Evaluating the Impact of Religious Icons and Symbols on Consumer’s Brand Evaluation: Context of Hindu Religion

Abstract

The influence of symbolic meanings and brand associations on consumers’ buying decisions is an important area of inquiry. In this article, we use symbolic interactionism as the theoretical framework for investigating the impact of the presence of religious signs in print advertisements on consumers’ brand evaluation (namely, brand affect and brand trust) and purchase intention. We also study the comparative impact of two different types of religious signs—religious icons versus religious symbols—on brand evaluation and purchase intention. Three experimental studies (N = 80, 161, and 452) were conducted to investigate the effect of religious signs in advertisements for secular products and to compare the results for religious icons and religious symbols. Both kinds of religious signs were found to positively impact brand evaluation and purchase intention. However, religious icons were found to have a higher positive impact than religious symbols on brand evaluation and purchase intention. The results also indicate that highly religious consumers respond more favorably to advertisements containing religious cues in comparison to less-religious consumers. The theoretical contributions and managerial implications of the studies in the domains of advertising, branding, and semiotics are discussed, and research limitations are also presented.

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Notes on contributors

Ridhi Agarwala

Ridhi Agarwala was a PHD Student at IIM Calcutta when this paper was written, but is no longer associated with the institute. She now works independently, writing research papers and teaching as visiting faculty at various colleges.

Prashant Mishra

Prashant Mishra (PhD, Devi Ahilya University, Indore) is a Professor at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.

Ramendra Singh

Ramendra Singh (PhD, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad) is an Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.