The Impact of Self Congruity and Reliability on Brand and Product Attachment and Customer Loyalty to Sports Brands

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Master Business Management, Poyindgane Institute, Chalus, IRAN

2 Department of Business Management, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran.

https://www.doi.org/10.34785/J021.2022.014

Abstract

Manufacturers of sports equipment can increase customer loyalty in the market by establishing deep emotional bonds with customers. The present study investigates the effect of twinning and reliability on customers' attachment and loyalty to the sports brand of customers in Mazandaran province. The method of this research is applied and descriptive and the statistical population of this research is the customers of Adidas sports brand in Mazandaran province. 384 people were selected based on Krejcie and Morgan table and cluster random sampling method. To collect data in this study, the standard questionnaires was used. Data analysis methods were tested based on structural equation modeling using SPSS and LISREL software. Findings show the effect of brand affiliation on brand attachment, product affiliation on product affiliation, brand reliability on brand affiliation, product reliability on product affiliation, product affiliation on brand affiliation, Brand attachment depends on brand loyalty and product attachment depends on brand loyalty. The results showed that product attachment not only leads to customer loyalty, but also leads to brand loyalty and thus customer loyalty to the Adidas brand.Considering the entry of new competitors into the sports brand market and providing differentiated services, it is very important to find new customers and maintain current customers (Valipour & Shekarchi, 2018). Communication with customers and being committed to the commitments that bring satisfaction through the brand and in the ultimate customer loyalty (Sadeghi & Landran Esfahani, 2015). Brand attachment thinking goes back to the theory of interpersonal attachment that was first  proposed by Bowlby (1980). Brand attachment helps in understanding how consumer loyalty to the brand (Eghbali, Nayebzadeh & Dehghan Dehnavi, 2015). Also, according to Thomson, MacInnis & Whan (2005), brand attachment can be a suitable index of brand loyalty. Turning to sports product attachment, the literature is both empirically and conceptually silent (Mudambi & Schründer, 1996; Silk & Kalwani, 1982), where purchasing decisions and processes are controlled by professional organizational buyers. be, and consequently the role played by end users (Celuch, Goodwin & Taylor, 2007; Gilliland & Johnston, 1997; Michel, Brown & Gallan, 2008). The fact that end users are rarely considered in studies of organizational purchases (Gilliland & Johnston, 1997; Michel, Brown & Gallan, 2008). Brand experience means the internal emotional, emotional and cognitive response of the consumer as well as his behavioral response to brand stimuli (Amin, Novliadi, Zahreni & Meutia Iskandar, 2018). Brand experience can be positive or negative, and more importantly, this experience has the ability to affect consumer satisfaction and loyalty (Feiz, Farsizadeh, Dehghani Soltani & Qahri Shirinabadi, 2015). The main question of the current research is whether the identification of a person and reliability have a significant effect on the attachment and loyalty of the sports brand of Mazandaran province? Research Methods The current research is applied in terms of its purpose. The statistical population of this research was the customers of Adidas sports brand in Mazandaran province. A random cluster sampling method was used. For this reason, Mazandaran province was divided into three parts: east, center and west. In the eastern part of the province, Sari and Behshahr, in the central part of the province, Amol and Noor, and in the western part of the province, Tankabon and Ramsar were found. The sample size determination table of Karjesi and Morgan was used to determine the sample size. In this research, the number of samples was 384 people. Descriptive statistical methods and path analysis inferential statistics using SPSS and LISREL software were used for data analysis. Discussion and conclusion The findings of the research showed that a person's identification with the brand is a powerful leader in brand attachment. The results of this research are consistent with the results of Malär & et al (2011), Pedeliento & et al (2015) and Matzler & et al (2011). Based on these results, it is suggested that in order to achieve their ultimate goal, which is to make a profit, the production companies act in their advertisements in such a way as to motivate their customers and create a psychological feeling in the individual that somehow feels like themselves. See by brand name. The positive effect of the person's identification with the product on the attachment to the product means that the identification of the person with the product has a direct relationship with the attachment  to the product. The results of this research are in line with the results of Ball & Tasaki (1992) and Pedeliento & et al (2015). Based on these results, it is suggested that companies should consider a fit between the product and the customer in providing the product, so that he considers this product a part of himself. The results of this research are consistent with the results of Delgado-Ballester (2004), Matzler & (2011) and Pedeliento & et al (2015). Based on these results, it is suggested that managers should act in a competitive market in such a way that they gain the trust of their customers and fulfill their commitments. The mutual relationship of trust and attachment to the product should lead managers and manufacturing companies in a direction that is to survive in the competitive market and achieve their goals, which is profit maximization. Based on these results, it is suggested that companies can increase people's attachment to the product by the position they give to the individual, until that product does not work properly for them, we can claim that the strength of the emotional relationship that a person has in his experience with They establish a lot of products. Having a close relationship between the customer and the product positively affects brand loyalty. Based on these results, it is suggested that when a customer has an attachment to that product, he goes to the same previous product, which leads to loyalty to the brand. Due to the dependence of sports brand customers on it, companies can make customers depend on their brand by diversifying their products and increasing performance. Managers must fulfill their obligations regarding goods and services and everything they claim regarding their products should be true in order to finally obtain customer dependence, which leads to loyalty. Marketing managers should consider considerations in their marketing plans to increase interest among product buyers in order to increase brand loyalty. Creating programs to increase product reliability and creating a positive image in the minds of consumers and providing special facilities to customers who have product attachment in order to increase their loyalty and attract new customers can be fruitful. Every research faces limitations on its way to achieve the researcher's goals. In this research, variables such as brand love and brand commitment are assumed to be fixed. Future researchers are advised to study these two variables as independent variables by studying the research literature.

Keywords


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