Where does trust come from – an investigation of different Family Business Branding Strategies
(A2026-132635)

AUTHORS

Sabrina Finkbeiner, markstones Institute of Marketing, Branding & Technology, Universität Bremen; Michael Schade, University of Bremen; Christoph Burmann, University of Bremen

ABSTRACT

Prior research shows that signaling the family nature of a firm can strengthen brand trust, yet the mechanisms underlying this trust formation remain insufficiently understood. In the context of family business branding, family firms are often associated with positive attributes, suggesting that cues such as family ownership or heritage may benefit consumer evaluations. This study investigates how such cues affect brand trust by activating associations that function as mediating mechanisms. Using an experimental design (n = 560), we test family- run and family-owned cues as well as a founding-year cue on fictitious brand logos. The findings show that both ownership cues increase brand trust through Perceived Brand Heritage (PBH). However, adding a founding-year cue weakens the PBH-related effect of the family-owned cue. The results highlight PBH as a central mechanism of trust formation and demonstrate that combining cues does not necessarily enhance their effectiveness.