بررسی تأثیر میراث و نوستالژی برند بر مالکیت روان شناختی برند و درگیری ‏مصرف ‏کننده با ‏نقش ‏میانجی اصالت درک شده برند

Introduction

In today's highly competitive markets, the constant emergence of new brands presents consumers ‎with significant challenges in distinguishing authentic brands. In this crowded environment, ‎perceived brand authenticity has become a key factor for differentiation and gaining customer ‎trust. This study investigates the impact of brand heritage and brand nostalgia on psychological ‎brand ownership and consumer engagement, with the mediating role of perceived brand ‎authenticity among customers of Golrang Industrial Group in Iran. Contemporary consumers seek ‎brands that embody real values, honesty, and a deep connection to their history and roots. Brand ‎heritage, comprising a brand's history, enduring values, and symbols developed over time, serves ‎as a crucial prerequisite for perceived authenticity. Similarly, brand nostalgia, as a powerful ‎emotional factor, evokes a sense of belonging to the past, enhancing emotional engagement with ‎the brand and reinforcing its perceived authenticity. When managed correctly, perceived ‎authenticity can lead to valuable psychological outcomes such as psychological brand ownership, ‎which refers to a consumer's feeling of possession towards a brand beyond physical ownership, ‎and increased consumer engagement, encompassing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral ‎interactions with the brand. Despite understanding its importance, significant research gaps ‎remain, particularly concerning the simultaneous examination of heritage and nostalgia as ‎antecedents to authenticity and their subsequent impact on psychological ownership and ‎engagement, especially in quantitative studies within emerging markets like Iran's Fast-Moving ‎Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector. This research aims to address these gaps by proposing and ‎testing a comprehensive model in the context of Golrang Industrial Group, a pioneering and long-‎standing Iranian brand facing intense competition and shifting consumer preferences‏.‏



Methodology

This research is applied in purpose and descriptive-survey in terms of data collection method. The ‎statistical population consisted of all customers and consumers of Golrang Industrial Group ‎products. Given that the population size exceeded one hundred thousand, it was considered ‎unlimited. Using the Krejcie and Morgan table, a sample of 384 individuals was selected via a simple ‎random sampling method. Data was collected using a questionnaire with confirmed validity ‎‎(content and construct) and reliability (Cronbach's alpha and composite reliability). The ‎measurement instruments were adapted from established scales: Brand Nostalgia and Brand ‎Heritage from Fritz et al. (2017), Psychological Brand Ownership from Pierce et al. (2001), Consumer ‎Engagement from Hollebeek et al. (2014) with its cognitive, emotional, and behavioral sub-‎dimensions, and Perceived Brand Authenticity from Morhart et al. (2015) with its continuity, ‎credibility, integrity, and symbolism sub-dimensions. The collected data were analyzed using ‎SmartPLS software version 4 and the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. Since the ‎Kolmogorov-Smirnov test results indicated that the data distribution was not normal, PLS-SEM was ‎deemed appropriate as it does not assume normal data distribution. The reliability and convergent ‎validity of the measurement model were confirmed, with Cronbach's alpha and composite ‎reliability values above 0.7 and Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values above 0.5 for all ‎constructs‏.‏



Discussion and Results

The findings indicated a positive and significant direct effect of both brand heritage and brand ‎nostalgia on psychological brand ownership, consumer engagement, and perceived brand ‎authenticity. The path coefficients and t-statistics for all direct relationships were statistically ‎significant at the 0.05 level. Furthermore, the analysis of the structural model and the examination ‎of specific indirect effects confirmed the mediating role of perceived brand authenticity in the ‎relationships between brand heritage and brand nostalgia with both psychological brand ‎ownership and consumer engagement. The overall model demonstrated a strong fit, with a ‎Goodness-of-Fit (GoF) index of 0.687, which exceeds the threshold of 0.36. The coefficient of ‎determination (R²) values for the dependent variables were 0.603 for perceived brand ‎authenticity, 0.797 for psychological brand ownership, and 0.880 for consumer engagement, ‎indicating that the independent variables and the mediator explain a substantial portion of the ‎variance in the outcome variables. Therefore, the main hypothesis and all ten sub-hypotheses of ‎the research were supported. This implies that heritage and nostalgia not only directly increase a ‎consumer's sense of belonging and engagement but also do so indirectly by enhancing the ‎perceived authenticity of the brand. For a heritage brand like Golrang, this underscores the ‎strategic importance of leveraging its historical legacy and evoking nostalgic sentiments to foster ‎deeper, more meaningful relationships with its customers‏.‏



Conclusion

This study concludes that brand heritage and nostalgia are significant antecedents that strengthen ‎psychological brand ownership and consumer engagement, both directly and through the pivotal ‎mediating mechanism of perceived brand authenticity. The results provide robust quantitative ‎evidence for a model that integrates historical and emotional factors with core consumer ‎psychological outcomes. For managers of heritage brands, particularly in competitive FMCG ‎markets like Iran, these findings highlight the necessity of strategically managing and ‎communicating the brand's heritage and nostalgic elements. It is suggested that brands such as ‎Golrang can enhance their market position by recreating their heritage and incorporating nostalgic ‎elements into advertising and packaging, thereby solidifying their authentic image in consumers' ‎minds. Practical recommendations include designing narrative campaigns based on brand history ‎and collective memories, creating interactive platforms for customer engagement, revitalizing ‎classic products, redesigning visual identity with historical symbols, and consistently highlighting the ‎brand's continuity and enduring values in all marketing communications. By doing so, brands can ‎effectively foster a stronger sense of psychological ownership and sustained engagement among ‎their consumers, leading to long-term loyalty and competitive advantage‏.‏