Understanding actor engagement through psychological ownership: a multi-sport brand perspective

Purpose Consumers commonly engage with multiple brands in a given product category, yet current engagement theory overlooks the psychological mechanisms behind how these simultaneous relationships influence consumer behaviour. In particular, how engagement with one brand affects engagement with another has rarely been examined. This study explores how a focal actor's psychological ownership felt towards multiple brands influences engagement valence and intensity outcomes. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional quantitative survey was implemented to identify psychological ownership of football supporters towards multiple engagement objects, namely different sports brands. Respondents were classified into either high or low ownership across each selected team, generating dynamic sub-groups to investigate the research aims. PROCESS mediation analysis of 379 football supporters' conjoined psychological ownership towards multiple brands was employed to investigate influences upon subsequent engagement valence and intensity. Findings This study illustrates psychological ownership felt between brands can amplify positively valenced engagement without directly triggering negatively valenced engagement. However, adverse brand-related outcomes emerge alongside when territoriality is introduced as a mediator. Remarkably, consumers possessing low levels of psychological ownership still exhibit significant engagement, challenging the traditional positive-negative dichotomy of engagement. Originality/value This research empirically explores an individual's psychological ownership felt towards multiple objects (brands) extending psychological ownership alongside (multi) actor engagement by examining the influence of multi-brand settings on subsequent engagement valence and intensity outcomes.