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Introduction

In recent years, researchers have conceptualised luxury brand by using brand perception (e.g. Hennigs et al. 2016; Truong et al. 2009), exclusivity (Phau and Prendergast 2000), purchase intention (Schade 2016), brand equity (Kim and Kim 2005), self-congruity (Liu et al. 2012), retailing strategy (Moore et al. 2010) and such other consumer–brand relationship constructs (e.g. Sung et al. 2015; Vigneron and Johnson 2004). However, limited empirical studies have explained the antecedents and outcomes of the emotional bond between consumers and luxury brands (Choo et al. 2012). Considering the significance of status and uniqueness that luxury consumers seek and the emotional bond they develop with the luxury brands, it would be imperative for luxury marketers and researchers to study the antecedents and outcomes of brand attachment from luxury market perspective.

Objectives

The key objectives of this proposed research are: (1) To develop a research framework for luxury brand attachment, specifically (a) To measure the relative influence of actual and ideal self-congruence on luxury brand attachment, (b) To measure the effectiveness of luxury brand attachment for private and public luxury goods (2) To develop a scale to measure luxury brand attachment, and (3) To test the influence of moderating variables on between self-congruence and luxury brand attachment.

Luxury Brand Attachment

What is luxury brand attachment? Current literature does not provide a definition of luxury brand attachment, thus based on past studies, it is conceptualised as “the emotional bond that connects a consumer to the luxury brand and develops deep feelings within the consumer toward the luxury brand”. This definition is based on psychological theories that explain attachment as the tie between a person and an object or any other components (Bowlby 1979; Hazan and Shaver 1994). And brand attachment where it is defined as a long-term and commitment oriented tie between the consumer and the brand (Esch et al. 2006; Mikulincer and Shaver 2007). The conceptualization of luxury brand demonstrates that the inherent traits of luxury brands are distinctiveness, high transaction value, superior quality, inimitability, and craftsmanship and luxury brand consumption is mostly emotion laden (Jackson 2002; Nueno and Quelch 1998). Thus, it is very clear that there are significant differences between brand attachment and luxury brand attachment. Past studies have applied the brand attachment concept in the luxury branding context; however, these studies were limited to consumers’ brand attachment levels rather than consumers’ luxury brand attachment (Seo and Buchanan-Oliver 2015). The following section will highlight previous findings in the brand attachment literature and make comparison to the luxury brand attachment.

Park et al. (2010) highlight brand-self connection and brand prominence as the two major drivers of brand attachment. It is predicted that luxury brand attachment could have a similar impact on these behavioural measures. Malär et al. (2011) examine the role of consumers’ self-image and brand image in exploring emotional brand attachment. Further scholars have used two types of self-congruency to predict brand attachment: actual self-congruence and ideal self-congruence. The study suggests that consumers’ self-congruence and product involvement are positively associated with emotional brand attachment. In sum, majority of the previous researchers have argued that consumer self-congruence drives emotional brand attachment (e.g. Grisaffe and Nguyen 2011; Malär et al. 2011; Thomson et al. 2005). Besides, most of the current studies measure brand attachment with the scales developed by Lacoeuilhe (2000) and Thomson et al. (2005). Both of the scales measure brand attachment from holistic viewpoint and emphasise more on the consumers’ affection, passion and connection to the brand.

Research Gaps

Existing literature on brand attachment largely focuses on the consumers’ emotional bond with the brand (e.g. Belaid and Behi 2011; Assiouras et al. 2014). However, there are no empirical studies within the luxury brand attachment context. Further, a number of researchers have explored the affective, cognitive and behavioural connection that drives brand attachment (e.g. Park et al. 2010; Han et al. 2010). Still, these studies neither provide strategies for increasing the level of attachment nor distinguish the traits of brand attachment for utilitarian and hedonic products (Malar et al. 2011). The consumer–brand relationship from luxury perspective has largely been unexplored also (Belaid and Behi 2011). In addition, past studies have explored only the direct drivers of brand attachment, and they have ignored indirect drivers such as consumer’s public self-consciousness (Thomson et al. 2005; Liu et al. 2012). Also, the literature mainly focuses on public luxury products where the product is visible to others, and has largely ignored private luxury products. More importantly, there is no measure of luxury brand attachment (Esch et al. 2006). Scholars are currently using a generic brand attachment scale to measure consumers’ luxury brand attachment. As mentioned early, luxury brand attachment is very different to brand attachment due to the nature and motivational drivers behind the purchase decision. The research will attempt to fulfil these research gaps.

Hypothesis Development

The following sections will conceptualise luxury brand attachment using relevant concepts and theories.

Consumer Self-Congruence

Self-congruity is the conformity between a consumer’s self-concept and brand image (Sirgy 1982). Scholars theorise this construct in the study of consumer behaviour with the notion that if the brand image or personality matches with a consumer’s personality trait, the consumer will prefer that brand (e.g. Boksberger et al. 2010; Sirgy and Su 2000). Researchers identify two types of self-image; actual self-image refers to how consumers see themselves and ideal self-image explains how consumers would like to see themselves (Wylie 1979).

Actual Self-Congruence

Malär et al. (2011) explain the implications and impacts of consumer’s actual and ideal self-congruence on emotional brand attachment. In a similar study, Liu et al. (2012) focus on the self-congruity theory and find that user and usage imagery congruity are positively associated with attitude and loyalty in luxury brand context. Furthermore, recent studies on luxury brands have argued that luxury branding experience is a critical factor in increasing the value of product, because consumers buy the luxury brand to express themselves (e.g. Tynan et al. 2010). Existing literature highly supports that consumers buy luxury brand that match their personality and brand image (e.g. Vigneron and Johnson 1999). Therefore, it is hypothesised that

H1

Actual self-congruence has a positive effect on luxury brand attachment.

Ideal Self-Congruence

Several studies have examined the role of self-image in product evaluation and purchase intention (Hong and Zinkhan 1995; Malhotra 1988). The key characteristics of luxury brands such as social status, conspicuousness, hedonic value, and exclusivity provide consumers a way of sensory gratification which is not offered by non-luxury brands (Gistri et al. 2009). Thus, consumers build an emotional bond with the brands that help them to obtain the expected image thorough purchase and ownership of that specific brand (Mikulincer and Shaver 2007; Malär et al. 2011). As self-congruence can enhance consumer’s affective, cognitive and behavioural responses (Grohmann 2009), it should be incorporated in the brand attachment construct (Chaplin and John 2005). Therefore, it is hypothesised that

H2

Ideal self-congruence has a positive effect on luxury brand attachment.

Consumer Advocacy

Earlier researchers have demonstrated that brand attachment motivates the consumers to repurchase the product (e.g. Assiouras et al. 2015; Japutra et al. 2014), revisit the website or the store (e.g. Jones et al. 2006) and also to promote the brand to others (e.g. Fedorikhin et al. 2008). Furthermore, consumers with higher degrees of brand attachment tend to ignore negative information regarding that specific brand and encourage other people to buy it (Xie and Peng 2009). In branding literature, consumer advocacy has been researched as an outcome of brand attachment (Kemp et al. 2012). Consumer advocates are concerned about and motivated to prevent others from having negative experiences in their marketplace experience (Chelminski and Coulter 2011). Therefore, it is hypothesised that

H3

The higher the luxury brand attachment, the higher the consumer advocacy.

Public Self-Consciousness

Public self-consciousness is an individual’s general awareness about him/herself as a social identity (Fenigstein et al. 1975). Studies reveal that luxury brand consumption is highly associated with the desire of attaining social status and self-esteem (e.g. O’cass and Frost 2002; Fionda and Moore 2009). Thus, luxury brands are used as a means of enhancing the consumers’ physical attractiveness and social acceptance (Durvasula et al. 2001). Moreover, Buss (1980) highlights that the consumers with high public self-consciousness are anxious about their desirable social representation. As luxury brands provide both physical and social vanity (Wang and Waller 2006), it might be hypothesised that consumers with high public self-consciousness will tend to build and maintain an emotional attachment with luxury brands.

H4a

Consumers’ public self-consciousness will moderate the relationship between actual self-congruence and luxury brand attachment.

H4b

Consumers’ public self-consciousness will moderate the relationship between ideal self-congruence and luxury brand attachment.

Private vs. Public Product

Past researches explain that while publicly consumed products are those that are seen by others when being used, privately consumed products are utilised away from the gaze of others with the possible exception of the user (Bourne 1957; Kulviwat et al. 2009). The examples of publicly utilised goods are handbag, luggage, shoe etc. (Park et al. 2008) and the examples of privately utilised goods are underwear, perfume and dental products etc. (Smith 2007; Graeff 1996). The evaluations of privately consumed goods would be more affected by the congruence between brand image and the consumer’s actual self-image and the evaluations of publicly consumed goods would be more affected by the congruence between brand image and the consumer’s ideal self-image (Dolich 1969; Ross 1971; Aaker 1999). Therefore, it is hypothesised that

H5a

Private goods have a stronger effect than public goods on the relationship between actual self-congruence and luxury brand attachment.

H5b

Public goods have a stronger effect than private goods on the relationship between ideal self-congruence and luxury brand attachment.

Research Significance

This study is expected to result a number of theoretical, methodological and managerial contributions in the area of luxury brand and brand attachment. It will provide insights on luxury brand attachment that has not been covered by earlier researchers.

Theoretical Significance

This is the first research to conceptualise the luxury brand attachment model. Furthermore, most of the earlier studies on luxury brand used fashion items as the stimulus (e.g. Hung et al. 2011; Han et al. 2010). This proposed research will incorporate the private versus public luxury products as the stimuli and thereby will test variation of attachment to the brand. This research will extend the Malar et al. (2011) model to the luxury branding context.

Methodological Significance

This is the first research to develop a scale for luxury brand attachment. The current brand attachment scales in the literature are invalid due to the nature of the luxury products and services. Thus, the luxury brand attachment scale provides a more accurate measure of consumers’ luxury brand attachment. Further, this research will use a consumer panel and real-world advertisements as the stimulus, which will provide ecological validity.

Managerial Significance

This research will provide meaningful insights for the brand managers, brand strategists and advertising managers. This research will assist luxury brand managers in allocation of resources for the action plans that will ensure a stronger tie with the consumers in a cost-efficient way. For brand managers luxury brand attachment may help them to identify whether marketers should incorporate actual or ideal self-image in their branding strategy to increase the level of luxury brand attachment. In addition, it will also be helpful in understanding the strength of the bond between consumers and luxury brands. The luxury brand attachment scale will help identify the key segment of consumers that are highly attached; these consumers are not only loyal but also will promote the brand to other people. Brand strategists can incorporate the highly attached consumers in public relation campaigns, especially during crisis management. Advertising managers can incorporate public self-consciousness and private and public good into branding and promotional campaigns to strengthen the tie between the consumers and luxury brands.

References Available Upon Request