Political Ideology and Anthropomorphized Servant Versus Partner Brand Roles

Abstract

Going beyond the realm of politics, consumers’ political ideology influences how they perceive brands portrayed in advertisements. This research examines how consumers respond to two distinct anthropomorphized brand roles (servant vs. partner). Across three experiments, we show the impact of brand roles on consumers’ willingness to purchase is contingent upon their political ideology. Politically conservative consumers manifest greater willingness to purchase servant brands over partner brands, as servant brand roles align better with their inherent beliefs of social dominance orientation, leading to temporarily heightened relaxation. In contrast, their politically liberal counterparts tend to be indifferent toward different brand roles, as they are less motivated to support social hierarchy. This research offers valuable implications for academics and industry practitioners in relation to understanding the social nature of brands and optimizing branding strategies by leveraging consumers’ political ideology.