This research was conducted in order to examine the reverse effect of brand loyalty on
the emotional attachment to the place-of-origin. Results indicate that consumers that
are highly loyal to a brand tend to be more emotionally attached to the place-of-origin;
the effect is mediated by affective place image. Affective place image also partially
mediates the brand loyalty–place attachment relationship in cases when the brand is
authentic in the place.
Human beings tend to extend their affect towards one object based on another object
related to the first one. Building on this notion researchers have been trying to
understand two related concepts—a place, and a brand originating from that place. In
this endeavor, one literature stream has been focusing on place-based branding from
the perspective of international marketing, including work on country-of-origin (COO)
or product-country image (Baldauf et al., 2009; Hong & Wyer Jr, 1989). Another
stream focusing on place branding adapts traditional marketing theory to market a
place (Kotler 2002), and focuses on destination image (Bramwell & Rawding, 1996;
Lee & Lockshin, 2012; Qu, Kim & Im, 2011), and place attachment (Gross & Brown
2006). Notwithstanding the above, there is a dearth of research combining these two
aforementioned streams. One of few exceptions is Lee and Lockshin (2014), who
explored the reverse COO effect of product perceptions on destination image.
However, they focused on consumers’ cognitive beliefs and, thus, the underlying
mechanism of the relationship is yet to be examined. Hence, the current research aims
to answer the following questions: can brand loyalty be leveraged to consumers’
relationship with the place-of-origin as a tourism destination? And, if so, what is the
mechanism underlying the effect?
We present a global survey with consumers of place-based wine brands as a means to
understand whether consumers’ loyalty to a brand will influence their emotional
attachment to the place where the wine brand origins. A moderated mediation model
is proposed. Affective destination image mediates the positive effect of brand loyalty
on place attachment, which is positively moderated by authenticity of the brand-place
associations. The study contributes to the tourisms marketing field by identifying the
emotional linkage between brand loyalty and place attachment. It serves as a starting
point for further investigation of how company or product branding could benefit
place marketing and branding theory. Affective components are suggested to play a
vital role in the relationships between a place and a brand. It further enriches understanding of the role of brand authenticity. Place marketers need to understand
the role of brand loyalty in the decision-making process of tourism consumption.