Strong Brand Relationships Research Articles

Impacts of brand commitment, brand reliability, and brand attitude on brand relationship

In the fiercely competitive landscape of modern business, the establishment and maintenance of strong brand relationships have become pivotal for organizations seeking sustainable success. This research explores the intricate dynamics of brand relationships by examining the influences of three core constructs: brand commitment, brand reliability, and brand attitude. Drawing upon an extensive review of the literature on branding and consumer behaviour, this study develops a comprehensive theoretical framework that elucidates the interplay among these pivotal factors. We hypothesize that brand commitment, brand reliability, and brand attitude, are independent factors and brand relationship is a dependent factor. To empirically test our hypotheses, we employ a rigorous research design, incorporating quantitative data collection methods. Data was gathered directly from survey participants through the administration of questionnaires, and the gathered data was subjected to analysis using SPSS and AMOS software. This analysis encompassed various statistical techniques, including SEM, CFA, descriptive analysis, regression analysis, ANOVA, reliability test, correlation analysis, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett’s test. The sample for the study consisted of 600 respondents drawn from a wide range of organizations. All the analyses reveal that Brand Commitment, Brand Reliability, and Brand Attitude all have statistically significant impacts on Brand Relationship. Consumers who possess a profound dedication to a brand are inclined to develop robust and lasting connections with it. Future investigations could explore the factors that potentially moderate or mediate the relationships under research. Furthermore, exploring these dynamics within diverse industries and cultural settings can provide a more all-encompassing grasp of brand relationships.

How do teenagers project their identity online, and what role do brands play in the process? A multimethod study on Instagram

Although teenagers’ active social networking and their tendency to develop strong relationships with brands are both recognised in the literature, not much is known about how the content they post on their social media accounts (eg Instagram) relates to their identity and how brands are integrated in their posts. This study is aimed at improving the understanding of teenagers’ identity projection on Instagram and the role brands play in their self-image presentation. Thirty individual interviews, nonparticipant observation and content analysis of 90 photos were conducted. The results reveal self-profile consistency as well as the portrayal of their actual self by teenagers on their online profile. In addition, results indicate that although teenagers tend to develop strong brand relationships, they do not strategically select brands to post on their social networks. This is particularly true for product brands (eg Nike shoes) in contrast to experiential brands (eg music festival), which are more often shared by teenagers with an intent to communicate some aspects of their self-concept. This study contributes to the literature on teenagers and social networks, a topic that has been overlooked in favour of studies involving adults.

Negative outcomes of positive brand relationships

Purpose This paper aims to understand how strong brand attachment can intensify the feeling of perceived betrayal, leading to brand hate after a negative experience with the brand. The study further investigates how consumers make causal attributions for negative experiences when strong brand attachment exists. The moderating effect of a narcissistic personality in the dissemination of negative electronic word of mouth (eWOM) following brand hate is also tested. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a within-the-subject repeated measures experimental design. A total of 202 college students were exposed to two treatments (high versus no brand attachment), involving a situation of product failure of a smart phone brand. A total of 135 responses were used to compare the outcomes of the two treatments using multivariate analysis. The data of high brand attachment treatment (N = 202) were used to test the proposed research model using partial least square-structural equation modelling. Findings The results suggest that having a strong positive relationship with the brand can generate stronger feelings of perceived betrayal and brand hate after the brand transgresses the consumer’s expectations. The results indicate that resentful customers can resort to eWOM after feeling betrayed, even though the prior relationship with the brand was strong. Originality/value This paper extends the work on perceived betrayal to study brand hate and proposes that brand hate can arise even if there is a strong brand attachment. It contributes to the growing body of literature on brand hate and its possible antecedents. Additionally, the study poses some crucial managerial implications for the brand managers by suggesting that strong brand relationships not always ensure loyalty or commitment and can lead to consequences that are damaging for the brand equity.

How to Make Loyal Fans in Virtual Communities: Evidence from the Facebook Fan Pages of Smartphones

This study targeted community members who have purchased smartphone and have joined the official brand fan pages of the smartphone brands for at least six months. A total of 681 valid samples were collected. Structural equation modeling was employed to conduct path analyses, and the results show that the 7 hypothetical paths proposed in this study are supported by the theoretical model, which exhibited desirable goodness of fit. In the mediation effect, brand passions partially mediate exogenous factors and brand loyalty. This study is aimed at increasing understanding of how a firm that possesses a cluster of fans who actively protect its brand maintain a strong brand relationship with its brand fans through brand community.

The Commerce Platform’s Governance Mechanisms on Seller Users: From the View of the Brand Attachment Theory

Because of the rapid development of information technology, more and more companies have started to exchange goods and services on the e-commerce platform. Under this new business model, the main challenge for e-commerce platform firms is how to govern user firms, especially how to improve seller user firms’ loyalty. Therefore, based on the review of the traditional channel governance mechanism, this study explores three platform governances （control, fairness and customization） by which one can increase seller user firms’ loyalty. Relationship marketing researchers suggest that the strong brand relationship between users and a platform firm is the main reason for users to be loyal to the firm. Prior research has utilized the brand attachment theory to systematically articulate the factors that can lead to a strong brand relationship. By following this direction, this study will also use the brand attachment theory to explicate the platform’s governance mechanisms and their roles in obtaining seller user firms’ loyalty. This study argues that the three platform governances can promote higher seller user firms’ loyalty, by increasing their brand attachment to the platform. According to the brand attachment theory, a user can build strong attachment to a brand if the brand can fulfill his/her goals of self-enablement, self-gratification, and self-enrichment. In the context of the e-commerce platform market, firstly, platform control strategy encourages seller user firms’ sense of self-efficacy and enables them to attain desired performance results. In other words, platform firms’ control mechanism promotes seller user firms’ performance satisfaction. Secondly, platform fairness strategy provides seller user firms emotional pleasures and trust towards the platform. That is, platform firms’ fairness mechanism promotes seller user firms’ relationship satisfaction. Thirdly, platforms customization strategy makes seller user firms identify with the concept or image of the platform. Specifically, platform firms’ customization mechanism promotes seller user firms’ self-concept connection. Therefore, this study posits that control, fairness, and customization will increase seller user firms’ loyalty through promoting their performance satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and self-concept connection with the platform, respectively. Moreover, the relationship marketing literature also addresses the importance of brand switching costs in corporates’ user retention programs. Strong brand attachment will cause true loyalty, while high brand switching costs will lead to spurious loyalty. Therefore, this study analyzes the moderating effects of switching costs on the three platform governances. We suggest that high brand-switching costs buffer the effectiveness of these three governance mechanisms. Specifically, control, fairness, and customization will be less effective in building brand attachment to the platform when user firms are forced to stay in the e-commerce platform by higher brand switching costs. Finally, by collecting data from 177 seller user firms registered and transacting in key e-commerce platforms and using Partial Least Squares （PLS） to test the model, the empirical results show that the proposed research model and most hypotheses are verified.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Brand Relationships, Emotions, and the Self

Introduction to the Special Issue: Brand Relationships, Emotions, and the Self

Receiver responses to referral reward programs in social networks

Because online circumstances allows communication remotely and out of synchronization, along with a better communication capacity, online referral reward programs in social networks may have different characteristics compared with traditional referral reward programs. This paper studied the effects of reward allocation, tie strength and brand relationships on receivers’ responses in referral reward programs and confirmed the mediating effects of social cost. It investigates the impact of online referral reward programs on receivers’ responses from the perspectives of social norms and market norms. We identify the moderating conditions that are expected to affect when and how a reward leads the receiver to infer social norms, thereby increasing the referral’s effectiveness. In study 1, because receivers with different tie may have relationships based on market norms or social norms (Wentzel et al. in J Serv Res 17(2):119–133, 2014), we examine the effect of tie strength and reward allocation on receivers’ responses in online referral reward programs. Furthermore, we extended the analysis of study 1 in two ways through the introduction of brand relationships and reward characteristics. In study 2, we introduced brand relationships to analyze the effect of tie strength and reward allocation on receivers’ responses. In study 3, we studied the effects of reward type and tie strength on receivers’ responses in online referral reward programs. To capture the underlying process, we also examined the participants’ perceptions of social cost in three studies. Finally, we conclude by discussing the theoretical and managerial implications of the findings. People with strong ties tended to accept a referral more often than those with weak ties, because people with strong ties gave their friends’ benefits more consideration. However, in strong brand relationships, receivers with strong ties in No Reward conditions tend to respond to referrals more than those with strong ties in the Reward Recommender conditions, because rewarding recommenders makes social norms transfer into market norms. This paper extended the theory on effect of reward on receivers’ responses in online referral reward programs and further verified that social cost was a key element of psychological mechanism that caused reward to strengthen receivers’ responses under market norms or social norms. This paper researched how social norms and market norms affected consumers’ behaviors differently, which helped company design online referral reward programs. This paper researched the relationships between market norms and social norms on receivers’ responses in online social network.

The impact of consumer-brand engagement on brand experience and behavioural intentions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of consumer-brand engagement and brand experience on behavioural intentions (i.e. intent to re-purchase, willingness to accept brand extension, willingness to pay a premium price) in relation to food brands.Design/methodology/approachThe authors propose a conceptual model comprising five latent variables and 26 manifest variables. A questionnaire with questions relating to pasta and coffee was given to an Italian consumer sample (n=400). The model was tested using structural equation modelling of the resulting data to examine the research hypotheses.FindingsThe empirical study confirms the predictive role of the two selected drivers of brand value. Both consumer-brand engagement and brand experience influenced behavioural intentions, but these brand constructs had different roles in the two product categories examined in the study, pasta and coffee.Research limitations/implicationsThis study does have limitations. First, the generalisability of the findings should be considered. The study refers to only two product categories in a specific country. It would be interesting to investigate the issue of food brand engagement and brand experience in different countries, and to compare the results. Furthermore, it would be valuable to investigate the impact of brand engagement and brand experience in other product categories.Practical implicationsThe results have an important implication for marketing managers: they should develop long-term and strong brand relationships. Such consumer engagement and/or experiential actions can be key competitive advantages for food companies.Originality/valueThe study provides empirical support for the effect of consumer-brand engagement and brand experience on consumers’ behavioural intentions in the food industry.

Service branding: do employees know what we stand for? The inside story

Extreme competition is exerting unprecedented pressure on service organisations to create a unique and strong brand relationship with customers and employees alike. However, in the race for brand positioning with external customers many organisations tend to forget that their brand promise to the external customer is ultimately delivered by the employees. The paper explores the employee perception of internal branding in service organisations in India and tries to identify the gaps in internal branding practice. A single cross-sectional survey was administered to collect quantitative data from 162 employees across service organisations. This was supplemented by in-depth interviews with branding experts and practitioners. The study reveals that employees perceive a substantial gap in internal brand communication, internal brand awareness and internal branding efforts in organisations.

Nothing Can Tear Us Apart: The Effect of Brand Identity Fusion in Consumer–Brand Relationships

ABSTRACTWhile existing literature describes strong brand relationships along several dimensions, this research sheds light on the identity perspective of consumer–brand relationships through the lens of brand identity fusion. Specifically, this research examines the effect of brand identity fusion on consumers’ responses to different brand transgressions. By comparing brand identity fusion with brand identification, this research also provides evidence that brand identity fusion is more predictive and enduring in explaining consumers’ relationship‐serving biases and prorelationship behaviors in the face of brand transgressions. The applicability of brand identity fusion for understanding connections between consumers and brand relationship partners in consumer–brand relationships is presented, followed by discussions of theoretical and managerial implications and directions for future research.

Consumer–brand relationship quality: When and how it helps brand extensions

Two studies demonstrate that strong brand relationship quality (BRQ) enhances consumer judgments about brand extensions. Different methods (survey vs. experiment), participants (real consumers vs. college students), and cultural contexts (Korea vs. Canada) demonstrate that this effect generalizes. Study results suggest that this effect only occurs for two moderately-low-fit extensions: the extension and the parent are similar product categories with inconsistent attributes, or dissimilar product categories with consistent attributes. Two different cognitive processes underlie the BRQ effects depending on these conditions.

The evolving brand logic: a service-dominant logic perspective

The meanings of brand and branding have been evolving over the past several decades. This evolution is converging on a new conceptual logic, which views brand in terms of collaborative, value co-creation activities of firms and all of their stakeholders and brand value in terms of the stakeholders’ collectively perceived value-in-use. The authors argue that this new logic parallels and reflects the related, evolving service-dominant (S-D) logic in marketing. They provide an historical account of the branding literature, organize it into eras, and connect it to the evolution in marketing as captured by S-D logic. The analysis provides further support for the S-D logic of marketing and suggests a related research agenda for furthering the understanding of brand and branding. It also suggests that marketing managers might benefit from investing resources in building strong brand relationships with all of their stakeholders and a service-dominant firm philosophy built around brand value co-creation.

의류브랜드의 체험이 소비자-브랜드 관계와 브랜드 충성도에 미치는 영향

This study attempted to identify not only dimensions of clothing brand experience, but dimensions of perceived consumer-brand relationship. In addition, this study investigated the relationships among clothing brand experience, consumer-brand relationship and brand loyalty. 354 questionnaires were distributed to female and male respondents aged 20 to 30, and then analyed by SPSS and AMOS program. The results were as follows. First, it was identified that the dimension of clothing brand experience was composed of two dimensions; individual experience(personal dimension) and relational experience(social cultural dimension). Second, the type of consumer-brand relationship was found out as three dimensions; interdependence, love and passion, and partner. Third, these results showed that individual and relational experience of clothing brand was the most influential factor for love and passion dimension of consumer-brand relationship. Forth, love and passion dimension through clothing brand experience was the most influential factor for brand loyalty. Above results imply that the key of strong brand relationship lies in the emotion of love such as human relationship.

Brand Relationships: Strengthened by Emotion, Weakened by Attention

ABSTRACT This article explores the way in which advertising builds brand relationships. Behavioral research by Watzlawick, Bavelas, and Jackson (1967) suggests it is the emotional not the rational content in communication that drives relationships. This assertion is tested using a new research copy-testing system—the CEP™Test—and the results confirm that favorability toward brands is strongly correlated with emotional content in advertising, but not with factual content. However, learning from psychology indicates that high attention weakens the effect of emotional content, so the implications are that advertising aimed at building strong brand relationships might be more effective if processed at lower levels of attention.