Abstract
Nonprofit organizations have gradually embraced the brand-oriented approach to deliver value for their stakeholders. The anthropomorphism of nonprofit brands is a promising strategy to attract more attention and support. This study attempted to examine the effects of brand anthropomorphism and other brand-related factors on charity support intention. Based on the theory of anthropomorphism and literature on the customer-brand relationship, this study proposed a research framework explaining the causal relationships between brand anthropomorphism, brand trust, brand familiarity, and charity support intention. Data from a survey of 325 respondents were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares technique. The findings revealed that brand-related factors have significant effects on behavioral intention under the context of the charity sector. Specifically, brand anthropomorphism, brand trust, and brand familiarity had significantly positive impacts on charity support intention. Moreover, brand trust and brand familiarity were found to mediate the effects of brand anthropomorphism on charity support intention. These exploratory findings provided several implications for both theory and practice.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aaker, D. A. (2012). Building strong brands. Simon and Schuster.
Aaker, J. L. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(3), 347–356. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224379703400304
Aaker, J. L. (1999). The malleable self: The role of self-expression in persuasion. Journal of Marketing Research, 36(1), 45–57. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224379903600104
Adaval, R., Chen, F., & Sengupta, J. (2013). Anthropomorphism: new insights and implications. Advances in Consumer Research, 41, 27. http://hdl.handle.net/1783.1/78107
Aggarwal, P., & McGill, A. L. (2007). Is that car smiling at me? Schema congruity as a basis for evaluating anthropomorphized products. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(4), 468–479. https://doi.org/10.1086/518544
Aggarwal, P., & McGill, A. L. (2012). When Brands Seem Human, Do Humans Act Like Brands? Automatic Behavioral Priming Effects of Brand Anthropomorphism. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(2), 307–323–323. https://doi.org/10.1086/662614
Alba, J. W., & Hutchinson, J. W. (1987). Dimensions of consumer expertise. Journal of Consumer Research, 13(4), 411–454. https://doi.org/10.1086/209080
Arnett, D. B., German, S. D., & Hunt, S. D. (2003). The identity salience model of relationship marketing success: The case of nonprofit marketing. Journal of Marketing, 67(2), 89–105.
Arora, R., & Stoner, C. (1996). The effect of perceived service quality and name familiarity on the service selection decision. Journal of Services Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876049610106699
Bagozzi, R. P. (2011). Measurement and meaning in information systems and organizational research: Methodological and philosophical foundations. MIS quarterly, 261-292. https://doi.org/10.2307/23044044
Bagozzi, R. P., Gopinath, M., & Nyer, P. U. (1999). The role of emotions in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 27(2), 184–206. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070399272005
Baker, W., Hutchinson, J., Moore, D., & Nedungadi, P. (1986). Brand Familiarity and Advertising: Effects on the Evoked Set and Brand Preference. Advances in Consumer Research, 13, 637–642.
Beldad, A., Snip, B., & van Hoof, J. (2014). Generosity the second time around: Determinants of individuals’ repeat donation intention. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 43(1), 144–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764012457466
Bennett, R., & Gabriel, H. (2003). Image and reputational characteristics of UK charitable organizations: An empirical study. Corporate Reputation Review, 6(3), 276–289. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1540206
Burmann, C., Jost-Benz, M., & Riley, N. (2009). Towards an identity-based brand equity model. Journal of Business Research, 62(3), 390–397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.06.009
Burnett, K. (2002). Relationship fundraising: A donor-based approach to the business of raising money. John Wiley & Sons.
Campbell, M. C., & Keller, K. L. (2003). Brand familiarity and advertising repetition effects. Journal of Consumer Research, 30(2), 292–304. https://doi.org/10.1086/376800
Casais, B., & Santos, S. (2019). Corporate Propensity for Long-Term Donations to Non-Profit Organisations: An Exploratory Study in Portugal. Social Sciences, 8(1), 2.
Casalo, L. V., Flavián, C., & Guinalíu, M. (2007). The influence of satisfaction, perceived reputation and trust on a consumer’s commitment to a website. Journal of Marketing Communications, 13(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527260600951633
Chandler, J., & Schwarz, N. (2010). Use does not wear ragged the fabric of friendship: Thinking of objects as alive makes people less willing to replace them. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 20(2), 138–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2009.12.008
Chaudhuri, A., & Holbrook, M. B. (2001). The chain of effects from brand trust and brand affect to brand performance: The role of brand loyalty. Journal of Marketing, 65(2), 81–93. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.65.2.81.18255
Cheah, J.-H., Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., Ramayah, T., & Ting, H. (2018). Convergent validity assessment of formatively measured constructs in PLS-SEM. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(11), 3192–3210. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-10-2017-0649
Chen, H., Li, W., Lyu, T., Zheng, X. J. I. M., & Systems, D. (2021). Understanding people's participation in online charities: a dual-process approach of trust and empathic concern.
Clary, E. G., Snyder, M., & Stukas, A. A. (1996). Volunteers’ motivations: Findings from a national survey. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 25(4), 485–505. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764096254006
Dalman, M. D., & Ray, S. (2021). To donate or not to donate? How cosmopolitanism and brand anthropomorphism influence donation intentions for international humanitarian causes. Management Research Review.
Das, G. (2015). Linkages between self-congruity, brand familiarity, perceived quality and purchase intention: A study of fashion retail brands. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 6(3), 180–193. https://doi.org/10.1080/20932685.2015.1032316
Dawar, N., & Lei, J. (2009). Brand crises: The roles of brand familiarity and crisis relevance in determining the impact on brand evaluations. Journal of Business Research, 62(4), 509–516.
De Visser, E. J., Monfort, S. S., McKendrick, R., Smith, M. A., McKnight, P. E., Krueger, F., & Parasuraman, R. (2016). Almost human: Anthropomorphism increases trust resilience in cognitive agents. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 22(3), 331. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/xap0000092
Delgado-Ballester, E., & Luis Munuera-Alemán, J. (2001). Brand trust in the context of consumer loyalty. European Journal of Marketing, 35(11/12), 1238–1258. https://doi.org/10.1108/EUM0000000006475
Dogan, A., Calik, E., & Calisir, F. (2021). Organizational Factors Affecting Individuals to Donate to NPOs in the Turkish Context. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary & Nonprofit Organizations, 32(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-020-00207-8
Duong, G. H., Wu, W.-Y., & Le, L. H. (2020). The effects of brand page characteristics on customer brand engagement: Moderating roles of community involvement and comedy production contents. Journal of Brand Management, 27(5), 531–545. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-020-00196-5
Epley, N., Waytz, A., Akalis, S., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2008). When we need a human: Motivational determinants of anthropomorphism. Social Cognition, 26(2), 143–155. https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2008.26.2.143
Epley, N., Waytz, A., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2007). On Seeing Human: A Three-Factor Theory of Anthropomorphism [Article]. Psychological Review, 114(4), 864–886. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.114.4.864
Epley, N., & Waytz, A. G. (2009). Perspective taking. In Encyclopedia of Human Relationships (pp. 1228–1231). Sage Publications, Inc.
Fernandes, T., & Oliveira, E. (2021). Understanding consumers’ acceptance of automated technologies in service encounters: Drivers of digital voice assistants adoption. Journal of Business Research, 122, 180–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.08.058
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(3), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/3150979
Fournier, S., & Alvarez, C. (2012). Brands as relationship partners: Warmth, competence, and in-between. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22(2), 177–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2011.10.003
Gecti, F., & Zengin, H. (2013). The relationship between brand trust, brand affect, attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty: A field study towards sports shoe consumers in Turkey. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 5(2), 111. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijms.v5n2p111
Go, E., & Sundar, S. S. (2019). Humanizing chatbots: The effects of visual, identity and conversational cues on humanness perceptions. Computers in Human Behavior, 97, 304–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.01.020
Green, C. L., & Webb, D. J. (1997). Factors influencing monetary donations to charitable organizations. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 5(3), 19–40. https://doi.org/10.1300/J054v05n03_03
Guido, G., & Peluso, A. M. (2015). Brand anthropomorphism: Conceptualization, measurement, and impact on brand personality and loyalty. Journal of Brand Management, 22(1), 1–19–19. https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2014.40
Guthrie, S. E., & Guthrie, S. (1995). Faces in the clouds: A new theory of religion. Oxford University Press on Demand.
Ha, H. Y. (2004). Factors influencing consumer perceptions of brand trust online. Journal of Product & Brand Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420410554412
Ha, H. Y., & Perks, H. (2005). Effects of consumer perceptions of brand experience on the web: Brand familiarity, satisfaction and brand trust. Journal of Consumer Behaviour: An International Research Review, 4(6), 438–452. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.29
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Hair, J. J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C., & Sarstedt, M. (2016). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Sage Publications.
Hankinson, P. (2000). Brand orientation in charity organisations: Qualitative research into key charity sectors. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 5(3), 207–219. https://doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.114
Hankinson, P. (2001). Brand orientation in the charity sector: A framework for discussion and research. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 6(3), 231–242. https://doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.149
Healey, P. (2021). Human-Like Communication. Oxford University Press.
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
Hwang, J., & Hyun, S. S. (2013). The impact of nostalgia triggers on emotional responses and revisit intentions in luxury restaurants: The moderating role of hiatus. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 33, 250–262. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2012.09.001
Hydock, C., Chen, Z., & Carlson, K. (2020). Why unhappy customers are unlikely to share their opinions with brands. Journal of Marketing, 0022242920920295. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242920920295
Kashif, M., Sarifuddin, S., & Hassan, A. (2015). Charity donation: Intentions and behaviour. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. https://doi.org/10.1108/MIP-07-2013-0110
Kent, R. J., & Allen, C. T. (1994). Competitive interference effects in consumer memory for advertising: The role of brand familiarity. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 97–105. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299405800307
Komiak, S. Y., & Benbasat, I. (2006). The effects of personalization and familiarity on trust and adoption of recommendation agents. MIS quarterly, 941-960. https://doi.org/10.2307/25148760
Kylander, N., & Stone, C. (2012). The role of brand in the nonprofit sector. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 10(2), 35–41. https://doi.org/10.48558/NV6C-3A31
Lam, S. K., Ahearne, M., Mullins, R., Hayati, B., & Schillewaert, N. (2013). Exploring the dynamics of antecedents to consumer–brand identification with a new brand. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 41(2), 234–252. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-012-0301-x
Landwehr, J. R., McGill, A. L., & Herrmann, A. (2011). It’s got the look: The effect of friendly and aggressive “facial” expressions on product liking and sales. Journal of Marketing, 75(3), 132–146. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.75.3.132
Lane, V., & Jacobson, R. (1995). Stock market reactions to brand extension announcements: The effects of brand attitude and familiarity. Journal of Marketing, 59(1), 63–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299505900106
Le, L. H., & Duong, G. H. (2020). Engagement in the Online Brand Community: Impacts of Cultural Traits. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 32(2), 146–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/08961530.2019.1649992
Le, L. H., & Ha, Q.-A. (2021). Effects of negative reviews and managerial responses on consumer attitude and subsequent purchase behavior: An experimental design. Computers in Human Behavior, 106912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106912
Lee, N. R., & Kotler, P. (2011). Social marketing: Influencing behaviors for good. Sage Publications.
Lee, S. A., & Oh, H. (2019). Anthropomorphism and its implications for advertising hotel brands. Journal of Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.053
Lee, Y.-J. (2019). Nonprofit marketing expenses: Who spends more than others? Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/10495142.2019.1707743
Letheren, K., Martin, B. A., & Jin, H. S. (2017). Effects of personification and anthropomorphic tendency on destination attitude and travel intentions. Tourism Management, 62, 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2017.03.020
Liu, C.-T., Guo, Y. M., & Lee, C.-H. (2011). The effects of relationship quality and switching barriers on customer loyalty. International Journal of Information Management, 31(1), 71–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2010.05.008
Matzler, K., Bidmon, S., & Grabner-Kräuter, S. (2006). Individual determinants of brand affect: The role of the personality traits of extraversion and openness to experience. Journal of Product & Brand Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420610712801
Meijer, M.-M. (2009). The effects of charity reputation on charitable giving. Corporate Reputation Review, 12(1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2009.5
Michel, G., & Rieunier, S. (2012). Nonprofit brand image and typicality influences on charitable giving. Journal of Business Research, 65(5), 701–707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.04.002
Morewedge, C. K., Preston, J., & Wegner, D. M. (2004). In Timescale anthropomorphism in the attribution of mind.
Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299405800302
Padanyi, P., & Gainer, B. (2004). Market orientation in the nonprofit sector: Taking multiple constituencies into consideration. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 12(2), 43–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2004.11658518
Pelau, C., Dabija, D.-C., & Ene, I. (2021). What makes an AI device human-like? The role of interaction quality, empathy and perceived psychological anthropomorphic characteristics in the acceptance of artificial intelligence in the service industry. Computers in Human Behavior, 122, 106855. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106855
Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891.
Puzakova, M., Kwak, H., & Rocereto, J. F. (2013). When Humanizing Brands Goes Wrong: The Detrimental Effect of Brand Anthropomorphization Amid Product Wrongdoings. Journal of Marketing, 77(3), 81–100. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.11.0510
Rauschnabel, P. A., & Ahuvia, A. C. (2014). You’re so lovable: Anthropomorphism and brand love. Journal of Brand Management, 21(5), 372–395. https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2014.14
Rim, H., Yang, S.-U., & Lee, J. (2016). Strategic partnerships with nonprofits in corporate social responsibility (CSR): The mediating role of perceived altruism and organizational identification. Journal of Business Research, 69(9), 3213–3219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.02.035
Samu, S., & Wymer, W. (2009). The effect of fit and dominance in cause marketing communications. Journal of Business Research, 62(4), 432–440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2008.01.039
Sargeant, A., Ford, J. B., & Hudson, J. (2008). Charity brand personality: The relationship with giving behavior. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 37(3), 468–491. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764007310732
Sargeant, A., Hilton, T., & Wymer, W. (2006). Bequest motives and barriers to giving: The case of direct mail donors. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 17(1), 49–66. https://doi.org/10.1002/nml.130
Sargeant, A., & Lee, S. (2004). Donor trust and relationship commitment in the UK charity sector: The impact on behavior. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 33(2), 185–202. https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764004263321
Sepulcri, L. M. C. B., Mainardes, E. W., & Belchior, C. C. (2020). Nonprofit branding: A bibliometric analysis. Journal of Product & Brand Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-05-2019-2366
Shehu, E., Becker, J. U., Langmaack, A.-C., & Clement, M. (2016). The brand personality of nonprofit organizations and the influence of monetary incentives. Journal of Business Ethics, 138(3), 589–600. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2595-3
Steelman, Z. R., Hammer, B. I., & Limayem, M. (2014). Data Collection in the Digital Age: Innovative Alterantives to Student Samples. In MIS quarterly (Vol. 38, pp. 355–378).
Stinnett, R. C., Hardy, E. E., & Waters, R. D. (2013). Who are we? The impacts of anthropomorphism and the humanization of nonprofits on brand personality. International Review on Public and Nonprofit Marketing, 10(1), 31–48. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-012-0087-z
Stride, H., & Lee, S. (2007). No Logo? No Way. Branding in the Non-Profit Sector. Journal of Marketing Management, 23(1–2), 107–122. https://doi.org/10.1362/026725707X178585
Tam, J. L. (2008). Brand familiarity: Its effects on satisfaction evaluations. Journal of Services Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876040810851914
Tam, K.-P., Lee, S.-L., & Chao, M. M. (2013). Saving Mr. Nature: Anthropomorphism enhances connectedness to and protectiveness toward nature. Journal of experimental social psychology, 49(3), 514–521. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2013.02.001
Torres-Moraga, E., Vásquez-Parraga, A., & Barra, C. (2010). Antecedents of donor trust in an emerging charity sector: The role of reputation, familliarity, opportunism and communication. Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences, 6(29), 159–177.
Touré-Tillery, M., & McGill, A. L. (2015). Who or what to believe: Trust and the differential persuasiveness of human and anthropomorphized messengers. Journal of Marketing, 79(4), 94–110. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.12.0166
Tremoulet, P. D., & Feldman, J. (2000). Perception of animacy from the motion of a single object. Perception, 29(8), 943–951. https://doi.org/10.1068/p3101
Upamannyu, N. K., & Mathur, G. (2013). Effect of brand trust, brand affect and brand image on customer brand loyalty and consumer brand extension attitude in FMCG sector. PRIMA,
Waytz, A., Gray, K., Epley, N., & Wegner, D. M. (2010). Causes and consequences of mind perception. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(8), 383–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.05.006
Waytz, A., Heafner, J., & Epley, N. (2014). The mind in the machine: Anthropomorphism increases trust in an autonomous vehicle. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 52, 113–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2014.01.005
Wymer, W., & Akbar, M. M. (2019). Brand authenticity’s influence on charity support intentions. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing, 31(5), 507–527. https://doi.org/10.1080/10495142.2018.1526754
Wymer, W., Becker, A., Boenigk, S. J. J., & o. P., & Marketing. (2021). The antecedents of charity trust and its influence on charity supportive behavior. Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing, 26(2), e1690. https://doi.org/10.1002/nvsm.1690
Wymer, W., & Drollinger, T. (2015). Charity appeals using celebrity endorsers: Celebrity attributes most predictive of audience donation intentions. Voluntas: international journal of voluntary and nonprofit organizations, 26(6), 2694–2717. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-014-9546-y
Wymer, W., Gross, H. P., & Helmig, B. (2016). Nonprofit brand strength: what is it? How is it measured? What are its outcomes? Voluntas: international journal of voluntary and nonprofit organizations, 27(3), 1448–1471. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-015-9641-8
Xu, H., Teo, H.-H., Tan, B. C., & Agarwal, R. (2012). Research note—effects of individual self-protection, industry self-regulation, and government regulation on privacy concerns: A study of location-based services. Information Systems Research, 23(4), 1342–1363. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.1120.0416
Zhang, M., Li, L., Ye, Y., Qin, K., & Zhong, J. (2020). The effect of brand anthropomorphism, brand distinctiveness, and warmth on brand attitude: A mediated moderation model. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 19(5), 523–536. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1835
Zhang, T., Agarwal, R., & Lucas Jr, H. C. (2011). The value of IT-enabled retailer learning: personalized product recommendations and customer store loyalty in electronic markets. MIS quarterly, 859-881. https://doi.org/10.2307/41409964
Zhou, X., Kim, S., & Wang, L. (2019). Money helps when money feels: Money anthropomorphism increases charitable giving. Journal of Consumer Research, 45(5), 953–972. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucy012
Funding
This study was funded by the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
No.
Additional information
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ha, QA., Pham, P.N.N. & Le, L.H. What facilitate people to do charity? The impact of brand anthropomorphism, brand familiarity and brand trust on charity support intention. Int Rev Public Nonprofit Mark 19, 835–859 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-021-00331-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12208-021-00331-1