Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0858-4146
Date Available
4-22-2027
Year of Publication
2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
College
Business and Economics
Department/School/Program
Marketing and Supply Chain
Faculty
Dr. Daniel Sheehan
Faculty
Dr. John Peloza
Abstract
As consumers interact with brands, they often perceive them as individual-like social actors. However, less is known about how consumers interact with brands perceived as groups or members of groups. This dissertation explores two social theories related to group dynamics and integrates them into brand theory. The first, entitativity theory, describes how a social aggregate comes to be perceived as a cohesive group. Essay One investigates brand entitativity, the perception of a brand image as a cohesive group entity rather than a singular entity, and shows that brands with 'and' names (e.g., Barnes & Noble) are perceived as more entitative than other brands, leading to greater brand trust and more positive consumer outcomes (e.g., purchase intentions, choice share). The second social theory, social embeddedness theory, describes the degree to which a social actor is connected to a group such as a local community. In Essay Two, the concept of brand social embeddedness, a brand’s perceived connection to its local community, is examined in relation to how it is affected by brand size and technology strategies. It finds that small brands are more socially embedded than large brands. However, a brand's social embeddedness may be negatively affected by the use of artificial intelligence technologies, as such technologies are inherently disembedded. Together, these essays illustrate how social structures, both internal and external to the brand, impact consumer connections with the brand.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.10
Funding Information
This study was supported by the Department of Marketing & Supply Chain, Gatton College of Business & Economics from 2020-2025. Additional funding was provided by The William O. Bearden Doctoral Student Research Award in 2023 and 2024.
Recommended Citation
Jenkins, Michael, "Brands as Socialized Actors: Essays on Brand Entitativity and Brand Social Embeddedness" (2025). Theses and Dissertations--Marketing and Supply Chain. 14.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/marketing_etds/14
