The Effects of Perceived Warmth and Competence on Fashion Brand Attitude : The Moderating Role of Consumer-Brand Relationship Stages

Based on the five-stage model of consumer–brand relationship development, this study examines how perceived brand warmth and competence influence fashion brand attitude across each relationship stage: awareness, exploration, expansion, commitment, and disengagement. An online survey of 445 adults was conducted, in which participants named a brand for each relationship stage. They were then randomly assigned to one stage to evaluate their selected brand’s warmth and competence and their overall attitude toward it. Hierarchical moderated regression analyses were performed by sequentially entering standardized warmth and competence, relationship-stage dummy variables, and warmth × stage and competence × stage interaction terms, with the reference group rotated across stages to test differences between adjacent stages. The results show that both warmth and competence exerted a significant positive impact on brand attitude, with warmth displaying a stronger effect. Warmth's influence decreased significantly from awareness to exploration, remained stable through expansion and commitment, and then increased at disengagement. Competence's influence remained stable from awareness to exploration but significantly declined at expansion, staying low during commitment and disengagement. These findings suggest that warmth re-emerges most prominently not during periods of relationship stability but when the relationship is facing dissolution, operating as the dominant criterion across nearly all stages. In contrast, competence functions as a threshold condition relevant mainly in early relationship formation. This study offers practical guidance for how fashion brands should distribute warmth- versus competence-centered messaging throughout the customer relationship lifecycle.