Authenticity attracts authenticity: The impact of brand authenticity and self-authenticity on brand loyalty

Consumers today seek authenticity, making brand authenticity an important component in marketing strategy. Despite the importance of brand authenticity, there is still very little research on how to effectively build it and what behavioural outcomes such an impact might produce. Building on prior work, this study demonstrates that consumers’ self-authenticity is an important driver of their perceptions of brand authenticity and in turn brand loyalty. Two field studies in the retail sector were conducted, each with a different brand and different consumer segment. The data revealed that greater self-authenticity was associated with greater brand loyalty. Similarly, brand authenticity was positively associated with brand loyalty. In fact, findings show that the impact of self-authenticity on brand loyalty is mediated by brand authenticity. In other words, self-authentic consumers tend to perceive greater brand authenticity and, in turn, exhibit greater loyalty towards the brand — a finding that both enhances the external validity of previous research and extends it in important new ways. Specific ways for managers to target self-authentic consumers are discussed.