Breaking the Binary: How Gender-Neutral Branding Shapes Brand Love

As societal expectations for inclusivity reshape marketplace dynamics, gender-neutral marketing has emerged as a strategy that challenges traditional gender segmentation. However, little is known about how gender-neutral product presentation influences consumer–brand relationships. This study examines how gender-neutral branding shapes consumers’ emotional attachment to brands. Drawing on branding and consumer identity literature, we propose that gender-neutral product positioning influences brand love through perceived brand uniqueness and perceived brand quality, which in turn foster brand self-connection. A between-subjects experiment with 151 Generation Z consumers tested the proposed model. Results show that gender-neutral product presentation significantly enhances perceived brand uniqueness, which in turn strengthens brand self-connection and ultimately increases brand love. The findings contribute to the emerging literature on gender-neutral marketing by demonstrating how inclusive product positioning can strengthen consumer–brand relationships through both symbolic and evaluative brand perceptions.