Do Not Diss the Ability of Disability: Investigating Brand Inclusivity and Consumer-Brand Relationships

Authors

Sphurti Sewak, Florida International UniversityFollow

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Major/Program

Business Administration

First Advisor's Name

Jayati Sinha

First Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Chair

Second Advisor's Name

Kimberly Taylor

Second Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Third Advisor's Name

Walfried M. Lassar

Third Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Fourth Advisor's Name

William Newburry

Fourth Advisor's Committee Title

Committee Member

Keywords

marketing

Date of Defense

5-12-2023

Abstract

Many companies increasingly include underrepresented consumer segments in their advertisements to portray inclusivity. One such underrepresented segment is the persons with disabilities (PWDs), with limited representation in the media. Using various product and service contexts, I establish that brand advertisements featuring disabled models having apparent physical disabilities with nondisabled models lead to higher perceived brand inclusivity and favorable consumer-brand relationships (CBRs). Moreover, I demonstrate that it is the perceived brand inclusivity that is driving a range of favorable CBRs. I also demonstrate two boundary conditions to the main and mediation effects, Social Dominance Orientation and Perceived Brand Message Authenticity, and obtain partial support for another boundary condition, Self-brand connection.

This dissertation is the first empirical research to investigate when and why including disabled models with nondisabled models in brand advertisements works for the brand while controlling for possible alternative process mechanisms. My findings advance the literature on brand inclusivity, linking it to the downstream consequence of favorable CBRs. Moreover, my findings also add to the Social Dominance Theory (SDT), highlighting that the positive effects of featuring disabled models with nondisabled models in brand ads attenuate for high social dominance orientation (SDO) individuals. Lastly, the results also contribute to a critical component in brand authenticity literature, perceived Brand Message Authenticity (BMA), demonstrating that under conditions of high perceived BMA, the positive effect of featuring disabled models along with nondisabled models in brand advertisements attenuates. Practically, this research highlights that brand ads featuring disabled models with nondisabled models can make the brand appear more inclusive to consumers and foster favorable CBRs. With brands increasingly facing the challenge of standing out, inclusive ads featuring disabled models with nondisabled models can make the brand more relatable to consumers. Lastly, the findings also have consumer and societal well-being implications. Making PWDs feel “seen” by their representation in brand ads could potentially increase their involvement in the marketplace and could also possibly be a step towards normalizing disability and increasing societal well-being.

Identifier

FIDC011168

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6120-511X

Recommended Citation

Sewak, Sphurti, "Do Not Diss the Ability of Disability: Investigating Brand Inclusivity and Consumer-Brand Relationships" (2023). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 5401.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/5401