Margarete Rosina investigates whether it makes sense for family firms to
communicate their family firm status to consumers. To do so, she
conducts two experimental studies using a sample of 349 consumers. Using
a branding perspective, the first study looks at whether consumers
perceive family firm brands as more authentic and why and how this
influences their buying behavior. The second study applies a consumer
happiness perspective and investigates whether family firms signal
prosocial behaviors related to "doing good", namely being a good
employer and socially responsible, and whether this, in turn, leads to
higher levels of consumer happiness when buying from family firms. Both
studies indicate that the family firm status can be of strategic value
for family firms.