Abstract
To enhance brand performance and to protect original brands from the unprecedented upsurge of counterfeits, marketers are continuously looking for effective anti-counterfeiting methods. Developing and maintaining emotional brand attachment and brand involvement with consumers have become a strategic marketing endeavor of luxury brands. A significant question bearing both theoretical and practical implications, however, is whether emotional brand attachment or brand involvement is more apposite to warrant a luxury brand’s performance and to safeguard the original brand from counterfeits, which remains unanswered. To address this knowledge gap, a survey was conducted. On the basis of an empirical study, this paper reveals that emotional brand attachment is a more prominent influencer than brand involvement to escalate original brand patronage although the effect of brand involvement is also significant. However, while improved brand involvement pushes consumers to patronize counterfeits, higher emotional brand attachment does not result in increased counterfeit patronage. These effects do not vary as a function of previous experience of either originals or counterfeits. Findings of this research contribute to brand literature by presenting empirical evidence of distinct influence of emotional brand attachment over brand involvement, which represents significant practical implications in relation to strategic brand management and anti-counterfeiting strategies.
Highlights
Emotional brand attachment research has gained momentum in recent years
The results provide no support for a negative relationship between emotional brand attachment and consumer counterfeit patronage (Υ = .035, p > .10), which rejects H2
While the literature has established the prominent role played by emotional brand attachment in determination of brand performance (e.g., Japutra et al 2018; Hung and Lu 2018; Japutra et al 2014), the comparative strength of influence of emotional brand attachment versus brand involvement, the two most pertinent concepts on consumption behavior of originals remained underexplored
Summary
Emotional brand attachment research has gained momentum in recent years. Research findings demonstrate that brand attachment leads to consumption behavior and a higher level of consumer loyalty, which provides a guarantee of sustainable financial performance (Park et al 2010). Building emotional brand attachment with consumers has increasingly become a strategic marketing endeavor of businesses, in luxury brands (Cailleux et al 2009; Theng et al 2013). While the research findings support these marketing strategies, a critical question bearing significant theoretical and practical value remains unanswered: is emotional brand attachment more pertinent in determination of luxury brands’ performance than brand involvement? When and how emotional brand attachment or brand involvement may be effective in eliminating demand for counterfeit luxury brands requires research attention
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