How does original equipment manufacturing brand disclosure affect purchase intention? The mediating role of brand competence and brand warmth

Purpose Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are increasingly discoursing well-known brands to support their own brands. This study explores how original equipment manufacturing (OEM) brand disclosure affects willingness to buy (WTB) by examining the mediation effect of perceived brand competence (PBC) and perceived brand warmth (PBW), as well as the moderating effects of product type and consumer self-esteem (CSE). Design/methodology/approach This study builds on signal theory and the stereotype content model to theorize the mediating role of PBC and PBW between OEM brand disclosure and WTB. A 2×2 between-subjects experiment with 442 participants was conducted, employing ANOVA, seemingly unrelated regression and moderated mediation tests to examine the hypotheses. Findings OEM brand disclosure is positively related to WTB through PBC and PBW. Specifically, PBC’s mediation effect on OEM brand disclosure is stronger than that of PBW. Additionally, the mediation effect of OEM brand disclosure on WTB via PBC is moderated by product type and CSE. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing brand self-disclosure and brand spillover literature by opening the black box of how OEM brand disclosure affects WTB and reveals the underlying mechanisms of PBC and PBW. It offers valuable insights for OEMs to leverage previous OEM brands to support their own brands by improving PBC and PBW and is more beneficial for consumers with high self-esteem and experience products.