The role of attachment in building consumer‐brand relationships: an empirical investigation in the utilitarian consumption context
| Date | 01 March 2011 |
| Pages | 37-47 |
| Published date | 01 March 2011 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/10610421111108003 |
| Author | Samy Belaid,Azza Temessek Behi |
| Subject Matter | Marketing |
The role of attachment in building
consumer-brand relationships: an empirical
investigation in the utilitarian consumption
context
Samy Belaid
EM Normandie Business School, METIS and NIMEC lab, Le Havre, France, and
Azza Temessek Behi
Department of Management, IHEC, Carthage, Tunisia
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the role of attachment in consumer brand relationships and its links with constructs such as trust, satisfaction,
commitment and behavioural loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper is based on exploratory and confirmatory studies that provide a model that explains the relationship
between brand attachment and its outcomes. A structural equation modelling is used to assess the hypothetical links.
Findings – The findings of the structural model confirm the majority of the hypothesised relationships. Brand attachment is considered as an important
input to brand commitment for utilitarian products.
Originality/value – Few studies have attempted to model the relationship between brand attachment and its antecedents and outcomes. This
research also focused on a particular utilitarian product that is not – apparently – affect laden.
Keywords Brands, Brand loyalty, Utilitarianism, Linear structure equation modelling
Paper type Research paper
An executive summary for managers and executive
readers can be found at the end of this article.
Introduction
The literature on brand marketing has generated a
considerable amount of theoretical and empirical research
that has focused on various topics concerning brand
extension, co-branding ( Ce
´garra and Michel, 2001) or
brand personality (Aaker, 1997; Ambroise et al., 2004). In
recent publications it has been argued that the affective
component of a brand is an issue that requires conceptual and
empirical elaboration.
Further research into this fundamental question is required
since it may lead to a better understanding of the way
emotional ties are formed between consumers and their
preferred brands, as well as explaining the role of this
particular tie with regard to brand relationships and
behavioural intentions. Brand attachment can be considered
as an emerging construct that is particularly important in the
representation of the affective component of consumer-brand
relationships. Researchers from many different disciplines
have investigated the attachment concept in such diverse
contexts as interpersonal relationships (Maisonneuve, 1966;
Bowlby, 1969) or in evaluating the relationships between
people and material possessions (Ball and Tasaki, 1992).
The adoption of the attachment construct in the marketing
literature is relatively recent (Fournier, 1998; Lacoeuilhe,
2000a, b; Cristau, 2001; Heilbrunn, 2001). Two approaches
in brand marketing have supported the relevance of brand
attachment. The first approach has provided evidence of the
symbolic benefits of brands by investigating brand
associations and brand personality. As a personified entity,
the brand contributes to an aff ect-laden evaluation by
consumers and a strong feeling of affiliation. This brand
perception can be described as “attachment” (McQueen et al.,
1993; Feldwick, 1996). The second approach is based on a
marketing paradigm which focuses on determinants of long-
term relationships and more particularly on defining the key
construct of brand commitment. Two components of
commitment have been identified; one is cognitive – it
includes perceived risk and switching costs, and the other is
affective – it expresses emotional ties that refer to attachment.
A few studies on brand attachment have attempted to
conceptualise and to develop a scale to measure this construct
(Lacoeuilhe, 2000a, b; Cristau, 2001; Heilbrunn, 2001;
Thomson et al., 2005). However, little attention has been
given to the modelisation of brand attachment in order to
investigate how it relates to a number of outcomes and
antecedents (e.g. satisfaction, trust, commitment, loyalty). In
this paper we focus on the examination of a relationship
model integrating brand attachment. We try to examine the
role of attachment in consumer-brand relationships and to
show the link between attachment construct and its salient
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
20/1 (2011) 37–47
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/10610421111108003]
37
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