Consumers develop committed and meaningful relationships with brands, yet still sometimes buy or use options that compete directly with these ‘relationship partners’, an activity that might be understood as a form of cheating or infidelity. Using data from three studies, we assess whether...

We find compared to dyadic brand relationships, where the brand relationship is an ends rather than a means of propping up an interpersonal relationship, triadic brand relationships that implicate a third party protect against emotional and behavioral cheating by virtue of reinforcing...

Consumers develop committed and meaningful relationships with brands, yet still sometimes buy or use options that compete directly with these ‘relationship partners’, an activity that might be understood as a form of cheating or infidelity. Using data from three studies, we assess whether...