Consumer Happiness in the Age of AI: Exploring the Emotional Antecedents of Purchase Intention

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 selfconnection (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.