Determinants of African Women's Brand Sensitivity Toward Cosmetics

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis paper aimed at examining the antecedents of brand sensitivity among African women whose cultural, economic, and social particularities make them a category of consumers that are different from their Western peers in terms of values and motivations. The concept of brand sensitivity has been assessed through two main variables: brand attachment and brand strength. The research postulated that narcissism, perceived risk, and involvement in a product category are the precursors of African women's brand attachment and brand strength. An online survey was administrated to a sample of 212 African women using cosmetic products. Results of confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling conducted with AMOS 21 supported the structural validity of the conceptual model. In summary, the hypothesis testing suggested that while narcissism, perceived risk, and involvement in a product category were found to be nonsignificant on brand strength, their relationship with brand attachment was significant. Furthermore, results also indicated the existence of an indirect effect of these antecedents on brand strength via brand attachment.