Exploring the influence of gendered anthropomorphic representations in destination branding on consumer perceptions, emotional attachment, and travel intentions

Details

Supervisors

Kervyn de Meerendré, Nicolas

Faculty

Louvain School of Management

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences de gestion, à finalité spécialisée

Abstract

enIn this thesis, we explore how the use of gendered anthropomorphized characters might influence perceptions, emotional attachment, and travel intentions in the context of tourism. In total, 253 participants were exposed to one of the two mascots (feminine or masculine) and rated their perceptions of each variable. Despite good internal reliability, most of the relationships tested were not statistically significant. The results showed no significant differences between the male and female mascots in terms of consumer perception, emotional attachment, or travel intentions. However, some patterns emerged for the traits: the female mascot was rated significantly higher on gracefulness, while the male mascot scored higher on traits such as adventurousness, daring, and sturdiness. Although emotional attachment was found to partially mediate the relationship between consumer perception and travel intentions, this mediation was not strong enough to support the hypothesis. Furthermore, no significant interaction effects were found between mascot gender and participant gender on any outcome variables. Lastly, while emotional attachment was a strong predictor of travel intentions, gender congruence between the mascot and the participant did not moderate this relationship. In summary, the findings challenge common assumptions about the impact of gendered mascots and gender matching in destination branding. These results suggest that emotional connection is a more meaningful driver of consumer engagement and travel intentions.