The Relational Capital Group and Princeton Social Psychologists Receive Highest Award at International Academic Conference

PHILADELPHIA, April 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading academics at The 2nd International Colloquium on Consumer-Brand Relationships awarded "The Influence of Warmth & Competence on Brand Relationships," with the Best Paper Award at their annual research conference. The research paper is based on a study by co-authors Chris Malone, Dr. Susan Fiske and Dr. Nicolas Kervyn.

The award-winning paper evaluated the impact of warmth and competence perceptions on purchase intent and loyalty for twenty-seven different national brands. It found that consumers' behavior toward brands is strongly linked to their instinctive warmth and competence assessments of them, as has been widely documented regarding humans' assessments of one another.

"This research sheds new light on why consumers develop relationships with brands and, in particular, which brand qualities or personality characteristics encourage deeper relationships," said Susan Fournier, Associate Professor of Marketing at Boston University and co-founder of The International Colloquium on Consumer-Brand Relationships. "The study is ground-breaking in its application of a well-established social perception model to understand consumers' relationships with brands. This is a great example of what can be accomplished when academics and practitioners collaborate to address important business questions."

About The Relational Capital Group

The Relational Capital Group is a research-based, brand loyalty and relationship marketing firm that helps organizations build and strengthen the brand relationships that drive their growth and profitability. They are recognized as world-class experts on the principles, process and science of consumer-brand relationships. The firm is located in Philadelphia, PA. For more information visit http://www.relcapgroup.com.

About Dr. Susan T. Fiske

Dr. Fiske, Eugene Higgins Professor of Psychology at Princeton University, is a social psychologist renowned for her work on social cognition, stereotypes, and prejudice. She has authored over 250 publications and written several books.

About Dr. Nicolas O. Kervyn

Dr. Kervyn earned his masters and doctoral degrees in psychology from the Catholic University of Louvain and is currently a research fellow at Princeton University, working closely with Dr. Fiske. He has published several research papers on warmth and competence, social perception, and group stereotypes.

SOURCE The Relational Capital Group