Linking Perceptions to Reality in Choice for Others: The Role of Self– Other Brand Relationships and Virtual Reality Perspective-Taking in Relational Marketing

Despite the omnipresence and ubiquity of decision-making for others in daily life, self-other distinction remains scarce within the current literature, which remains individual centric, overlooking “other’s-related” and interpersonal considerations. Additionally, there is a dearth of research in relational marketing on decision-making for others, the theoretical models including consumer-brand relationships and customer equity focus on decision-making for oneself. This present thesis addresses these gaps, by conceptualising brand relationship, and contextualising customer equity drivers in Choice for Others. The first study a large-scale questionnaire on customer equity drivers in the choice for others (caregiving) and the choice for oneself (self-indulgence), for two product categories, established the other’s fundamental role in brand relationship development. In essence, the research indicates that decision-makers’ perceptions of other’s experience constitute an important pillar of brand relationship in Choice for others context, conceptualising self-other brand relationship, identified as the major loyalty driver in Choice for Others context. By uncovering the key role of the “other”, this stage further sheds light on the challenges faced by the decision-maker when choosing for others, especially due to the absence of the other, which are manifested in the decision making process (such as egocentric bias) and outcomes. Subsequently, this research incorporates perspective-taking (PT) of other to compensate for their absence. Virtual Reality (VR) has been employed to bring others’ perceptions to “reality”, through Virtual Reality Perspective-taking (VRPT). The second stage consists of VR experiments, comparing different types of perspectives. Findings indicate VRPT’s superiority, compared to self-perspective on evoking empathy and heightening affective commitment, which ultimately enhances self-other brand relationship and behavioural outcomes.