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Consumers and Their Brands: Developing Relationship Theory (1998)
| Venue: | Journal of consumer research |
| Citations: | 551 - 3 self |
BibTeX
@ARTICLE{Fournier98consumersand,
author = {Susan Fournier},
title = {Consumers and Their Brands: Developing Relationship Theory},
journal = {Journal of consumer research},
year = {1998},
pages = {343--373}
}
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Abstract
Although the relationship metaphor dominates contemporary marketing thought and practice, surprisingly little empirical work has been conducted on relational phenomena in the consumer products domain, particularly at the level of the brand. In this article, the author: (1) argues for the validity of the relationship proposition in the consumer-brand context, including a debate as to the legiti-macy of the brand as an active relationship partner and empirical support for the phenomenological significance of consumer-brand bonds; (2) provides a framework for characterizing and better understanding the types of relationships consumers form with brands; and (3) inducts from the data the concept of brand relationship quality, a diagnostic tool for conceptualizing and evaluating relation-ship strength. Three in-depth case studies inform this agenda, their interpretation guided by an integrative review of the literature on person-to-person relationships. Insights offered through application of inducted concepts to two relevant research domains—brand loyalty and brand personality—are advanced in closing. The exercise is intended to urge fellow researchers to refine, test, and augment the
Keyphrases
relationship theory consumer-brand bond relational phenomenon phenomenological significance relationship metaphor inducted concept relevant research domain brand loyalty brand personality relationship consumer little empirical work diagnostic tool brand relationship quality active relationship partner consumer-brand context integrative review consumer product relationship proposition relation-ship strength fellow researcher empirical support person-to-person relationship contemporary marketing thought in-depth case study
