اشتیاق برای نام تجاری (برند) : سوابق و پیامدها

This research explores the antecedents and consequences of brand passion. Consumer–brand relationship constructs (brand identification and brand trust) may influence consumers' passion for a brand. Brand passion in turn may influence brand commitment, willingness to pay a higher price for the brand, and positive word of mouth. A partial least squares structural equation model applied to data collected from a representative sample of 1505 study participants demonstrates that brand passion depends on brand identification and brand trust. Consumer's passion for a brand has great managerial relevance and a direct effect on word of mouth and commitment, as well as an indirect effect on willingness to pay a higher price, as mediated by commitment.

Brands help define consumers' lives and play a central role in people's consumption behavior (Ahuvia, 2005a and Wallendorf and Arnould, 1988). Strong relationships bind consumers and their preferred brands (Fournier, 1998), such that some consumers may develop into a true cult for some brands (Belk & Tumbat, 2005). Consumer brand relationship constructs such as brand trust (Hess, 1995), brand identification (Escalas & Bettman, 2003), and brand commitment (Fullerton, 2005) appear central to many branding studies. Affective constructs such as brand love (Carroll & Ahuvia, 2006) or brand attachment (Park, MacInnis, & Priester, 2006) also influence consumer behavior. The recently proposed concept of brand passion (i.e., a strong positive feeling toward a brand) features examples and evidence of consumer enthusiasm (Bauer et al., 2007, Belk et al., 2003 and Matzler et al., 2007) and activities such as belonging to a brand community (Schouten & McAlexander, 1995). However, the relationship of brand passion to other consumer–brand relationship constructs remains unclear, as does the position of this concept in a nomological network that includes managerial outcomes such as positive word of mouth (WOM) or willingness to pay a price premium for the brand. Two studies explicitly explore the concept of brand passion and demonstrate that brand passion relates to brand characteristics (Bauer et al., 2007) or consumer characteristics (Matzler et al., 2007). Studies in social psychology show that the relationship between two individual entities also can be a source of passion (Driscoll, Davies, & Lipetz, 1972). The influence of the relationships between consumers and their brands on the development of passion for a brand remains an open question though. Passion is a relational construct, and therefore, the consumer–brand relational constructs that branding literature establishes as important also may influence brand passion. This study explores brand passion according to the influence of consumer brand relationship constructs, adding a new dimension to the understanding of passion for a brand. This investigation also aims to measure the impact of brand passion on end-effect relational constructs (e.g., brand commitment). The overall objective is therefore to build a model that establishes the nomological relationships between brand passion and other well-known consumer brand relationship constructs. Demonstrating the existence of such relationships may confirm the importance of brand passion, from both academic and managerial perspectives.

Research on brand passion is recent, offering limited insights into the antecedents and consequences of this construct. Whereas previous research focused on consumer and brand characteristics as drivers of brand passion (Bauer et al., 2007 and Matzler et al., 2007), the proposed model establishes and tests a nomological network that features well-established consumer–brand relationship constructs, including both antecedents and consequences of brand passion. Brand passion depends on brand identification and, to a lesser degree, on brand trust. This result seems surprising in light of social psychology research that tends to associate trust with affection more than passion (Hatfield, 1988). By nature, trust requires time, interaction, and deep knowledge of the partner; passion usually corresponds to a phase in a love relationship when partners have limited knowledge of each other. This newly revealed relationship between brand trust and brand passion may reflect the specific nature of passion in the context of brand relationships though. Whereas interpersonal relationships are bidirectional, brand–consumer relationships tend to be more unidirectional (Fournier, 1998). Consumers do not expect a brand to reject or betray them (Ahuvia, 2005b) and can therefore build trust in the brand more quickly. Whereas many interactions must take place before a person can trust a romantic partner, a few interactions may be sufficient to develop trust in a brand. Therefore, trust may develop early in a brand relationship context and influence the consumer's passion for the brand. This study confirms the importance of brand identification in terms of the influence on brand passion. This sense of identification, from the consumer toward the brand, appears to be critical for establishing a passionate feeling for the brand. In a consumption context, previous research has underlined the importance of identification for the consumer's affect toward a brand (Ahuvia, 2005b, Ahuvia, 1993 and Bauer et al., 2007). These results clearly indicate the importance of the brand in terms of reflecting, participating in, or creating consumers' identity. Regarding consequences, brand passion influences brand commitment and positive WOM but does not directly affect willingness to pay. Because brand passion entails idealization and excitement about the brand, a passionate consumer likely wants to share this excitement. Sharing passion for a brand might involve convincing others to feel the same way or justifying a passionate relationship that seems difficult for others to understand. Positive WOM thus emerges because speaking to others about a passion-inducing brand is an important part of the identity construction process of such consumers (Holt, 1997). The impact of brand passion on brand commitment is in line with findings by Thomson et al. (2005), who establish the impact of passion on a declarative measure of brand loyalty, and Bauer et al. (2007), who find an effect of brand passion on declarative measures of repeat purchase. Therefore, passion for a brand leads to a desire to maintain a long-term relationship with that brand. The idealization of the brand and its obsessive presence in the consumer's mind explains why the consumer wants to maintain a relationship. Social psychologists propose that passion links to various intense emotions (Hatfield, 1988); a passionate consumer similarly feels intense emotions for his or her brand (Belk et al., 2003). The emotional benefits of the brand also influence the desire to maintain the relationship. Finally, the consumer's passion for a brand reflects the value he or she obtains from that brand, which limits the number of credible alternatives. The lack of a direct effect of passion on willingness to pay more for the brand may arise because a passionate consumer is not prepared to accept major changes to the brand's characteristics or policies, including prices. From a conceptual standpoint, passion implies that the consumer does not expect any major changes, because his or her passion is for the brand as is. A change in the brand's price, especially if unexpected, may conflict with the consumer's idealization. Many examples of such behaviors exist, including the reactions of passionate consumers to the introduction of New Coke or the reactions to the change in the Starbucks logo. From a managerial perspective, this study indicates that communication that highlights the brand's values or personality may offer benefits by influencing consumers' sense of identification. Generally, identification generated through multiple paths (e.g., advertising, packaging, brand name, style, retail outlets) creates favorable conditions for passion for the brand. Because brand trust also influences brand passion, brand managers should ensure the brand's ability to deliver on promises (e.g., quality, service, innovation) and work to develop the brand's images of confidence and benevolence. The concept of brand passion remains new, and a good understanding of the key determinants and outcomes demands more research. The present research does not test all possible consequences of brand passion. Models of brand passion could integrate other constructs that likely relate to passion, such as impulsive buying or acceptance of congruent brand extensions. Other research could study the consequences of brand passion if the brand were to betray the expectations of the passionate consumer (e.g., unexpected brand extensions, delivery or quality failures). Would brand passion save the relationship, or would unexpected negative events disrupt the passionate relationship? Finally, researchers should investigate potential boundary conditions. Passion for a brand is probably a feeling that few consumers embrace for only a very limited number of brands. Therefore, establishing the conditions for passion (e.g., types of brands, product categories, consumer characteristics) offers an interesting direction for further research.