International Journal of Engineering Research And Management

(IJERM) ISSN : 2349- 2058, Volume-02, Issue-11,

November 2015

Brand Attachment: Affecting Factors and Consequences

Mohammad Javad Taghipourian, Mahsa Mashayekh Bakhsh

Brand attachment is an emotionally charged bonding between

Abstract— Brand attachment is a deep emotional consumers and brands and essential foundation to successful
connection between consumer and brand and is a brand management [11]. As observed by Grisaffe and
central part of successful brand management. The Nguyen (2011), companies harvest financial benefits when
establishment of such an emotional connection between enduring emotional connections are developed between
the consumer and the brand is among firms’ goals as consumers and brands, and rewards from emotionally
stronger bonds bonded repurchases
result in more promising results such as loyalty and are less expose to situations that induce switching. Research
reaching the highest price. suggests that consumers can develop attachments beyond
Brands, as intangible assets of firms, play a vital role. In persons to possessions [19] an brands [6 , 25].
d
this regard, brands are considered as the link between Comprehending how to form or accentuate attachments could
consumer and firm. It is possible attached and involved be the key of achieving successful marketing relationships
in
brands. A brand could be one of the most valuable assets [34]. Moreover, other positive consequences such as:
of a company. The present study is carried out under the increasing consumer’s defensive act against the effect of
title of “Brand attachment”. The goal of the study is to negative information [2]. Recognizing the importance of
investigate this construct. To this end, besides studying consumers’ attachment specifically within the brand
elaborating
on brand attachment and its dimensions, we try to management literature, some studies aimed to understand the
analyze the factors that have influence on brand process of forming brand attachment and its measurement.
attachment and the ones that are influenced by it. Brand attachment is one of the characteristics of the
Further, a conceptual model of brand attachment will be relationship between the consumer and brand that leads to
proposed. their “automatic thoughts and feelings about the brand”
[26]. Creating emotional bonding between consumers and
brands is
Index Terms— Brand Attachment, Consumer an objective of companies as strong bonding leads to positive
behavior, self-brand connection, Brand prominence outcomes, such as loyalty and achieving a price premium [23
, 35 , 27].
I. INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, branding (i.e. brand creation) is the most II DEFINING BRAND ATTACHMENT
.
important part of business. Success or failure of every Brand attachment refers to “the strength of the cognitive and
business, no matter in what sector, is ultimately dependent affective bond connecting the brand with the self” [26] in a
on its brand. The success of a brand is inextricably symbolic manner [36]. When customers interact with the
interwoven
with the success of the business. If a consumer were to market environment, they create some certain links that
mention his or her criteria of choosing a product, one of connect them to brands [17].
them would undoubtedly be the brand of the product. Brand Fournier (1994) has proposed brand attachment as one of
gives identity to a product or service and distinguishes it the six dimensions relevant in a consumer-brand
from similar offers while creating attachment and the relationship. The significance of brand attachment as a key
feeling of being different in consumers [15]. determinant in consumer consumption behavior is
substantiated by several
Business managers regard brands as powerful and effective attributes inherent to the concept. Attachment expresses
tools in the process of customer decision-making. They emotional bonds which are persistent, resist to change,
impact
believe that the main role of branding is differentiation[14]. cognition, and predict behavior [20]. Persistence reflects the
Researchers and experts of marketing have recently shown degree to which an individual's attachment toward an object
high interest in studying and examining the way emotional remains unchanged over time. Resistance represents an
bonds between consumers and their favorite brands emerge individual’s ability to refuse shifting to competitive products
and what roles these bonds play in purchase and [28].
post-purchase behavior of consumers. Consumers may Bazzo et al. (2003) state that brand attachment demonstrates
establish relationships with certain brands in a similar way an emotional bond between the consumer and a certain brand
that they make relations with other individuals throughout [15].
their lives. Such a relationship can bring about some distinct In psychology, attachment refers to a link between an
cognitive (satisfaction, loyalty) and emotional (attachment) individual and a specific thing which is filled with emotions
benefits. It can also cause the creation of a strong self-brand [5].
connection [4].
1 www.ijerm.com
 Brand Attachment: Affecting Factors and
Consequences
Park et al.’s (2006) posit that brand attachment is more than
an attitudinal construct an accounts for higher-order
d
Manuscript received Nov 04, 2015 consumer behaviors associated with commitment to a
Mohammad Javad Taghipourian, Assistance professor, department of relationship. Thus, brand attachment is a characteristic of the
management,chalous branch, Islamic Azad University,Iran relationship between a consumer and a brand leading to
Mahsa Mashayekh Bakhsh, Business Management ; Babol Branch,
Islamic Azad University
“automatic retrieval of thoughts and feelings about the me,” or “a extension of the self”. The automaticity of
brand” n
[26]. thoughts (cognition) and feelings (affect) about a brand may
Many intellectuals such as Ling and Chunlin (2010), Yan be measured on agreement scales. Items migh include
and t
Dahai (2008), Thomson, MacInnis, and Park (2005) agree “’positive thoughts and feelings of (the brand) come to me
on the fact that attachment is the typical emotional link automatically and naturally”, or “positive thoughts toward
between the consumer and the brand [32]. (the brand) are elicited automatically and unconditionally
Brand attachment refers to the fact that bonds, relationships whenever I am exposed to it”.
and identifying with the brand would be powerful predicting One may suggest that brand-self connectedness and retrieval
factors for purchasing the brand in the past and the future; automaticity are highly correlated, th latter being the
e
thus, brand attachment has a positive impact on current and outcome of the former. While possible, we assume that the
future purchase [10]. automaticity of brand retrieval may vary even at the same
Brand attachment is defined as the extent to which self and level of the brand-self connectedness. This is expected since
brand are connected [27]. Brand attachment is a the degree of retrieval automaticity should be influenced by
psychological variable that displays a stable and persistent factors other than brand-self connectedness. These factors
bond with the brand which is emotional. This construct is an include, for example, the length of the brand possession and
indication of a close mental relationship between the self the amount of brand-associated information. It would thus
and the brand [3]. be useful to further discriminate the level of brand
attachment at
any given degree of the brand-self connectedness. We
Table 1. Comparison of definitions of brand propose tha automaticity an brand-self connectedness
attachment t d
Researcher
Yea Definition describe, represent and characterize the state of mind of those
r
who are highly attached to a brand. The presence and degree
of both better indicates brand attachment than either one
Brand attachment shows an emotional
Bazzo et al. 2003 relationship between consumer and alone [26].
brand. With regard to the importance of brand attachment, an earlier
study conducted Thomson et al. (2005) resulted in the fact
Park et al. 2006 Strength of a cognitive-affective link that emotional attachment to a certain brand indicates a
Wallendorf 1988 between self and brand connection between self and brand, and the connection itself
and Arnould includes emotions toward the brand. Brand attachment
includes three emotional components: affection, passion,
A determining and central element in and connection. In other studies, not only did attachment
Fournier 1994 include emotional connections, but cognitive connections
consumers’ consuming behavior
were added to the construct as well [26].
Bonds that connect the brand to the self are both cognitive
and
Krosnick and Indicates stable, resistant-to-change, emotional. Personalized experiences and autobiographical
Petty 1995 effective-on-cognition, and
predictor-of-behavior bonds memories of the brand evoke rich cognitive schemata
(Berman and Sperling 1994), with links connecting the brand
Automatic preservation of thoughts and with personalized elements of the self. Because they are
Park et al. 2006 feelings of the individual toward the inherently self-relevant and have strong self-implications,
brand the links that connect the brand to the self are also
emotional. Due
to its connection with the self, this emotional property
Ling and implicates “hot affect”. Such hot affect induces desire for
Chunlin 2010 Attachment is the typical affective link
2008 between consumers and brands the brand, satisfaction with its acquisition, frustration at its
Yan and Dahai lack of availability, fear over its potential loss, sadness over
A psychological variable that displays a its actual loss, and hope for its future acquisition [26].
Azizi and stable and persistent bond with the The strength of the cognitive and emotional bonds connecting
brand
Shokrgozar 2014 which is emotional and is an indication the brand to the self-engenders two effects. First, brand
of a close mental relationship between the self and the brand
2 www.ijerm.com
 International Journal of Engineering Research And Management
(IJERM) ISSN : 2349- 2058, Volume-02, Issue-11,
November 2015
related thoughts and feelings become highly accessible and are automatically retrieved from memory whenever the self is
Brand attachment refers to the fact implicated .This automaticity in cognitive and affective
that
bonds, relationships and identifying responses is well documented. Second, given its self-
Esch et al. 2006 with the brand would be powerful
linkages, the brand become self-relevant, impacting one’s
predicting factors for purchasing the
brand in the past and the future readiness to allocate processing resources to the brand. High
accessibility and greater willingness to allocate processing
resources for a high attachment brand, makes brand-
associated information
III. COMPONENTS OF BRAND ATTACHMENT (thoughts and feelings) automatically retrieved when implicit
or explicit brand-relevant cues are present [26].
Two factors represent brand attachment:1) the degree of the Based on such notions, Park and colleagues (2010) defined
brand-self connectedness and 2) the automaticity of brand attachment as the power of the link that connects self
thoughts and feelings about a brand. and brand. Brand-self connection, and brand prominence are
The degree of brand-self connectedness may be measured two critical factors that their emergence demonstrates the
based on statements that reflect the personal relationship conceptual characteristics of brand attachment.
between a consumer and a brand. They would include Brand-self connection: when identifying brands, customers
statements like “emotional bonding” or “connection”, “part try to match these brands with their self-images. Also,
of

3 www.ijerm.com
customers show a representation of their self-concept about responsiveness are fundamental to attachment because both
the actual, ideal or future self and link this representation dictate an influence the preferences and the process of
with d
the traits and characteristics associated with brands such as selection. Furthermore, the literature and research on place
prestige [7]. Essentially, brand-self connection is not just a attachment suggest that familiarity is one of the predictors
cognitive connection. It has an emotional facet as well. This of the bonding between people and place [37]. Several
other
facet ma includ emotions such as sadness, happiness, researchers, developing a measurement for place attachment,
y e
anxiety, comfort and/or pride… etc [27]. considered familiarity as one of the dimensions [30].
Brand prominence: the idea of brand-self connection
develops over time causing th thoughts and feeling 4. Brand responsiveness: Brands can be responsive if it can
e
associated with it to become a part of a customer's memory. fulfil the need for autonomy, relatedness and competence
The ease and the frequency with which brand-related [21]. A model examining inter-relations between maternal
thoughts and feelings are brought to mind are called brand attachment, responsiveness, and infant attachment found
prominence [27]. that maternal responsiveness is a predictor of infant
attachment
.When a brand enhances consumers’ feelings of autonomy
Table 2. Dimensions of brand attachment an relatedness, while not suppressing feelings of
d
Study competence, consumers are likely to becom strongly
Dimensions Elaboration
e
attached to the brand [29].
Park et Extent of brand-self
Period of brand ownership
al., connection V. FACTORS AFFECTED BY BRAND ATTACHMENT
Amount of brand-relevant
2006 Automaticity of thoughts information
and feelings toward brand 1. Brand loyalty: Brand loyalty refers to a directed
Brand is connected to behavioral response and a relying on psychological
Emotional dimension processes from the individual who can make decisions over
personalized elements of
Park et (affection, passion, and
self time and in relation to one or more alternative brand among
al., 2006 connection)
Cognitive dimension Personalized and routine a selection of brands [16].
memories of brand According to Thomson et al. (2005), it is expected that strong
attachments toward brands affect brand loyalty and induces a
Matching brand and devaluation of competing alternatives and that means a
higher
self-image
Park et Brand-self connection Ease and frequency of
tendency to stay in a relationship with the brand and this may
al., 2010 Brand prominence thoughts and feelings
relevant to the brand in enhance customer loyalty as a result. Moreover, as customers
mind tend to repeat pleasurable outcomes, it is expected that

customers will repeat these favorable experiences and

recommend them to others [35].
IV. FACTORS AFFECTING BRAND
ATTACHMENT
1. Self-congruence: Based on the previous 2. Achieving premium pricing: The creation of attachment
research by Malär et al. (2011), self-congruence is a between consumers and brands is among the objectives of
crucial concept that plays a prominent role in companies as strong connections result in positive outcomes
creating and strengthening emotional brand such as loyalty and accepting highest price [23 , 35, 27].
attachment. Self-congruence is a fit between the
consumers’ self and the brand’s image [33]. It can 3. Brand commitment and tendency to make financial
enhance consumers’
favourable attitude towards the brand [1]. In general sacrifices: Consumers’ emotional attachments to a brand
self-congruence was found to have positive effects on might predict their commitment to the brand (e.g., brand
emotional brand attachment, in specific actual loyalty) and their willingness to make financial sacrifices in
self-congruence generated higher levels of emotional brand
order to obtain it. Commitment is defined as the as the degree
attachment [23].
to which an individual views the relationship from a long-
term
2. Customer satisfaction: According to Ekinci and perspective and has a willingness to stay with the relationship
colleagues (2008), consumer satisfaction reflects the overall even when things are difficult [35].
emotional response of consumers to the whole service A number of researchers view commitment as a measure of
experience at the postpurchasing point for a particular marketing effectiveness [2]. In a marketing context a relevant
transaction. Carroll and her colleague (2006) noted that
indicator of commitment is the extent to which the individual
consumers who feel satisfied and have greater brand love remains loyal to the brand [31].
would be more loyal to the brand and also engage in a Park and colleagues (2006) define loyalty as a result of
positive
word of mouth. Emotional attachment, in a retail setting and attachment. Brand attachment reflects a mental state (a strong
when satisfaction is high, was found to be consistently self-brand connection and automatic retention of thoughts
and
stronger in positive affective environments [24]. They also feelings about the brand), yet loyalty reflects a tendency to
found that satisfaction mediates the effects of store-evoked maintain relationship with the brand.
pleasure and arousal on brand attachment. Whereas attachment leads to loyalty, the opposite direction is
not possible. Attachment is much more important for
3. Brand familiarity: Brand familiarity refers to marketers than loyalty. Loyalty may involve merely in a
consumers’ accumulated experiences, direct or indirect, guarantee of relationship continuation that, for some reasons,
with brands [18].
Hazan and Shaver (1994) stated that familiarity and has nothing to do with attachment. Individuals may become
responsiveness are two things that related to the selection of loyal to a brand simply due to the lack of competitive
an attachment figure. They proposed that familiarity and alternatives or a moral and contractual responsibility toward a
company or brand vendors. Loyalty is not based on affect attachment and those tha are affecte by it are
t d
attachment and does not contribute to a strong self-brand represented.
connection or automatic retention of thoughts and feelings
concerning a certain brand [26].

4. Involvement: In the same way as loyalty, involvement is

an
outcome of attachment. Those consumers wh become
o
attached to a product may develop involvement wit it.
h
Hence, it seems that involvement with those brands to which
consumers are attached has to be higher [35].

5. Consumer behavior prediction and brand purchase

share: From a managerial perspective, brand attachment
more accurately predicts intentions to perform behaviors that
use significant consumer resources (time, money and
reputation). It is also a stronger predictor of actual consumer
behaviors than brand attitude strength. McInnis and Whan
Park (2010) suggest that these effects are observed in terms
of
consumer purchase behavior, brand purchase share (i.e.,
choice among directly competing brands), and need share Figure 1. Conceptual model of brand attachment (dimensions,
(i.e., choice among brands targeting similar needs), even factors affecting, factors affected)
after controlling for consumer inertia (i.e., past behaviors)
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