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This study aims to make a distinction between two types of authenticity (indexical vs iconic), the influence of both of which on the consumer’s inference of companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) motivation is determined. Meanwhile, the consumer inference of CSR activities can be affected by the situational context within which the CSR activities are contained. Therefore, the effect of the interaction between the authenticity type and the given social distance (based on the construal level theory) was also examined.

The study conducted a 2 × 2 between-subjects design experiment to examine the effects of authenticity type (indexical/iconic) and social distance (close/distant) on the perceived motive of the CSR information in a scenario.

The findings showed significant main effect of authenticity type but no significant main effect of social distance on persuasion knowledge. Participants in the indexical authenticity condition perceived a higher degree of persuasion knowledge than the participants in the iconic authenticity condition. Social distance moderated the effect of authenticity type such that for indexical authenticity, there was a significant difference on persuasion knowledge when the social distance was large. However, for iconic authenticity, the perception of persuasion knowledge was not significantly different between a large distance and a close distance.

The study identified the type of authenticity that is mainly perceived as a result of CSR activities and also determined its relation to the social distance dimension to infer a firm’s CSR motives.

This paper aims to determine the affecting factors of the brand authenticity of startups in social media.

Using a qualitative method based on a grounded theory approach, this research specifies and classifies the affecting factors of brand authenticity of startups in social media through in-depth semi-structured interviews.

Multiple factors affecting the brand authenticity of startups in social media are determined and categorized as indexical, iconic and existential cues through this research. Connection to heritage and having credible support are determined as indexical cues. Founder intellectuality, brand intellectuality, commitment toward customers and proactive clear and interesting communications are identified as iconic cues. Having self-confidence and self-satisfaction, having intimacy with the brand and a joyful feeling for interactions with the community around the brand are determined as existential cues in this research. This research furthers previous arguments on a multiplicity of brand authenticity by shedding light on the relationship between the different aspects of authenticity and the form that different affecting factors can be organized together. Consumers eventually evaluate a strengthened perception of brand authenticity through existential cues that reflect the cues of other aspects (iconic and indexical) which passed through the goal-based assessment and self-authentication filter.

The research sampling population can be more diversified in terms of sociodemographic attributes. Due to the qualitative methodology of this research, assessment of the findings through quantitative methods can be considered in future research.

Using the findings of this research, startup managers can properly build a perception of authenticity in their consumers’ minds by using alternate factors while lacking major indexical cues such as heritage. This research helps startup businesses to design their brand communications better to convey their authenticity to their audiences.

This research determines the factors affecting the authenticity of startup brands in social media. It also defines the process of authenticity perception through different aspects of brand authenticity.

This paper aims to improve knowledge regarding the complicated relationship among brand cultural symbolism, consumer cultural involvement, brand authenticity and consumer well-being. Although some literature has mentioned the relationship between the above concepts, these relationships have not been confirmed by empirical studies.

Based on the self-determination theory and the authenticity theory, a causal model of brand cultural symbolism, consumers’ enduring cultural involvement, brand authenticity and consumer well-being is developed. The structural equation model and multiple regressions are used to test the hypothesis. The primary data are based on an online survey conducted in China (N = 533). A total of six brands from the USA, France and China were selected as study samples.

The data reveal that brand cultural symbolism has a positive relationship with brand authenticity and consumer well-being; brand authenticity partially mediates the relationship between brand cultural symbolism and consumer well-being; and find a weakening effect of consumers’ enduring cultural involvement on the relationship between brand cultural symbolism and brand authenticity.

The weakening effect of consumers’ enduring cultural involvement on the relationship between brand cultural symbols and brand authenticity should be further verified through experiments and the model should be tested in different cultural backgrounds from a cross-cultural perspective.

The present study offers novel insights for brand managers by highlighting brand authenticity as the fundamental principle that explains the effect of cultural symbolism of brands, consumers’ enduring cultural involvement, as well as eudaimonic and hedonic well-being.

The findings suggest that cultural significance of a brand is closely related to brand authenticity and consumer well-being; however, on consumers with a highly enduring cultural involvement, the effect of brand culture symbolism and brand authenticity is weakened. This is an interesting finding because in this case, consumers may measure brand authenticity more based on the brand actual behavior (e.g. brand non-commercial tendency and brand social responsibility) rather than the symbolic image.

Consumer demand for authentic brands is steadily rising. With increased pressure to accommodate this demand, researchers and marketers seek to understand how to influence a brand’s perceived authenticity. The purpose of this paper is to build a link between previous research on authenticity and thus gain a deeper understanding of the influencing factors of brand authenticity and its consumer outcomes.

Building on an extensive literature review, the authors identify various antecedents of brand authenticity that are closely connected with the brand’s past, its virtuousness, consumers’ self-identification with the brand perceiver’s own self and individuals representing the brand, as well as relational outcomes as consequences of a brand’s perceived authenticity. As brand authenticity is a subjective construct, the authors include brand involvement to test for moderator effects. For data collection, they conduct an online survey that generates 509 datasets. To test the hypotheses, the authors use structural equation modeling.

The results demonstrate that brand authenticity can be influenced by the identified variables (i.e. brand heritage, brand nostalgia, brand commercialization, brand clarity, brand’s social commitment, brand legitimacy, actual self-congruence and employee’s passion). Moreover, brand authenticity positively affects brand relationship quality, which in turn positively influences consumers’ behavioral intentions. The analyzed relationships do not vary due to consumer-specific characteristics (i.e. brand involvement).

In sum, the results regarding the antecedents of brand authenticity demonstrate that a company can influence brand authenticity through different approaches, and that it is therefore important to analyze which of the identified antecedents brand management should manipulate to positively impact the perception of the brand’s authenticity. In addition, the findings confirm the positive consequences on consumer behavior ascribed to the authenticity concept by marketing literature.

Authenticity is a complex character that is valued in service contexts. Frontline service employees (FSEs), as both brand representatives and individuals who interact with clients, can signal their authenticity to customers. The purpose of this study is to investigate how FSEs signal their authenticity to customers. The authors investigate authenticity signal themes and develop a typology of how FSEs use these signals in the workplace.

This research uses a multi-method approach: qualitative data were collected through in-depth interviews with FSE and customers and quantitative data were collected in a follow-up survey using a sample of financial planners.

Findings from both studies show that FSE can use signals reflecting the display of client-centricity, positive emotions, transparency and disclosure of personal information. A latent profile analysis reveals three authenticity signal profiles, differing in the extent to which FSE uses each of these signals.

This study identifies how FSEs can shape perceptions of authenticity in a service context, thus expanding theory by integrating both personal and brand authenticity perspectives. The findings further demonstrate that authenticity can be signaled on multiple dimensions, reflecting the complex nature of this construct.

The findings from this research can guide managers in developing workplace policies that enable FSEs to display authenticity in various ways to customers. Managers can further use the insights from this research to identify needs for FSE training and development.

The authors create novel insights into how FSEs signal authenticity to customers given their dual roles as individuals and brand representatives. This study offers nuanced insights into different types of signals and their application in a service context.

This study, based on craft beer brands, aims (1) to explain the importance of four brand authenticity dimensions (continuity, originality, reliability and naturalness) in consumers' perceptions of brand image; (2) to verify if the brand–consumer emotional relationship (brand love) is enhanced by the consumer's perceptions of the brand's image; (3) to verify if the consumer's perceptions of the brand's image increase brand satisfaction; and (4) to verify if brand satisfaction increases brand love.

Data were collected from consumers of different craft beer brands to evaluate the assumptions underlying the proposed conceptual model. In total, 175 questionnaire responses were used, and the model was estimated through structural equation modelling (SEM) with partial least squares (PLS).

The results confirmed that brand authenticity is a strong antecedent of the brand image of craft beers, and that brand image affects both consumer brand satisfaction and brand love. The effect of brand satisfaction on brand love has also been confirmed. Craft beer brands should aim to attract more fan-consumers, i.e. consumers who seek an emotional relationship that manifests itself in affection, beauty, well-being and long-term commitment. Fan-consumers give their hearts/love and recommend the brand.

The paper tries to fill two gaps in the literature. First, we make the initial empirical application of the Bruhn et al. (2012) scale and verify its adequacy in this context. Second, this is the first time that the model's design has been validated. The results allow us to confirm that authenticity is an antecedent of brand image, and its simultaneous impact on the consumer's brand love for, and satisfaction with, craft beer brands.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how two aspects of place affect consumers’ authenticity perceptions of a wine and their willingness to pay for it. One aspect of place is the wine’s country of origin, specifically Old World versus New World wines. A second aspect of place is the technical terroir. A description of the terroir that is highly specific was expected to be perceived as more authentic and offer more value than a vague terroir description.

A total of 109 US adults participated in an online 2 × 2 experiment in which authenticity, willingness to pay and expertise were measured. ANCOVA and MANCOVA were used to analyze the data.

Subjects perceived the Old World wine as more authentic and were willing to pay more for it than the New World wine. Additionally, country of origin moderated the effect of terroir specificity on authenticity and willingness to pay. For New World wines, wine with specific information about the terroir was perceived as more authentic and more valuable than wine with vague terroir information. The opposite was found for the Old World wine. Finally, authenticity mediated the effect of this interaction on willingness to pay.

The sample limits generalizability, and the study design involved only a text description of the wine. While the description allowed control, future research should include a measure following an actual taste of the wine.

The implications concern the strength of the Old World wine stereotypes and the means of marketing wines from less traditional wine-producing regions. The Old World wines provide a quality signal that need not be reinforced by a specific description of the technical terroir. In contrast, a specific description of the technical terroir may well send positive signals for wines from New World countries.

This study is the first to empirically demonstrate that two different aspects of place influence a wine’s perceived authenticity.

In response to today’s marketplace in which many Asian brands are trying to expand their businesses into Western nations, this study investigated the strategic use of cultural authenticity that Asian brands may employ for their success. Although the benefits of using cultural heritage in brand strategies have been noted by past literature, the efficacies of how Asian brands can use brand logo designs to positively influence their brand success have not been studied. To fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to examine how Chinese brands can increase willingness to try among US consumers by establishing brand uniqueness via culturally authentic brand logo designs.

The data from 289 respondents via online between-subjects factorial experimental research surveys were collected using a national US population as the sample frame. The Chinese brand logos communicating Asian heritage were created by manipulating the cultural authenticity of the brand logo mark and the language of the logotype.

The results suggested that the Asian-themed brand logo is an important tool in exuding a Chinese brand’s sense of cultural authenticity to US consumers. In turn, the perception of cultural authenticity for the Chinese brand positively influenced the US consumers’ perceptions of the brand’s uniqueness, which led to greater willingness to try the brand.

The research provides empirical insights into how “Asian-ness” can be manifested via brand logos to convey cultural authenticity as well as to build perceived brand uniqueness and the willingness to try among US consumers.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate how geographic cues embedded in a website affect Chinese consumers’ cross-border shopping experiences. The study simultaneously explores the effect of telepresence on shoppers’ perceptions of product authenticity and their trust in retailers, key drivers of behavioral intentions.

Two experimental conditions were utilized. Geographic cues depicted a famous shopping district in the retailer’s country (South Korea) or the shopper’s country (China). Study participants were female Chinese consumers in their 20s and 30s who had purchased Korean fashion products in the past (n=236). Structural equation modeling was conducted using AMOS 21.0.

Results indicate that participants in the “retailer’s country” experimental condition experienced higher telepresence and greater perceptions of product authenticity. Furthermore, telepresence increased participants’ trust in the retailer and perceived product authenticity, which led to positive behavioral intentions.

Findings offer important implications for cross-border online retailing. First, results suggest a highly successful tactic for enhancing shoppers’ perceptions of product authenticity and retailer trust on a cross-border platform. Second, cross-border online business professionals should focus on the role of telepresence. Finally, this study provides insight about Chinese cross-border shoppers.

This study contributes to the literature on cross-border online shopping. It suggests that the strategic use of geographic cues on a website can provide an experiential benefit, telepresence, to cross-border shoppers. The study’s findings provide a novel insight into possible unique success factors in cross-border e-commerce.

In view of the increasing importance of creating values that require shared societal responsibilities to be borne by not just firms but customers as well, the purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate whether customers’ social capital plays a role in creating shared values for South Korean firms directly or indirectly through social identity and corporate authenticity.

To understand the effects of social capital on value co-creation, the authors conducted a face-to-face questionnaire survey with a selected group of 400 adult respondents aged more than 20 years. To verify precision in wording and sentence structure and the validity of questions in reflecting the study objective, the authors conducted a pretest on 40 respondents before administering the main survey. Ultimately, 50 questionnaires considered inappropriate and with inconsistent response patterns were discarded, leaving 350 questionnaires for the statistical analysis.

This research adopts the consumer-centric as well as societal perspectives to conceptualize value co-creation behavior, and tests the moderating roles of psychometric measures of self-monitoring and corporate trust. Next, the research confirms whether social identity and perceived corporate authenticity mediate the relationship between social capital and value co-creation.

The study results shed new insights into the societal, psychological and normative aspects of value co-creation.