The Determinants and Outcomes of Brand Attachment

Transcription

1 The Determinants and Outcomes of Brand Attachment Abstract Brand attachment has been regarded as a powerful and salient construct in marketing, argued to predict favourable consumer behaviours. Nevertheless, research trying to understand what are the determinants and outcomes of brand attachment is still limited. Using semi-structured interviews and projective techniques, this work identifies that self-congruity, experience, responsiveness, quality, reputation and trust are found to be the determinants of strong brand attachment. The outcomes of brand attachment are intention to recommend, purchase, revisit, resilience to negative information and act of defending the brand. This research sheds light for marketers on understanding the conceptualisation of attachment from the consumers perspectives, so adopting an important perspective largely under-researched. In addition, this study guides marketers in the important factors regarding how to build stronger attachment and benefit from its outcomes. Keywords: brand attachment; self-congruity; experience; responsiveness; trust; attitudinal loyalty Track: Brand, identity and corporate reputation

2 The Determinants and Outcomes of Brand Attachment Introduction In today s fast moving big data-driven world, companies are searching for information and ways to understand consumers decision making process as well as their buying behaviours. Marketers are looking for ways to build emotional relationships between consumers and a brand (Malar et al., 2011). Previous research has identified the prominence in relationship marketing of brand attachment, since the creation of brand attachment influences favourable consumers purchase behaviours (cf: Park et al., 2010). Extant research has attempted to discover several salient factors. Thomson (2006) found that responsiveness fulfilling three basic psychological needs influences attachment strength. Brand attachment even has the ability to act as a buffer for companies unethical firm behaviours (Schmalz and Orth, 2012). Although academics' and practitioners' interests regarding brand attachment are growing, most research has tested the concept built from the theory within various literatures (e.g. psychology), but without addressing consumers perceptions and their viewpoint. Following the argument of Batra et al. (2012), there is a need for exploratory work to establish the boundaries and contents of this key construct. This study addresses this gap by exploring how consumers in the UK perceive attachment towards a brand. Given the importance of attaching consumers to a brand, marketers need to better understand the factors affecting brand attachment. This study offers three main contributions. First, it provides a conceptualisation of brand attachment based on consumers perceptions. We find that brand attachment can be conceptualised into three dimensions: emotions, self-connection and importance. This challenges Park et al. s conceptualisation of brand attachment, which put forward only two dimensions: self-connection and prominence. Our study notes the addition of emotions; separated from self-connection and importance. Second, our study provides comprehensive drivers of brand attachment. The result is a set of six determinants of brand attachment: selfcongruence, experience, responsiveness, quality, reputation and trust. Third, this study displays a set of behaviours as the outcomes of brand attachment. In total, three behaviours (intention to recommend, purchase and revisit, resilience to negative information, and act of defending) have been displayed as the result of strong attachment towards the brand. Academics and practitioners should use our study as a guideline in understanding how consumers perceive brand attachment and for what needs to be done in order to build stronger attachment and the positive set of associated behaviours. This will result in a focus and effective marketing strategies that can be used by marketers to elicit long-term relationships between consumers and the brand. Concept Development The work on attachment theory started in the realm of dyadic relationships between infants with their caregivers (Bowlby, 1969). In his view, proximity seeking is the reason for a person to develop a bond with an attachment figure. Continuing from the dyadic relationships, it is argued that attachment covers the realm of adult romantic relationships (Hazan and Shaver, 1987). Moving from attachment within interpersonal relationships, researchers argue that attachment can be developed with possessions (Ball and Tasaki, 1992) and brands (Fournier, 1998). Since then, the notion of brand attachment has developed (cf: Park et al., 2010). Brand attachment Brand attachment has been considered as a type of self-extension, which is characterised as analogous to interpersonal bonds (Kleine and Baker, 2004). Individuals extend their self

3 to objects, such as other individuals, places, and possessions (Belk, 1988). Thomson et al. (2005) were the first to develop measurement on emotional brand attachment, by conceptualising it as emotional bonding, utilizing the degree of affection, passion and connection to measure attachment. Later, brand attachment is argued to capture both emotional and cognitive bonding, reflecting brand-self connection (Park et al., 2006), which is the belief hold by consumers on the relevance between the brand and their self (Fedorikhin et al., 2008). Recently, brand prominence, exhibits the salience of the brand-self connection through perceived ease and frequency brought into consumers mind, has been added to the conceptualisation (Park et al., 2010). Distinction between brand attachment and other constructs Although brand attachment and brand attitude share similarities, they are both conceptually distinct (cf: Fedorikhin et al., 2008). Not only brand attitude, but brand loyalty has been regarded to share similarities with brand attachment. However, the two constructs are distinct. Fournier (1998) argues that brand loyalty and brand attachment are different in terms of affective components, such as passion and self-connection. As for brand attachment and brand love, questions arise regarding whether the two constructs are distinct. Carroll and Ahuvia (2006, p. 81) define brand love as the degree of passionate emotional attachment a satisfied consumer has for a particular trade name. Vlachos and Vrechopoulos (2012) consider that both are similar in describing the formation of strong affection-laden connection between consumers and brands. However, Loureiro et al. (2012) consider love, attachment, and self-concept connection as different dimensions. Recent research (Batra et al., 2012) shows that attachment is one of the salient elements of brand love. Therefore, this work considers that both constructs are distinct, in which to create brand love, brand attachment is needed. Antecedents and consequences of brand attachment The congruity between brand personality and self-concept has been suggested as a predictor of brand attachment (Kim et al., 2005). Thomson (2006) advocates brand responsiveness to positively influence brand attachment. A study show that enabling, gratifying, and enriching the consumers self, brand attachment will be stronger (Vlachos et al., 2010). A recent study indicates that self-congruence with the brand personality predicts brand attachment (Malär et al., 2011). Thomson et al. (2005) show that brand attachment leads to favourable outcomes, such as: brand loyalty and willingness to pay a price premium. Fedorikhin et al. (2008) suggest that brand attachment contributes to the success of brand extensions. Park et al. (2010) show that consumer s (1) intention to perform difficult behaviours, (2) actual purchase, (3) purchase share, and (4) need share are being influenced by brand attachment. Rossiter and Bellman (2012) display that brand attachment predicts consumers share-of-requirements (SOR%). Additionally, brand attachment can minimize the effects of negative information or effects of unethical firm behaviour (Schmalz and Orth, 2012). Method Semi-structured interviews in conjunction with projective techniques (sentence completion) were used in this study. Semi-structured interviews were chosen over focus group discussion because of social distortions. Social distortions always occur in consumer research, and focus groups tend to stimulate self-presentational issues which motivate respondents to consciously modified responses in order to impress, intimidate, or please others (Rook, 2006). A projective technique was chosen because it helps researchers to

4 overcome barriers, such as: awareness, irrationality, inadmissibility, self-incrimination, and politeness (Oppenheim, 1992). Further, the use of projective methods in topics related to brand meanings and relationships has increased (Rook, 2006). In order to achieve rigour in this exploratory research, the issue of reliability and validity should be addressed. Following Silverman (2011), specific design tactics were employed in the present study. First, the questions being used are adapted from previous studies (e.g. Grisaffe and Nguyen, 2011). Second, the list of questions was handed to colleagues for inputs and suggestions. Third, several mock interviews were held before the actual interviews take place. Fourth, all of the interview sessions were audio recorded from the beginning to the end of the sessions. Sample Based on the information questions, the demographic characteristics of the interviewees in this exploratory study revealed all of them to be either British or UK national; 7 males (58.33%) and 5 females (41.67%). The age ranges from 20 (the youngest) up until 51 (the oldest). In terms of their occupation, 7 (58.33%) interviewees identify themselves as students and 5 (41.67%) interviewees identify their occupation as restaurant owner, consultant, lecturer, and contracted researcher. Their qualification ranges from A-level up to Master s degree and their income ranges from up to 10,000 until 40,001 and over. From the sessions, there were diverse categories of brand being mentioned. The brands mentioned were: supermarkets (e.g. Waitrose), clothing (e.g. Superdry), electronics (e.g. Apple), software programmes (e.g. Microsoft), department stores (e.g. John Lewis), sports equipment (e.g Speedo), magazines (e.g National Geographic), food and beverages (e.g. Innocent), and so forth. Findings In analysing the data from the semi-structured interview, as well as the sentence completion, a thematic analysis was employed. Thematic analysis is used to identify, analyse, and report themes inside the data (Braun and Clarke, 2006). The findings are divided into three sections: consumers conception of brand attachment, determinants of brand attachment, and outcomes of brand attachment. Based on the findings of this exploratory study, a conceptual model of the determinants and outcomes of brand attachment is developed as shown in Figure 1. Insert Figure 1 Here Consumers conceptions of brand attachment Following Batra et al. (2012), at first, respondents were being asked about their own understanding of the definition of attachment, not limited to brand. Respondents were being asked with the question: What comes to your mind when you hear the word attachment? Then the discussion in the interview sessions continued toward their attachment to brands. The analysis revealed three major concepts, (1) emotions, (2) identity, and (3) importance. Emotions Respondents reported that their attachment to someone or to a brand involves emotional connection. The first thing comes to my head is an emotional attachment. Because it might be something you feel strongly towards or other that you re particularly passionate about. (Male, 24) Self-connection Within the discussion of their conceptions of attachment, respondents talked about the connection between their self and the brand. So the sense of attachment is very much rooted in the sense of who you are in particular context, a particular relationship, identification, and emotional connectivity to a particular object (Male, 29) Importance Respondents also talked about the importance of the brand within their daily life. In terms of brand attachment, it is associated with how often you encounter that brand. (Male, 20)

5 Determinants of brand attachment Based on the study findings, respondents reported six major components that act as the drivers of attachment. Self-Congruity It is evident that consumers become attached to a particular brand because that brand is able to give them a sense of identity. The fit between the consumer s self and the brand s image refers to self-congruence, which falls under three different states: actual, ideal, and social (Sirgy, 1982). Respondents find that they became attached to the brand because, in a sense, the brand reflects who they are (e.g. personality, ideology) and/or who she would like to be in the future (ideal-self). Consumers are likely to use brands in order to be regarded by other people who they think they are or whom they would like other people to consider (social-self). It s the status that s associated with you when you have an iphone that aspirational status, that when you have one you feel you belong it s like a club it feels like you belong to the club. (Male, 41) Experience There are two prominent drivers that determine the selection of an attachment figure (Hazan and Shaver, 1994): (1) familiarity and (2) responsiveness. Brand familiarity has been defined as the collection of direct and indirect experiences with the brand (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987). Respondents stated that they became strongly attached to the brand because of the experiences they had with the brand. It s just because each time I ve gone in there [Fatface], I enjoyed the experience. (Female, 22b) Responsiveness A brand can also be responsive in terms of fulfilling consumers basic psychological needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence (Thomson, 2006). For instance, a respondent reported that he is attached to the brands because the brands give him a sense of freedom and autonomy. And National Geographic is about freedom and autonomy and my value sets, which links to walking around the countryside, and Speedo links to freedom. And I get a strong sense of freedom and identity when I m in the water swimming. (Male, 51) Quality A respondent said that the brand is one of her favourites, because it represents high quality. She even noted that the brand would rectify the products if they find out that the products do not have good quality. Because, they [John Lewis] have got huge variety of products, they have very good customer service, they have very good quality generally. And, if they don t have good quality they rectify it. (Female, 34) Reputation Popularity or reputation from a brand has been judged by one of the male respondents to be the reason for the brand being chosen as one of his favourites. Another thing is that I like Kellogg s cereal, maybe because they are yeah also due to their popularity maybe and because they are everywhere and they have a range of products, you associate [Kellogg s] as a successful product. (Male, 20) Trust Most respondents stated that it is the degree of trust that they have with the brand, which makes them become attached to the brand. I ve always trusted the brand [M&S]. I trusted the brand when I was twelve thirteen. My parents trusted the brand. I continue to trust the brand, because I didn t have any bad experiences with the brand. I stay with it and it suits me. (Male, 51) Outcomes of brand attachment The extant literature has shown that brand attachment is capable of predicting consumers behaviours. Based on the findings from the semi-structured interview as well as the sentence completion, several consequences of brand attachment are identified. Each of these consequences is now discussed. Intention to Recommend, Purchase and Revisit Respondents showed that they would give positive recommendations (together with purchase and revisit intention) for the brand with which they have strong attachment. [For Microsoft I will] always recommend it. (Sentence Completion, Male, 31)

6 For [Tearfund] I will continue to offer financial support. (Sentence Completion, Male, 29) Resilience to Negative Information One female respondent, commented on encountering some negative experience, that she perceived it unlikely for this to happen with the brand. She said that even if it happens to her, she will forgive the brand. I think it will be unlikely though. They [M&S] are like sort of a company that if sees even if something happens or even if the person that I speak to at the shop is not helpful, it would then head off there. I think it would be sorted out. (Female, 23) Act of Defending Interestingly, consumers do not only show forgiveness, but if they heard another person say negative things about the brand, they will defend the brand. When somebody s obviously saying something that s not true I use an Apple product. I leave them to fact do they present fact? I respect that, but if they say something that s not true because they heard other people saying that, I challenged them. (Male, 41) Discussion Achieving consumers strong attachment towards the brand is favourable for companies, because having this bond can lead to greater purchase and usage of the brand (Rossiter and Bellman, 2012). In pursuit of a deeper understanding of consumer-brand relationships, this work has added to the body of knowledge in the brand management and consumer behaviour literature. This work shows that, based on consumers perspectives, brand attachment can be conceptualised to include three salient dimensions: emotions, self-connection and importance. Our study notes the addition of emotions, which challenges Park et al. s conceptualisation of brand attachment (self-connection and prominence). This conceptualisation is parallel with the conceptualisation of possession attachment, which proposed emotions to be different from self-connection and prominence (cf: Ferraro et al., 2012). Second, our study provides comprehensive drivers of brand attachment. The result is a set of six determinants of brand attachment: self-congruence, experience, responsiveness, quality, reputation and trust. Consumers suggest that receiving favourable experiences with the brand leads them to become attached to it. This supports the notion that over a period of time, experience with the brand may be a prerequisite in the development of consumer-brand relationships (Schmitt, 2013). Using this information, marketers could develop events to increase consumers experience with a brand. Other than that, marketers could be responsive by promoting events that increase the three basic psychological needs. In accordance with Malär et al. (2011), self-congruity has been found as a determinant of brand attachment. However, this study shows that not only the congruity of the actual and ideal-self, but socialself is also a prominent determinant of the bonding. Marketers need to position their brands to enhance the likelihood of this self-congruence to occur through several ways; for example through advertising. Stronger brand attachment can be obtained through quality, reputation and trust. Marketers need to build their reputation through quality, which will increase consumers trust. If marketers build strong attachment between their brands and the consumers, it is very likely these behaviours (intention to recommend, purchase, and revisit, resilience to negative information and act of defending the brand) will occur. Although this work has shown some determinants and outcomes of brand attachment, it is not without limitations. The nature of this study (exploratory) and sample size may pose problems in terms of generalising the findings. Additionally, the culture specific samples may also pose similar problems. The apparent next step is to quantitatively measure and model the determinants and outcomes of brand attachment identified in this study. By testing these quantitatively, several questions that have not been addressed in this work will be answered.

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