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Journal of Product & Brand Management
Emerald Article: The role of emotional aspects in younger consumer-brand
relationships
Jiyoung Hwang, Jay Kandampully
Article information:
To cite this document: Jiyoung Hwang, Jay Kandampully, (2012),"The role of emotional aspects in younger consumer-brand
relationships", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 21 Iss: 2 pp. 98 - 108
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The role of emotional aspects in younger
consumer-brand relationships
Jiyoung Hwang
Hough Graduate School of Business, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA, and
Jay Kandampully
Department of Consumer Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
Abstract
Purpose – This study aims to investigate the roles of three emotional factors (self-concept connection, emotional attachment, and brand love) in the
context of younger consumer-luxury brand relationships.
Design/methodology/approach – The main data collection was done via a self-selected online survey of a representative group of younger
consumers. Data analysis was performed with structural equation modelling and multidimensional scaling.
Findings – Three emotional factors enhance younger consumers’ brand loyalty, but the strength of the impact varies. Emotional attachment has the
strongest impact on brand loyalty, followed by self-concept connection and brand love. Self-concept connection increases brand love as well as
emotional attachment. The result of perceptual mapping shows different perceptions of the luxury brands in younger consumers’ minds.
Research limitations/implications – Generalizability needs to be established with a wider range of younger consumer groups. The insights on
younger consumers’ brand relationships help brand managers devise effective brand management strategies.
Originality/value – This study is the first attempt to identify the importance of emotional aspects in younger consumer-brand relationship. The current
study extends branding literature by shedding lights on the roles of emotional factors in brand management, which also help brand managers.
Keywords Emotional attachment, Self-concept connection, Brand loyalty, Younger consumers, Brands, Consumers
Paper type Research paper
An executive summary for managers and executive
readers can be found at the end of this article.
Introduction
Do our feelings of being connected to a certain brand, or our
emotions toward that brand, affect our loyalty to it? Do we
like brands that express our identities more than other brands,
and do such perceptions influence our emotional responses to
brands? These questions are important to brand relationship
management because we, as human beings, tend to feel more
loyal to what we feel connected with, attached to, and love
(Bowlby, 1979). In a branding context, this tendency can
translate into the consumer-brand relationship. Consumer-
brand relationships have received considerable attention from
both academic and practical parties since they have realized
the contributing roles of relationship building to brand
success. For example, prior work has demonstrated that
strong consumer-brand relationships enhances consumers’
brand loyalty (Park et al., 2006), durability of brands
(Ahluwalia et al., 2000; Tulving and Psotka, 1971), and
consumers’ willingness to pay a premium price (Thomson
et al., 2005). Moreover, having strong consumer-brand
relationships creates more sustainable brands, as envisioned
through increased financial value of the company (Park et al.,
2006; Peelen, 2003). Therefore, the importance of
establishing and maintaining strong consumer-brand
relationships increases but how to do so is a challenge,
especially within a business environment surrounded by
abundant competition with similar brands and products.
To identify how to develop strong brand relationships, the
scholarly literature on branding has emphasized the emotional
aspects. While earlier scholars have recognized that
emotional/symbolic aspects form central goals in
consumption experiences (Hirschman and Holbrook, 1982),
researchers have recently paid greater attention to these
emotional aspects, such as feelings of connection with a brand
(self-concept connection) (Fournier, 1998), perceptions of
closeness of the self to a brand (emotional attachment)
(Fournier, 1998), and feelings of love for a brand (brand love)
(Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006; Fournier, 1998). Scholars find
that emotional aspects are crucial in enhancing relationship
quality in that individuals who are emotionally attached to a
brand exhibit greater commitment to it (Thomson et al.,
2005) and consumers’ intense emotions such as love toward a
brand promote long-term relationship with that brand (Aron
and Westbay, 1996; Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006; Fournier,
1998). In addition, consumers are more devoted to brands
with which they feel commonalities and brands that express
important aspects of their identity (Fournier, 1998). A
fundamental premise is that consumers’ purchases are partly
driven by a desire to construct self-concepts and
communicate them through wearing and using branded
products (Belk, 1988).
Despite previous research attempts, we have limited
knowledge on the roles that emotional/symbolic factors play.
In particular, little is known about whether and how these
aspects may create differing impacts on consumer-brand
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
21/2 (2012) 98– 108
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/10610421211215517]
98
relationship building. Moreover, younger consumers, an
emerging critical consumer segment in various brands, have
been neglected in branding literature. Notably, the purchasing
power of younger consumers including teenagers and
generation Y individuals (people born between 1977 and
1994) has increased, and these younger consumer groups
have risen as an important consumer segment, even for luxury
fashion brands (IBISWorld, 2010; Trendwatching.com,
2009). To these consumers, the feeling of “iconic” is an
important criterion for their purchase decision (IBISWorld,
2010; Trendwatching.com, 2009), which indicates the
potential of the brand growth by expanding consumer
segments. However, no prior work has tested the relative
roles of emotional aspects or the roles in the context of brand
relationship management with younger consumers.
Therefore, this study attempts to resolve a few important
research gaps concerning the emotional aspects in the context
of younger consumers’ brand loyalty. First, we aim to
understand how consumers’ self-concept connection,
emotional attachment, and brand love are interrelated in
contributing to loyalty to luxury brands. These emotional
responses are expected to have different impacts on brand
loyalty, given that attachment can vary in terms of strength
and that stronger positive feelings toward objects/brands can
generate greater consumer loyalty (Aron and Westbay, 1996;
Fournier, 1998; Kleine et al., 1993). Second, we delve into
whether and how these emotional factors explain younger
consumers’ loyalty to luxury fashion brands. We choose
luxury fashion brands for the following reasons:
.Fashion brands are known to carry symbolic meanings of
an individual much more easily than other product
categories (Escalas and Bettman, 2005) as these products
can communicate an individual’s identities
(e.g. uniqueness) (Campbell, 1986; Hebdige, 1987).
.Luxury brands generally symbolize the social status of
individuals, and in particular, younger consumers’
preference for luxury brands are closely related to their
images of success (Mandel et al., 2006).
.Younger consumers perceive stronger self-concept
connections with luxury brands as iconic and to
maintain their brand loyalty, which suggests that the rise
of younger consumers has potential of brand growth for
the $7.4 billion of luxury fashion business in the USA
(IBISWorld, 2010).
Theoretically, this study expands the scope of branding
research by investigating unexplored but important roles of
emotional aspects for enhanced brand relationship quality.
Practical implications of this research help brand managers
recognize the potential of younger consumers and devise
effective brand management strategies. The implications are
meaningful given that the market for luxury brands does not
solely depend on a single consumer segment and thus it is
critical for marketers “to understand who their customers are,
where to find them and the key factors that drive their
behaviour” (Okonkwo, 2007, p. 70). This study begins with a
brief discussion of consumer-brand relationships, followed by
hypothesis development. After presenting research method,
results, and discussion, it concludes with study limitation and
suggestions for future research.
Consumer-brand relationship
Human beings tend to like people with whom they share
common traits. The same notion applies to brand-consumer
interactions (Aaker, 1996). Originating in social psychology,
consumer-brand relationships are similar to interpersonal
relationships:
.they involve reciprocal exchanges between partners
through a series of repeated actions; and
.sustained consumer-brand relationships provide benefits
to the participants, such as perceived commitment (Aaker,
1996; Smith et al., 2007).
Through series of transactions, consumers’ experiences create
some brand associations/links with a focal brand (Aaker,
1991; Keller, 1993, 2001). Keller (2001) notes that brand
associations function like information nodes stored in
memory, and contain the meaning of the brand for
consumers. In her previous study (Keller, 1998), she
identifies three categories of brand associations: product-
and non-product related attributes, functional and symbolic
benefits, and attitude or overall evaluation.
Much like individuals’ characteristics within human
relationships, brand associations influence people’s
perceptions and evaluations of the brand (Aaker, 1996;
Keller, 1993). Specifically, brand associations help the
formation of brand image wherein brand image refers to
perceptions about a brand developed through brand
associations and held in consumers’ memory (Keller, 1998).
Scholars have conceptualized brand image with two main –
functional and symbolic – aspects: the former is developed
using specific, inherent characteristic of brand attributes
(e.g. price, design, and quality), while the latter is established
using extrinsic characteristics (e.g. reputation, atmosphere)
that satisfy customers’ higher-level needs (Bhat and Reddy,
1998; Grace and O’Cass, 2002; Kandampylly and Suhartanto,
2000; Keller, 1993). Brand associations generate differing
impacts either or both on functional and symbolic aspects,
further affecting the construction of brand image.
Regarding brand evaluations, individuals who value
sophisticated characteristics are likely to positively react to
brands like Chanel that imply “classic” and “elegant” images.
Such roles of perceived similarly between a brand and a self
has been a focus of a school of research on brand relationship.
Known as self-concept congruence research, this research
stream has demonstrated that the more similarities exist
between consumers and a brand, the greater the emotional
bonds between the consumer and the brand (Fournier, 1998;
Sirgy, 1982). Such emotional bonds further foster consumers’
positive evaluations of the brand including credibility,
attitude, or image (Eagly and Chaiken, 1993).
Fournier’s (1994, 1998) model of brand relationship quality
(BRQ model) that highlights the importance of relationship
quality deserves particular attention. The BRQ model
comprehensively and effectively addresses diverse dimensions
of “relationship quality” in consumer-brand relationships,
which advances the concept of relationship marketing. By
definition, relationship marketing is an advanced marketing
concept and “enhancing” as well as creating/maintaining the
relationship with stakeholders are critical (Kotabe and Helsen,
2001). Specifically, the model posits that the interplay of seven
brand relationship qualities affect the relationship strength:
1 intimacy (psychological closeness);
2 passionate attachment;
The role of emotional aspects in younger consumer-brand relationships
Jiyoung Hwang and Jay Kandampully
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Volume 21 · Number 2 · 2012 · 98 – 108
99
3 love (possible feelings towards a brand);
4 self-concept connection (perception of a brand as the part
of the self);
5 personal commitment (loyalty to the brand);
6 nostalgic connection (connection to the consumer’s
history and particular memories); and
7 partner quality (taking good care of its consumers).
Fournier’s BRQ model has been reevaluated by later
researchers. For instance, Smith et al. (2007) identify four
dimensions in the BRQ model (passionate attachment, love,
self-connection, and nostalgic connection) as emotional
dimensions of brand relationships and the other three
(personal commitment, brand partner quality, and intimacy)
as behavioural dimensions. Dowling (2002) advises caution in
adopting the BRQ model, arguing that brands have different
abilities to relate with their consumers. Overall, though, the
BRQ model is widely accepted and important due to its
comprehensive consideration of multiple dimensions of
consumer-brand relationship quality.
Hypothesis development
As noted earlier, the current study focuses on three of the
emotional factors in the BRQ model – self-concept
connection, brand love, and emotional attachment – and
their impact on personal commitment (loyalty). In particular,
the proposed model delineates:
.the positive impact of self-concept connection on
emotional attachment, brand love, and loyalty; and
.the positive effect of brand love and emotional attachment
on consumer loyalty within a luxury fashion brands
context (see Figure 1).
Self-concept connection
Self-concept connection refers to the degree to which the
brand expresses important aspects of the consumer’s self-
identity, values, and goals (Fournier, 1998). Swaminathan
et al. (2007) argue that that brands can strengthen consumer
identities by serving self-presentation goals, and thus
consumers use a brand as a tool for representation of their
values and identity. To do so, shared commonalities between a
consumer and brands are necessary. For instance, when a
consumer considers a classic image as an important aspect of
his or her self, the consumer may choose brands conveying
classic images such as Chanel or Benz, and s/he may use the
brand as a way to present his or her self. In this respect,
consumers can fulfil self-presentation goals with certain
branded products that they feel share commonalities with
their self-concepts. More importantly, the degree of self-
concept connection influences the meaning of brands (Escalas
and Bettman, 2005), suggesting that these connections
further alter the strength of consumer-brand relationships
(Fournier, 1994, 1998). Specifically, consumers’ feelings of
self-connection lead to positive evaluation of brands
(Fournier, 1998; Ng and Houston, 2006) and such positive
evaluations remain strong even when they are exposed to
negative information about the brand (Ahluwalia et al., 2000;
Pomerantz et al., 1995; Swaminathan et al., 2007).
For luxury brands characterized with symbolic brand
meanings, the emotional aspects of the brand can play more
important roles, as compared to brands that are designed for
problem-solving in consumption experiences. From the early
days of the conspicuous consumption era, it has been
recognized that conspicuous consumption is driven by the
goal of expressing one’s wealth or differences from others
(Leibenstein, 1950). Luxury brand buyers buy luxury brand
products expecting something more than practicality: they
buy luxury brands to satisfy their self-presentation goals or to
obtain psychological rewards, such as being recognized by
other members and enhancing their self-image within a
society (Siverstein and Fiske, 2003).
The self-presentation goals can have different importance
depending on the product categories: fashion products, for
instance, are commonly used tools for self-presentation (Belk,
1988). For example, hedonic aspects of products promote
emotional responses to brands (e.g., brand love) because
signalling the status of individuals is more relevant to hedonic
products such as luxury brands (Berger and Heath, 2007;
Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006). In contrast, for problem-solving
brands and products, consumers do not expect psychological
rewards: rather, the functional aspects of the branded
products are the consumers’ main concern (Park et al.,
1986). These viewpoints support the idea that hedonic
products like fashion products are more related to emotional
aspects of the consumer-brand relationship than are utilitarian
products.
Emotional attachment: an outcome of self-
concept connection
The part of the conceptualization of brand attachment
originates in attachment theory. Attachment theory (Bowlby,
1979) states that the degree to which individuals are strongly
attached to a person (or to a brand) determines their level of
commitment to the relationship and the level of acceptance of
sacrifices involved in the relationship. Attachment refers to the
process of establishing emotional bonding (Collins and Read,
1990), and emotional bonding developed through consistent
experiences with an entity (e.g. a person or brand) contributes
to the degree of comfort perceived in the relationship (Perry,
1998). In the branding context, brand attachment represents
the closeness of the self to a brand in terms of a strong
cognitive and affective perception existing in consumers’
mindsets (Fournier, 1998; Park et al., 2006).
It is important to note that emotional brand attachment
differs from the several similar concepts of material possession
attachment, self-concept connection, and attitude. Material
possession attachment supports the idea that people may use
objects to narrate aspects of themselves, especially with self-
identifying possessions that reflect who they are or how they
are socially connected to others. A brand, however, is a
perception rather than a material possession, and thus brand
bonding and tangible possession attachment differ in terms of
Figure 1 Conceptual framework
The role of emotional aspects in younger consumer-brand relationships
Jiyoung Hwang and Jay Kandampully
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Volume 21 · Number 2 · 2012 · 98 – 108
100
irreplaceability or post-acquisition use (Klein and Baker,
2004). Also, because material possession attachment is
formed with specific objects and is a more situation-oriented
concept, there is a limit to capturing connections with an
abstract concept like “brand” (Klein and Baker, 2004).
Additionally, material possessions involve the length of time a
possession is kept or how it is displayed (Kleine et al., 1995),
which may not be applicable for brand attachment. Emotional
attachment and attitudes likewise need to be differentiated. As
Thomson et al. (2005) argue, individuals can report
favourable attitudes toward an object regardless of a link
with the self or self-concept. Moreover, the impact of
favourable attitudes depends on the situation/context
(Sheppard et al., 1988) while emotional attachment is a
more enduring concept forming a more consistent basis of
consumers’ responses to brands (Thomson et al., 2005).
It is reasonable that consumers’ perception of self-concept
connection with a focal brand fosters emotional attachment to
the brand. This is because feelings of being emotionally
attached to a brand can be developed based on an individual’s
perception of commonalities between the self and the brand.
Park et al. (2006) support our argument in their claim that
brand resources gratify and enrich individuals’ perception of
the brand attachment. Their perspectives also suggest that the
self-concept connection between a consumer and brand(s) can
be a basis for emotional attachment. In the context of luxury
brands, user identities (e.g. the classic image) shared by a
luxury fashion brand (e.g. Chanel) can promote a consumer’s
feeling of connection with the brand, thereby enhancing
emotional attachment to the brand. Thus, we propose:
H1. Consumers’ perception of the self-concept connection
with a luxury brand will increase their emotional
attachment to the brand.
Brand love: an outcome of self-concept
connection
Love itself is a very strong emotional experience, not only in
interpersonal relationships but also in consumer-brand
relationships (Fournier, 1998; Schultz et al., 1989). In a
branding context, love characterizes consumers’ feelings toward
specific objects (Kleine et al.,1995).Conceptually,brandlove
and emotional attachment to a brand seem very similar. For
instance, Carroll and Ahuvia (2006, p. 81) view brand love as
“the degree of passionate emotional attachment a satisfied
consumer has for a particular trade name”. While we value their
point of views, we acknowledge the difference between brand
love and emotional attachment and distinguish the two
constructs: brand love necessitates the intensity of emotional
responses toward an object, while emotional attachment does
not necessarily require such intensity. In addition, distinguishing
and examining the differential effects of emotional attachment
and love can provide more accurate insights to marketers.
Consumers’ love for luxury brands can increase when
consumers perceive the brands as expressing important parts
of the self. Recalling the example of Chanel, a consumer may
identify the self with classic images. Such identification
encourages the person to form a strong feeling toward a brand
like Chanel as being resonant of self image. On the contrary,
consumers who perceive themselves as pursuing a classic
image, but without too much conservatism, would have
greater positive feelings towards brands like Gucci that have
more modern images (Okonkwo, 2007). Carroll and Ahuvia
(2006) demonstrate not only that self-expressive brands
increase consumers’ brand love but also that hedonic aspects
of brands promote brand love more than utilitarian aspects of
brands. Their findings suggest that hedonic products like
fashion products are thus more related to brand love than are
utilitarian products. Taken comprehensively, the hedonic
aspects connoted in luxury brands and the resonance of self
image in luxury brands will influence consumers’ brand love.
Hence, the following hypothesis is posited:
H2. Consumers’ perception of self-concept connections with
a luxury brand will increase their love toward the brand.
Loyalty as a relational outcome
Consumers exhibit loyalty to various entities including brands,
stores, or products (Uncles et al., 2003). Brand loyalty, the core
of brand equity, is a key indicator of the sustainability of a
brand because being loyal to a brand makes its consumers less
likely to switch to competitive brands even when competitors
offer more benefits (Oliver, 1999). In the marketing literature,
the concept of brand loyalty involves several aspects, and is
operationalized in several ways. Yet understanding loyalty as a
two dimensional construct encompassing attitudinal and
behavioural aspects has been widely accepted. Specifically,
attitudinal loyalty is defined as the degree to which an
individual commits to the brand (Chaudhuri and Holdbrook,
2001; Jacoby and Chestnut, 1978), and behavioural loyalty
refers to the willingness to repurchase the same brand
(Chaudhuri and Holdbrook, 2001; Kahn et al.,1986).
In the current study, we focus on attitudinal brand loyalty
because it is an immediate outcome of consumers’ emotional
responses and this focus is appropriate given that we are
interested in how emotional aspects of brand relationship
influence consumers’ attitudinal commitment (e.g. willingness
to pay a higher price premium), rather than their willingness
to repeat a purchase (e.g. the degree to which they will buy
the same brand) that necessitates an actual purchase history.
Previous research supports our rationale in that brand loyalty
is more based on brand beliefs rather than on brand
experience (Ha, 1989; Oliver, 1999). Moreover, positive
feelings about a brand may not directly transfer to purchase
behaviour (Dick and Basu, 1994), possibly due to consumers’
financial states (Bandyopadhyay and Martell, 2007).
This study proposes that emotional attachment is likely to
enhance consumers’ loyalty to luxury brands. Earlier work on
emotional attachment has shown that individuals with strong
emotional bonds to an object report greater brand loyalty and
willingness to pay the price premium (Thomson et al., 2005)
and forgive negative information about the object (whether
the brand or company) (Ahluwalia et al., 2001; Tulving and
Psotka, 1971), which promotes long-term oriented consumer-
brand relationships. An underlying assumption of emotional
attachment is that the degree to which individuals have a
desire to be closer to the object or that they experience
distress from the removal of the object can determine their
behavioural motivations and intentions associated with the
objects (Bowlby, 1979; Hazan and Shaver, 1994). When it
comes to luxury fashion brands, consumers’ attachment to
certain brands sometimes seem to be irrational to others, but
interestingly, even this irrationality acknowledges that
emotional bonding drives brand loyalty (Okonkwo, 2007).
The role of emotional aspects in younger consumer-brand relationships
Jiyoung Hwang and Jay Kandampully
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Volume 21 · Number 2 · 2012 · 98 – 108
101
Next, the current study posits that brand love enhances
attitudinal loyalty to luxury brands, given that strong, positive
affect in consumers’ minds allow brand loyalty and brand
commitment, which make consumers to be willing to pay
price premiums for those brands (Chaudhuri and Holdbrook,
2001; Park et al., 2006; Thomson et al., 2005). Carroll and
Ahuvia (2006) explicitly demonstrate the positive influence of
brand love on brand loyalty, indicating the same effects will
hold true in the context of luxury fashion.
Lastly, brands can serve individuals’ self-presentation goals
with an assumption of a resemblance between consumers and
brands (Swaminathan et al., 2007). As noted earlier, strong
consumer-brand connections promote consumers’ positive
evaluation of a brand (Fournier, 1998; Ng and Houston,
2006) and further are capable of nurturing brand loyalty.
Comprehensively, we propose that consumers’ attitudinal
loyalty to luxury brands will be enhanced as:
.they feel closeness between the self and a brand
(emotional attachment);
.they form intense, emotional responses to a brand (brand
love); and
.they perceive a brand to express important parts of
themselves (self-conception connection).
H3. Consumers’ emotional attachment to a luxury fashion
brand will increase the consumers’ attitudinal loyalty
to the brand.
H4. Consumers’ brand love for a luxury fashion brand will
increase the consumers’ attitudinal loyalty to the
brand.
H5. Consumers’ self-concept connection with a luxury
fashion brand will increase the consumers’ attitudinal
loyalty to the brand.
Research method
For the first step, we chose fashion brands that younger
consumers perceive as luxurious. In order to do so, nine fashion
brands obtained from the top 100 brands published in
Businessweek (2007) (www.businessweek.com) were used:
Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Gap, Zara, Hermes, Prada,
Burberry, and Polo Ralph Lauren[1]. Next, given the price
ranges and general differential perceptions of these brands, such
as Gucci versus Gap, it was important for us to ensure the
luxuriousness of these brands as perceived by our target sample.
Thus, we conducted a pre-test with a convenience sample of
undergraduate students at a Midwestern university in the USA.
In the pre-test, the 47 college students rated their opinions
about each brand’s luxuriousness and familiarity on a seven-
Likert scale of two items. To evaluate luxuriousness, subjects
were asked to indicate the perceived luxuriousness of each
brand on a seven-point Likert scale (1 ¼Not at all, 7 ¼Very
much) and their familiarity with each brand on a seven-point
Likert scale (1 ¼Not familiar at all, 7 ¼Very familiar). The
sample was mostly female (90.3 per cent) and between 20 and
24 years old (90.3 per cent), and the majority of the
participants were Caucasian (83.9 per cent). Based on the
results regarding the familiarity and luxuriousness, five brands
–Chanel(M
luxuriousness ¼6:45), Louis Vuitton
(Mluxuriousness ¼6:32), Burberry (Mluxuriousness ¼5:98), and
Polo Ralph Lauren[2] (Mluxuriousness ¼4:68) – were selected
as luxurious brands for the main test.
Main test
Main data collection was done via a self-selected online survey
of undergraduate students at a Midwestern university. We
solicited 243 undergraduate students to participate in the self-
administered survey given that college students are a
representative group of young consumers for luxury fashion
markets (IBISWorld, 2010). Also, using college students as a
homogeneity sample is appropriate for theory testing (Calder
et al., 1982). A total of 120 students participated in this study
and they were asked to choose one of the brands from the five
brands given, and to provide their responses to the questions
based on their chosen brand. We ensured the participants for
the main test had not also participated in our pre-test.
The survey questionnaire contained multiple items for each
construct in order to enhance the overall reliability of
measurement items. Most items were adapted from the
existing literature. Specifically, for self-concept connection,
participants rated their levels of agreement about four
questions adapted from Carroll and Ahuvia (2006) and
Swaminathan et al. (2007). A sample question is “This brand
reflects my personality” (
a
¼:095). Three items from
Thomson et al. (2005) were used to assess emotional
attachment (e.g. “I feel emotionally bonded with this brand,”
a
¼0:97). Brand love was measured with five items adopted
from Carroll and Ahuvia (2006), (e.g. “This is a wonderful
brand”,
a
¼0:98). Attitudinal loyalty was measured with items
from Kaynak et al. (2008) (e.g. “I consider myself to be loyal to
this brand”,
a
¼0:83). All responses, except for those to
demographic questions, were measured on seven-point Likert
scales (e.g. 1 ¼Strongly disagree, 7 ¼Strongly agree).
Results
Sample characteristics
After an initial screening, incomplete responses and those
lacking reliability (e.g. giving the same responses for all
questions) were deleted. A total of 107 participants’ responses
were used for the data analysis. The majority of the sample
was female (n¼83, 77.6 per cent), Caucasian (n¼83, 77.6
per cent), and between 20 and 24 years old (n¼80, 74.8 per
cent). The distribution of the samples’ household income was
fairly even, from $40,000 to $99,999 (n¼57, 53.3 per cent),
and income of more than $120,000 accounted for 29 per cent
of the sample (n¼31). They had product experiences with all
five brands included in our study: Ralph Lauren (72.9 per
cent), Gap (73.8 per cent), Burberry (58 per cent), Chanel
(47.7 per cent), and Louis Vuitton (32.7 per cent). The
results support that college students have diverse product
experiences, not only with well-known affordable brands but
also with high-class luxury brands with price premiums.
Model assessment
Following the two-step approach to structural equation
modelling (Anderson and Gerbing, 1988), a confirmatory
factor analysis (CFA) using AMOS 17.0 was performed. The
CFA and the model fit of the constructs with multiple
indicators (self-concept connection, brand love, emotional
attachment, and loyalty) was determined to be unacceptable
(
x
2
¼202.6, df ¼98, p¼0.000, GFI ¼0.819,
AGFI ¼0.748, CFI ¼0.950, RMSEA ¼0.095). Considering
modification indices (13.610 – 16.891) and theoretical
conceptualization, three indicators were deleted (Arbuckle,
The role of emotional aspects in younger consumer-brand relationships
Jiyoung Hwang and Jay Kandampully
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Volume 21 · Number 2 · 2012 · 98 – 108
102
2008). The CFA of the revised model was satisfactory
(
x
2
¼76.7, df ¼59, p¼0.000, GFI ¼0.896, AGFI ¼0.840,
CFI ¼0.990, RMSEA ¼0.053 [0.000, 0.084]). All factor
loadings (
l
) were significant at the 0.05 level and were greater
than 0.80 (0.80-0.98). Thus, convergent validity was achieved
(Nunnally, 1978). The reliability of each multi-item scale
assessed with SPSS 17.0 indicated high reliabilities
(
a
¼0:83 20:98), supporting international consistencies.
Correlations and each construct’s mean and standard
deviation are presented in Table I.
The second step of structural equation modelling (SEM)
involved analysis of the measurement model. SEM with a
maximum likelihood estimation technique using Amos 17.0
(Arbuckle, 2008) showed satisfactory results (
x
2¼76:659,
df ¼59, p¼0:061, CMIN=DF ¼1:299, GFI ¼0:896,
AGFI ¼0:840, CFI ¼0:990, RMSEA ¼0:053 [0.000,
0.084]), indicating that the proposed model has a good fit
with the data. The results with the standardized path
coefficients and factor loadings are presented in Figure 2.
Hypothesis testing
As shown in Figure 2, the results supported the hypothesized
relationships. Specifically, H1 and H2 were supported as
consumers’ self-concept connection significantly increases
their emotional attachment to the brand (H1:
g
¼0:65,
p,0:001) and brand love (H2:
g
¼0:54, p,0:001). H3
proposing positive impact of emotional attachment on
attitudinal brand loyalty was supported (
b
¼0:446,
p,0:001). H4 hypothesizing that brand love enhances
attitudinal loyalty to the brand was supported (
b
¼0:23,
p¼0:007). Finally, the result showed that self-concept
connection positively influences attitudinal loyalty to the
brand, supporting H5 (
b
¼0:23, p¼0:008).
While it is noted that brand love and emotional attachment
are distinctive factors, their conceptualization in previous
research is less clear. To ensure the distinctive impacts of
brand love and emotional attachment on brand loyalty, a
multiple regression analysis is performed with two variables as
independent variables and attitudinal loyalty as a dependent
variable. Multicoll inearity indices (Tolerance ¼0:861,
VIF ¼1:162) were smaller than cut-offs, and thus, there
were no multicllinearity problems, which conversely supports
the validity of the distinctiveness of these two variables. The
model explaining 51.2 per cent of variances
(Fð2;104Þ¼56:501, p,0:001, adjusted R2¼0:512)
showed that the two variables have significant, positive
impacts on attitudinal loyalty (
b
love ¼0:394, t¼5:387,
p,0:001,
b
emotionalattachment ¼0:475, t¼6:490, p,0:001).
In addition, though we did not hypothesize to what extent
younger consumers perceive luxury brands differently (or
similarly), it is meaningful to identify brand perceptions of
younger consumers. For this purpose, multidimensional
scaling (MDS) was conducted because MDS is an effective
way to detect similarities and differences in individuals’
perceptions (David, 2009; Hair et al., 2006). Specifically,
MDS was used to detect underlying dimensions that describe
similarities or differences among younger consumers’
perceptions of luxuriousness about each brand. Figure 3
shows the results of MDS with ALSCAL procedure of SPSS
with a Euclidean distance option.
The results indicated that two is the optimal number of
dimensions: a sharp decrease in the stress value was apparent
from the first level (0.593) to the second level (0.065). The
stress level (0.01) and R
2
(0.99) indicated a good fit with the
data (Hair et al., 2006). The perceptual map illustrated that
younger consumers perceive Burberry and Louis Vuitton very
similarly and Ralph Lauren and Gap similarly. The result also
suggested that Chanel is perceived as being distinct from the
rest of the brands.
Discussion
Drawing upon brand relationship quality model or BRQ model
(Fournier, 1998), this research clearly demonstrates that
younger consumers’ emotional aspects (self-concept
connection, emotional attachment, and brand love) improve
their brand loyalty. By employing college student subjects who
are a representative group of younger consumers and an
importance consumer group for luxury fashion brands, this
study provides insights on the relative strength of the positive
impact. That is, among the three, emotional attachment has the
strongest impact on brand loyalty. Self-concept connection
indirectly improves brand loyalty through emotional attachment
and brand love. In addition, the result of perceptual mapping
shows that younger consumers perceive the respective luxury
brands differently. Comprehensively, the current study
contributes to extending the present body of knowledge of
branding, particularly regarding the differing roles of emotional
factors in the quality of younger consumer-brand relationships.
First, self-concept connection is an important antecedent of
emotional attachment and brand love. This finding is in line
with Kleine et al.’s (1993) argument that the self-schema is tied
to attachment. Emotional attachment, a relationship-based
construct, is formed based on aesthetics and a “hot affect” or
hedonic domain such as sensory pleasure, rather than on a
cognitive basis such as brand trust or source credibility (Park
and Macinnis, 2006). From this perspective, the degree to
which younger consumers feel self-connection with luxury
fashion brands with hedonic aspects (Belk, 1988) is sufficient
to build emotional relationships. We also find that younger
consumers form brand love as they perceive that a brand
expresses an important part of their selves. These results
support the assertion that brand-elicited affect exert significant
influence on the development of brand relationships
(e.g. Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006; Kleine et al.,1995)andthe
same notion applies to the case of younger consumers.
Another important finding concerns the differing impacts of
the three emotional aspects. The results show that all three
factors promote consumers’ attitudinal loyalty but emotional
attachment has the strongest influence on brand loyalty. This
finding suggests that emotional attachment has strong
motivational and behavioral implications (Bowlby, 1979;
Park and Macinnis, 2006). That is, when brands elicit feelings
Table I Correlation matrix for study variables
SC EA BL LO Mean
a
Number of items
SC 1.505 4.273 0.945 4
EA 0.638 *1.701 3.243 0.973 3
BL 0.577 *0.373 *1.393 5.834 0.976 4
LO 0.662 *0.622 *0.572 *1.601 4.339 0.827 2
Notes: *Indicates that correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (two-
tailed); SC ¼self-concept connection; EA ¼emotional attachment;
BL ¼brand love; LO ¼loyalty; Diagonals: standard deviation
The role of emotional aspects in younger consumer-brand relationships
Jiyoung Hwang and Jay Kandampully
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Volume 21 · Number 2 · 2012 · 98 – 108
103
Figure 2 Final model with standardized path coefficients
Figure 3 Perceptual map
The role of emotional aspects in younger consumer-brand relationships
Jiyoung Hwang and Jay Kandampully
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Volume 21 · Number 2 · 2012 · 98 – 108
104
of emotional bonds in consumers’ minds, the brands are more
likely to prompt consumers’ desires to commit or maintain the
relationship. On the contrary, while the degree of luxury
brands’ expressiveness of the self, i.e. self-concept connection,
influences younger consumers’ commitment to the brand, its
impact was weaker than emotional attachment. This
reemphasizes the relative importance of emotional bonding
to consumer loyalty to luxury brands.
In addition, this study provides interesting insights from
multidimensional scaling (or MDS analysis) that empirically
demonstrates different perceptions of various luxury fashion
brands. Although labelling axes in MDS analysis often
involves researchers’ subjectivity (Hair et al., 2006), the
pattern presented in Figure 3 suggests that younger
consumers perceive Chanel as a classic, prestige luxury
brand different from other European luxury brands, Burberry
and Louis Vuitton. The reason could be that Burberry and
Louis Vuitton are traditional luxury brands but have more
modern variation in styles than Chanel (Okonkwo, 2007). On
the contrary, Ralph Lauren is generally perceived as a
masstige luxury brand (Truong et al., 2009) while Gap (as a
comparison point) is perceived as the least luxurious brand, as
expected.
From a managerial implication perspective, the findings of
this study support the argument that embracing emotional
aspects is critical for the sustainability of luxury brands, with
respect to enhancing brand loyalty of younger consumers.
This insight is meaningful because as noted, younger
consumers such as teenagers and generation Y are
influential consumer groups for luxury fashion brands
(IBISWorld, 2010). The current study show that these
consumers are likely to be loyal to luxury fashion brands:
.that are perceived to have commonalities with their
respective self-concepts;
.that they feel emotionally attached to; and
.for which they feel passionate love.
Thus, it would be worthwhile for brand managers to pay great
attention to emotional aspects for loyalty building. It also
suggests that managers need to communicate their brand
identity effectively to target consumers, in order to
accomplish such emotional appeals, rather than solely
depending on marketing tactics. By doing so, such brands
can differentiate themselves in the market and remain
sustainable with loyal consumer bases.
Limitations and future research
This study has several limitations that can be venues for
future research. First, the main focus of this study is
psychological factors rather than on actual purchase
behaviour. Although important roles of emotional aspects
for sustainable consumer-brand relationships are discovered
and the sample of this study indicate purchase experiences
with the luxury brands used in this study, due to the high
price of luxury brands, younger consumers’ actual purchase
behaviours may not be fully explained by psychological
factors. Therefore, future study may extend this study by
incorporating actual purchase behaviours. Second, luxury
fashion brands are perceived to represent one’s social standing
but this study considers the self-expressiveness of the brands
only, and did not integrate self-representation within social
settings. Future study may investigate how these two distinct
expressions of the self may play roles in developing emotional
attachment, brand love, and loyalty. Third, fashion products
can be more significant to female consumers, younger male
consumers are also an important consumer group in the
fashion industry. Indeed, impulsive and self-loving
consumption decision-making are the characteristics of male
college students (Bakewell and Mitchell, 2004). Investigating
whether younger male consumers’ emotional involvement
with fashion brands influences their brand loyalty should fill
research gaps. Finally, we acknowledge that further studies
with larger sample of younger consumers can increase the
generalizability of the findings of the current research.
Conclusion
In more globalized and competitive business circumstances,
managers need to devise effective strategies to retain their
customers. Increasingly, managers need to recognize the
importance of younger consumers, even for luxury brands. As
this study illustrates, concentrating on “emotional
connections” with consumers, rather than just on functional
benefits/advantages, can be a viable and critical consideration
for their management decisions in order to enhance customer
brand loyalty.
Notes
1 Here the brands are listed in rank order, with the highest
first.
2 Although Polo Ralph Lauren’s score on luxuriousness was
lower than other three brands, it was included as a
reference point in the main test. Prada, Gucci, and
Hermes were excluded because they scored high in
luxuriousness but low in familiarity compared to the rest
of the brands. Zara showed the opposite pattern (high in
familiarity but low in luxuriousness). Gap was in the
middle in both aspects.
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About the authors
Jiyoung Hwang is Post-doctoral Fellow in International
Business at the Warrington College of Business
Administration at the University of Florida. She holds her
PhD in retailing from The Ohio State University. Her
industry experience includes positions as a marketer, business
consultant, columnist, and market analyst. Her research
interests include consumer-brand relationship management
and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Jiyoung Hwang is
the corresponding author and can be contacted at
jiyoung.hwang@warrington.ufl.edu
Jay Kandampully is Professor in Services Management and
Hospitality at The Ohio State University, USA. He serves as
the Editor in Chief of the Journal of Service Management and
serves on the editorial advisory board of 12 refereed
international journals. He holds a PhD in service quality
management, and an MBA, specialising in services marketing,
both from the University of Exeter, England. Jay is the author of
the book Services Management: The New Paradigm in Hospitality
(this book has been translated into Chinese), and the lead
editor of the book, Service Quality Management in Hospitality,
To u r i s m a n d L e i s ur e , which has been translated into Chinese,
Korean and Arabic. Jay has published over 100 articles and has
presented numerous papers at international conferences on
issues relating to services management and marketing, service
quality, service orientation and service innovations.
Executive summary and implications for
managers and executives
This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives
a rapid appreciation of the content of this article. Those with a
particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in
toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the
research undertaken and its results to get the full benefits of the
material present.
There is plenty evidence to show that people feel greater
loyalty towards who and what they develop strong feelings and
close affinity with. In addition to human relationships, these
sentiments apply to how consumers engage with brands.
Strong connection with a brands influences such as
commitment, brand loyalty, willingness to pay premium
prices and the durability and sustainability of brands involved.
People interact with a brand and build up a set of
associations and meanings about the brand which are then
stored in memory. These associations can be product or non-
product related attributes or benefits that are functional or
symbolic. Price, design and performance are among the
functional attributes, while symbolic attributes include
reputation and atmosphere. They also reflect and influence
how someone perceives and evaluates the brand in question.
More precisely, associations are used to create the image of a
brand from a consumer perspective.
The challenge therefore is how to nurture strong relations
with a brand. To this end, academics have recently paid more
The role of emotional aspects in younger consumer-brand relationships
Jiyoung Hwang and Jay Kandampully
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Volume 21 · Number 2 · 2012 · 98 – 108
107
attention to emotional aspects such as feelings of connection
and love towards a brand and perceptions of closeness
between a brand and the self. These emotional factors are
considered vital with regards to the strength of relationship for
consumers who are emotionally attached to the brand.
Research has additionally found that feelings of love towards a
brand inspire a relationship which endures.
Individuals invariably feel closer to brands which reflect
certain aspects of their own identity. Much research has
established the importance of a consumer’s self-concept and
how consumption behavior is used to construct, communicate
and reinforce who they are. Emotional connection between
consumer and brand becomesstrongerwhenmore
resemblances between the two entities exist. Such factors
are thought to be particularly relevant where younger
consumers are involved. Teenagers and Generation Y
individuals represent a key consumer segment, not least
because of the purchasing power they enjoy. These consumers
have displayed loyalty to luxury fashion brands for reasons
that include their iconic standing, symbolic meanings and
effect on social status. It is possible that this loyalty will be at
least partly determined by emotional factors.
Prior research developed a model to explore brand
relationship quality. The model advocates that seven
different factors impact on relationship strength and since
then other scholars have applied some or all of these
dimensions to their own studies. In the current work, Hwang
and Kandampully consider self-concept connection,
emotional attachment, and brand love – three of the
emotional factors proposed by the original model.
The influence of self-concept connection prompts
individuals to seek brands which best convey images and
meanings that are important to their own identity. Where
luxury brands are concerned, this often means that greater
emphasis is attached to emotional and symbolic aspects. It is
well-known that these aspects are valued by consumers whose
agenda involves expressing such as wealth, status or difference
as a means to achieve recognition by others in society. These
‘self-presentation goals’ have greater significance for fashion
items and other hedonic products. Close links between hedonic
product categories and the emotional aspects of the consumer-
brand relationship is the reason for this importance.
According to some scholars, self-concept connection
creates emotional attachment to a brand. They also argue
that the strength of emotional attachment is down to its
enduring nature compared to other attachment types. For
luxury brands, it is suggested that shared characteristics such
as image type might foster consumer-brand connections and
increase the level of emotional attachment.
Emotional attachment and love are similar constructs that
essentially differ mainly in their intensity. Results from
previous studies indicate that brand love relates more to
hedonic aspects of brands than to functional aspects. This
invites the conclusion that luxury products like fashion
products are likelier to inspire these intense feelings than are
utilitarian products.
Brand loyalty has been widely explored and a common
consensus is that the construct incorporates behavioral and
attitudinal components. Willingness to repurchase defines
behavioral loyalty while commitment to the brand reflects
loyalty of the attitudinal type. The authors focus here on the
latter type as it is a manifestation of emotional response to the
brand.
These issues were investigated in an online survey involving
undergraduates at a university in Midwestern United States.
A pre-test identified five luxury brands and each participant in
the main study answered questions relative to one of them. A
total of 107 usable responses were obtained, with 83 being
from females, aged mainly between 20 and 24.
Analysis of the data indicated that:
.Perception of self-concept connection with a luxury brand
increases an individual’s emotional attachment to the
brand.
.Consumers who perceive self-concept connection with a
luxury brand will exhibit greater love towards the brand.
.Emotional attachment to a luxury fashion brand will
intensify an individual’s attitudinal loyalty to the brand.
.Consumers’ love for a luxury fashion brand will heighten
their attitudinal loyalty towards the brand.
.Attitudinal loyalty towards a luxury fashion brand will
increase for customers who perceive self-concept
connection to the brand.
It was additionally found that respondents considered
Burberry and Louis Vuitton as being similar among the
studied brands. Ralph Lauren was likewise regarded as
comparable with Gap, while Chanel seems to be seen as
distinct from the others. One likely explanation is the differing
styles of these brands, such as being respectively more
traditional or modern.
The study confirms that emotional aspects positively
influence brand loyalty among younger consumers.
Emotional attachment has the strongest effect, while self-
concept connection showed an indirect impact through
emotional attachment and brand love. That self-concept
connection serves as a vital antecedent to these other aspects
illustrates the importance of this consumer segment
perceiving a personal connection with luxury fashion
brands. Findings here support the belief of others that
emotional attachment may have “strong motivational and
behavioral implications”.
Hwang and Kandampully urge marketing managers to
closely attend to these emotional aspects in order to
differentiate brands and improve their sustainability.
Effective communication of brand identity is proposed as an
effective way of delivering emotional appeals. Marketing
which focuses solely on the functional benefits of the brand
may not achieve the desired effect.
In future, researchers could investigate how emotional
aspects impact on actual purchase behaviors. Another
suggestion is to extend the present study to consider the
role of self-expressiveness through luxury fashion brands
within social contexts. Using larger samples containing
greater representation of young male consumers is also
recommended.
(A pre
´cis of the article “The role of emotional aspects in younger
consumer-brand relationships”. Supplied by Marketing
Consultants for Emerald.)
The role of emotional aspects in younger consumer-brand relationships
Jiyoung Hwang and Jay Kandampully
Journal of Product & Brand Management
Volume 21 · Number 2 · 2012 · 98 – 108
108
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