The Role of Authenticity in Shaping Consumer-Brand Relationships and Recommendations in the Sports Industry

In today’s global marketplace, creating emotional connections between consumers and brands is a strategic challenge, particularly in the sports industry, where identity, authenticity, and cultural relevance are central. This study examines how consumer-based relational authenticity (CBRA), perceived brand globalness (PBG), perceived brand localness (PBL), and corporate social responsibility image (CSRI) influence brand love (BL), and how BL drives word-of-mouth (WOM) and purchase intention (PI). Addressing a gap in international branding research, which has focused mainly on quality and prestige, this paper adopts a relationship-centered perspective. Survey data from 225 Portuguese consumers of a sports brand were analyzed using PLS-SEM. Results show that CBRA, PBL, and CSRI significantly strengthen BL, while PBG has no effect. BL strongly predicts WOM and PI, with WOM also reinforcing PI. These findings highlight the importance of authenticity and local cultural alignment in fostering brand love, advocacy, and loyalty in culturally embedded markets.