Emotions Felt toward a Brand and Customer Loyalty: Study of Mobile Phone Brands

Recently, a firm that wants to conquer and keep its customers is expected to invest in the emotional
value of its brand. Thus, the fact of eliciting the emotions of customers has become a challenge to
develop a close emotional and behavioral resistance to change. This research work aims to study the
role of emotions felt toward a brand in the formation and preservation of the relationship between the
customer and the brand. A conceptual model is developed to examine the relationships between
emotional attraction, emotional sensitivity, emotions felt (affection, passion, connection), emotional
attachment and customer loyalty. The method of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is employed to
test the research hypotheses. A quantitative study is conducted involving 480 Tunisian customers of
mobile phone brands. The findings of this study indicate that the emotional attraction as well as the
level of emotional sensitivity of customer influence positively his emotions felt toward a brand of
mobile phone. These emotions predict an emotional attachment and a commitment toward the brand.
Such commitment is vital to develop a loyalty of customer. This study provides significant managerial
insights for marketers in order to formulate an effective communication strategy of their brands based
on the seduction of customer emotions.