More Than a Product: An Exploratory Correlational Study of Emotional Brand Constructs and Purchase Intention Among Gen-Z
Publication Date : Aug-14-2026
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Abstract :
Emotional marketing has become a central strategy in contemporary branding, with companies increasingly building emotional connections to their brand rather than relying solely on rational product claims. This exploratory, cross-sectional study examined associations between three emotional brand constructs (consumer-brand identification, brand love, and brand attachment) and purchase intention among Gen-Z consumers. Thirty participants (ages 15-19, M = 16.8), recruited through convenience sampling from the researcher’s personal and school network, completed a 16-item, 7-point Likert-scale survey measuring the four constructs in relation to a brand they personally like. Participants were located primarily in New York City, Paris, and London. Internal consistency reliability was acceptable to good for three constructs (Cronbach’s α = 0.74-0.85) but below conventional thresholds for purchase intention (α = 0.61). Brand attachment showed the strongest observed correlation with purchase intention, r(28) = .41, 95% C I [0.06, 0.67], followed by b rand love, r (28) = 0.25, 95% C I [-0.12, 0.56], a nd c onsumerbrand identification, r(28) = 0.21, 95% CI [-0.17, 0.53]; none of these associations remained statistically significant 0after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons. These findings should be interpreted as preliminary and exploratory given the small, non-random sample, and do not support causal or predictive claims about emotional marketing’s effects on consumer behavior.
