for the marketers for designing their marketing and communication strategies.

Purpose: This study aims to examine the impact of the structural linkages between memorable tourism experiences, destination attachment, tourists’ satisfaction and customer-based destination brand-equity on tourists’ storytelling intentions. Design/methodology/approach: The authors proposed a conceptual model that examines how memorable experiences contribute to tourists’ sense of attachment to a destination, which can lead to their willingness to share their trip stories. Using partial least square estimation, the authors analysed the conceptual model through data generated by a survey of 448 Indian domestic tourists. Findings: Study confirms the validity and usefulness of the conceptualized model, as it shows significant correlations between the key variables. Specifically, the authors found that positive and memorable tourism experiences significantly affect tourists’ attachment and their satisfaction with destinations. As a result, tourists who form a strong customer-based destination brand equity are more likely to develop storytelling intentions. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, current study is the earliest to explore the association between memorable tourism experiences, tourist satisfaction, attachment, customer-based brand equity and how they impact storytelling intentions of tourists.

The present study proposes a holistic framework to understand the effect of brand authenticity and brand identification on willingness to pay premium by taking brand jealousy as a mediating variable. Brand jealousy is a feeling of jealousy a consumer experiences when the brand he loves is purchased/owned by other individual but he himself is not able to possess the brand. Also, the effect of brand authenticity and brand identification in influencing brand jealousy is evaluated through direct and indirect routes by taking brand love a mediator. The findings of the study reveal that brand identification and brand authenticity have a direct and significant effect on brand jealousy, brand love, and willingness to pay a premium. The study confirms that the managers of sportswear brands and marketing planners must not ignore the relative importance of brand authenticity and identification in their overall brand-related assessment. Additionally, they should also focus on brand love and jealousy to facilitate willingness to pay premium from the perspective of the consumer.

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the role of bank reputation (via its proposed dimensions) in influencing bank trust and its subsequent effect on the loyalty of the customer. The study has also explored the moderating role of bank type (public vs private bank) in the relationship between the dimensions of bank reputation and bank trust. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 651 questionnaires were distributed to the customers of public and private bank, whereas only 375 usable responses were obtained. Questionnaires were given to the respondents through the visit of few interviewers to several private and public banks in Delhi and NCR region during December 2019 to February 2020. A screening question was included in the beginning of the questionnaire (i.e. Do you trust your bank?). Non-random sampling technique was used for data collection, and the research design was cross-sectional. The proposed framework was tested with the help of structural equation modeling. Findings: The findings of the study show that all the proposed dimensions (i.e. service quality, stability, customer centricism and corporate performance) of corporate reputation/bank reputation significantly affect bank trust. Also, the effect of bank trust on loyalty was found significant. Bank type emerged as a significant moderator between the dimensions of bank reputation and bank trust. It shows that the effect of service quality, stability, customer centricism and corporate performance on bank trust significantly differs in public vs private banks. Customer centricism is perceived to be high in private banks, whereas all the other three dimensions are obtained to be higher in public sector banks according to the findings of the study. Practical implications: The presented framework in the study has covered all the significant antecedents of bank trust and its subsequent effect on loyalty. The findings of the paper are useful to several stakeholders, including bank managers, regulators, investors and depositors. The study shows that bank reputation affects trust and loyalty in the long run. This relationship can be used by bank managers for gaining the trust of customers and building loyalty. It also helps in making strategies by banks for targeting customers. Stability is a very crucial factor for a developing economy. The bank regulators can use these results for ensuring the soundness of the banking system and for providing a stable environment for customers. Bank depositors and investors can also use the findings of the study for analyzing the factors that affect their bank selection decision. Originality/value: The present research shows that bank type moderates the relationship of the dimensions of bank reputation and bank trust in an emerging economy in Asia.

Brand polarity has gained considerable attention among researchers all over the world. Brands are trapped in a dilemma of love and hate experienced by their users. They are trying hard to place themselves in a favourable position which could fetch them more revenue and positive electronic word of mouth (e-WOM). Most of the literature in branding revolves around brand satisfaction, brand loyalty, brand equity and brand image, but there are relatively lesser studies which discuss brand hate (BH). However, it is a crucial emotion related to the brand. Therefore, this study has tried to fill this void in the literature by focusing on the antecedents of BH. The present research has tried to validate the effect of negative past experience (NPE) and subjective norm on BH along with the mediating effect of BH between the relationship of NPE and negative e-WOM. It has also tried to examine the moderating role of internet usage in the relationship of NPE and BH with negative e-WOM.

Land ownership is determined by the land title possessed by an individual and protects the rights of the owner. Due to the rampant growth in population and scarcity of land, mutation, unclear land titles, and prices are soaring and have led to benami transactions. Land documentation is not an easy task in India where different methods and departments are involved with a lack of efforts at bringing commonality into the system of land records. Therefore, to bring transparency, accountability, and efficiency in dealing with the cases of land disputes and associated litigation, there is an immediate need for compilation, maintenance, and updation of the land records to instill a sense of security among landowners. Therefore, the central theme of the article revolves around the hindrances and issues in an entire process, flaws in land records, poor updation of data, online mutation, and automatic flow of information. The adequacy of the updated land information can answer to disputes in boundary, unauthorized construction, permission related to land use, fraud registration of the property, and incomplete mutation and could lower the cost of transactions. The other multidimensions which are focused while understanding the land records in a tribal regime are tenure rights, disputes in common areas, customary rights, and acquisition of land by other communities.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the role of contemporary consumer-brand relationships in predicting brand sacredness, brand fidelity and propensity to spread word of mouth (WOM) in the context of “halal” cosmetic brands. Design/methodology/approach: The proposed research framework has been empirically tested by collecting responses from 403 Muslim respondents of diverse demographics. Structural equation modelling has been used for exploring the underlying relationships between emotions associated with halal brands. Findings: All the proposed hypotheses were positively significant, thus confirming that brand love is significantly affected by brand trust, brand image, self-congruence and brand experience. Further, brand love acts as a significant determinant in shaping brand sacredness, brand fidelity and WOM. Research limitations/implications: The study has made a significant contribution by exploring the intensity of brand love and its effect on relationship-maintenance triad in halal cosmetic brands in India. Practical implications: Marketers must understand the emotional side of brands to create synergy in their marketing efforts. Moreover, in the case of religious or faith-based brands, attainment of the highest order of brand love can play a revolutionary role for long-term growth. Originality/value: In the context of halal cosmetic brands in India, this study has offered a new perspective by extending the literature on consumer-brand relationships. The use of brand fidelity and brand sacredness has enhanced the effectiveness of emotions with which consumers have been looking at brands for ages.

Purpose: Tourists regularly make use of their smartphones while staying at tourist destinations. Several studies have studied the outcomes of smartphone use at travel destinations. The current paper believes tourists’ use of their smartphone or its apps because of their contact with tour friends, social loneliness-related concerns or its aesthetic scope. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors of continued use of smartphone apps via travelers during their stay at a tourism destination, framed within the UTAUT2 model (unified theory of acceptance and use of technology), given intrinsic user attributes (innovativeness), tourism destination aspect (aesthetic scope and social loneliness) and one of the key characteristics of mobile devices (portability). Design/methodology/approach: The sample consists of 357 smartphone users who travelled to some tourist destinations and used some mobile apps during their stay. Data was analyzed using the structural equation modeling approach. Findings: The findings of the study show that the UTAUT2 model can effectively explain the use of smartphone apps at tourism destinations and characteristics of the user and mobile device, does affect behaviour outcomes (smartphone, intention to reuse app, satisfaction towards trip and loyalty towards app). Originality/value: This paper is mainly important due to its emphasis on smartphone apps’ use during the travel stay, as the majority of the existing literature focusses on prior steps ( service booking).

Research in branding is increasingly shifting toward analysing consumer-brand relationships. Hence, there is a need to examine the complexities associated with such links. The present study has proposed a framework that depicts the antecedents and outcomes of brand jealousy and few other intermingling associations. The research design was cross-sectional, and the hotel service industry was taken as a stimulus to invoke consumers' responses concerning their preferred/liked hotel brands. The proposed framework was validated with the help of structural equation modelling. The findings of the study suggest that the effect of brand passion on brand jealousy is positively significant. The effect of brand loyalty on brand jealousy is also significant, which shows that a loyal customer with time can experience brand jealousy too for his/her liked brand. Additionally, the effect of brand loyalty on active engagement is another crucial aspect covered in the current study.

Brand extensions are viewed as a strategy to expand the portfolio of a company and also for taking the advantage of an established name in the market. The study is aimed at understanding the variables which effect brand extensions. The study has proposed a framework for understanding brand extension and the impact of various variables on brand extension. The framework for the study is empirically tested with the help of structural equation modelling (SEM). Survey of 234 customers is done by using the brand Coca-Colaas a stimulus, and its brand extension Coca-Cola Zerowhich is a zero sugar variant. The study is based on generation Y customers in Indian market. It has identified that the effect of perceived risk, consumer innovativeness, parent brand reputation and perceived quality on brand extension was positive and significant.

Companies with product line consisting of multiple brands very well understand the weightage of parent brand reputation as a seal of approval to consumers. This understanding not only helps them bolstering the reputation of other products but also creates a powerful brand voice and resulting brand equity. Brand equity is understood with the help of multiple dimensions in the existing literature. In addition to this, many researches on brand extension have traced the pivotal change in brand equity owing to the variation in brand extension attitude of consumers. However, very little amount of significant contribution has been observed with respect to the mediating role of parent brand reputation. Specifically, the article proposes to test the role of parent brand reputation in mediating the relationship of brand extension with brand equity.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review the existing state of research on “Halal” branding and to propose and empirically test the framework for understanding the purchase intention for “Halal” branded products in Indian context. Design/methodology/approach: The research design is cross-sectional in nature; convenience sampling and snowball sampling is done, and completely filled 288 questionnaires are considered for testing the conceptual framework. Structural equation modeling is used to assess the fit of framework. The study has incorporated attitude as a mediating variable in relation to purchase intention for “Halal” branded products. The originality of the research is based on responses collected from the respondents in the form of online and offline questionnaires. Findings: Findings of the direct and indirect effects in the study show that attitude has a full mediation effect on purchase intention, i.e. in the presence of attitude as a mediation variable the direct effect of subjective norm and religiosity is insignificant and the effect caused through attitude is significant. Practical implications: In a country like India, which enjoys a sufficiently good percentage of Muslim population (14.2 per cent), an understanding of attitude provides enough scope for marketers to strategize techniques to reduce dissonance of non-availability of “Halal” brands. Originality/value: Research is atypical, as it has focused on the mediation effects of attitude toward “Halal” branded products with the help of cosmetic range of products.

Brand extension as a strategy is used by corporates for increasing profits. It is an approach for new product development. Brand extensions have already been studied in the past few years, however, till now extensions have not been evaluated with the help of structural equation modeling (SEM) and neural networks (NNs) integrated approach. The NNs help to analyze nonlinear influence in data without prior knowledge of such influences. The SEM helps to validate framework proposed in the study and the significant variables gathered through SEM are used as an input for NNs. The major advantage of such kind of hybrid technique is to understand the causal relationships in the variables, followed by the prediction of factors which influence brand extension. The study is based on the recent brand extension done by brand Frooti in the form of Frooti Fizz (an aerated fruit drink). It is a cross-sectional study with the sample size of 281 respondents from Delhi/NCR region. The results of the study are useful for a comprehensive understanding of factors affecting brand extension and also to identify the relative importance of each of them through the use of NN Technique.

Brand extension is an important strategy to utilize the credibility of the brand and to minimize the advertising costs. The strategy is used in various industries these days but fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) is such an industry which lie closer to a consumer, hence the immediate effect of any strategy can be properly viewed in this industry. The study is an attempt to provide a framework to examine the effects of brand extension strategy on parent brand equity. It is based on two real FMCG brands of Indian market and their brand extensions. Two frameworks are shown based on the two brands Saffola and Fortune with a sample size of 285 and 278 respondents, respectively. Structural equation modelling is used to analyze the effectiveness of both the frameworks. The findings indicate that brand extensions do affect parent brand equity. Therefore, extensions should be introduced in such a manner that they help to strengthen parent brand equity.

Several letters to the editor in response to topics discussed in previous issues, including the rise of India as an economic superpower, the growing demand in Europe for alternative treatments for illness, and the use of technology to reduce referee errors in football, are presented.