Harnessing brand anthropomorphism in generative AI: cultivating brand heroes through trust, respect and love

Purpose This study investigates how brand anthropomorphism (BA) attributes (moral virtue, conscious emotionality, appearance and cognitive experience) influence brand trust (BT), brand respect (BR), brand love and the emergence of brand heroes in the context of generative AI (GenAI) applications, with user experience (UX) as a moderating factor. It aims to address the challenge of achieving distinct brand positioning and sustained consumer loyalty in the competitive GenAI market. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 384 non-student GenAI users in Iran via an online survey on Porsline, using purposive sampling. Constructs were measured with adapted scales from prior literature, and partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized relationships, including direct, mediating and moderating effects. Findings BA attributes significantly enhance BT, respect, love and the emergence of brand heroes. BT, respect and love mediate the relationship between anthropomorphism and brand heroes, while UX amplifies these pathways. The model explains 89.7% of the variance in brand heroes, demonstrating strong predictive power. Originality/value This study offers an initial exploration of multidimensional BA in GenAI branding, extending anthropomorphism theory to a novel context. While prior research has explored anthropomorphism in AI contexts, this study uniquely focuses on GenAI applications, emphasizing BR as a mediator and exploring brand heroes as a novel outcome. It provides actionable insights for GenAI brand managers to foster trust, respect, love and advocacy for competitive differentiation.