Brand Constellations and Homophily: The Effect on Target Attitude Evaluations and Interpersonal Attraction

The purpose of this paper was to explore the relationship between attitudes toward a brand constellation (a group of brands) and how people perceived the attitudes of the person who owns those brands, do similar brand preferences indicate similar attitudes? Which products and brands are the most impactful in influencing perceptions of attitudes? Findings suggested that clothing and phones were the product types that had the greatest impact on perceived attitudinal similarity, while certain brands from other categories of products were more influential. The current study moves the brand constellation literature forward because it explores a concrete example of a brand constellation and its impact for marketers as they select impactful products and brands with which to form partnerships. By knowing how brands work together to influence perceptions and which products are the most impactful, brands can do a better job of portraying their products in a way that is desirable for consumers.