A brand like a friend—How brand likeability influences brand perception

Martin Ohlwein and Pascal Bruno

Being the customer's friend is considered an advantageous position for a brand. To achieve this position, brand likeability, that is, the degree of perceived appeal a customer has for a brand, plays an important role.

Introduction

"People prefer to say yes to individuals they know and like" (Cialdini, 1993).

This key principle of marketing psychology underlies a variety of management practices. It is therefore not surprising that brands position themselves as friends of their customers (Voorn et al., 2021). In the 2000s, the German consumer goods company Henkel used the claim "A brand like a friend" to communicate closeness to its customers (Henkel, 2006). A favorable relationship between a customer and a brand is associated with various benefits, such as customer satisfaction and loyalty (e.g., Ferguson et al., 2017; Gambetti & Graffigna, 2010; Kennedy &...

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