Communicate like humans? Anthropomorphism and hotel consumers’ willingness to pay a premium price

Using anthropomorphism in marketing communication has received increased attention from brand and hospitality management literature, but its contextually complicated effects have remained an academic niche, especially those relating to the willingness of consumers to pay a higher price for a product and service. To shed light on this topic, this research drew on cognitive appraisal theory while incorporating the dimensions of “coolness,” “warmth,” and “cuteness” to investigate the influence of anthropomorphism-based communication on consumers' emotional brand attachment and their willingness to pay a premium rate. The results demonstrated that perceived coolness, warmth, and cuteness significantly influenced consumers' emotional attachment to a hotel brand. It additionally revealed that a consumer's willingness to pay a premium price tended to be considerably affected by emotional brand attachment. The moderating role of the “need for uniqueness” was also verified. This study provides original, theoretical, and practical implications for brand anthropomorphism, hospitality management, and cognitive appraisal theory.