Purpose This study examines the indirect effects of emotional marketing on purchase intention through two psychological mediators: consumer happiness and brand selfconnection. Grounded in the theory of planned behaviour, this research aims to extend the model by incorporating emotional-cognitive variables in a Latin American context. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative, cross-sectional approach was applied using a structured questionnaire. The sample comprised 524 consumers from Mexico. Structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) was used to validate the proposed model and test the hypothesised relationships. Findings The results confirm that emotional marketing has a significant positive impact on consumer happiness (β = 0.849, p 0.001) and brand self-connection (β = 0.834, p 0.001). Both variables, in turn, positively influence purchase intention. Notably, consumer happiness (β = 0.261, p 0.001) and brand self-connection (β = 0.114, p = 0.015) mediate the relationship between emotional marketing and purchase intention, supporting the proposed indirect effects. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to a single country and uses a non-probabilistic sample. Future research may consider comparative analyses across Latin American countries or longitudinal designs. Practical implications Marketers should prioritise strategies that generate emotional experiences and foster self-identity alignment between consumers and brands to increase purchase intention. Social implications Understanding the emotional dimensions of consumer behaviour allows for more ethical, inclusive and resonant marketing practices, especially in culturally diverse societies. Originality/value This research contributes to the theory of planned behaviour by integrating affective and identity-based variables (emotions and self-brand congruence) into the consumer decision-making process. It offers empirical evidence from a Latin American emerging market, an underrepresented context in consumer behaviour literature, providing new insights into the emotional antecedents of purchase intention.
Martínez-Arvizu et al. (2026) studied this question.