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

References

Aaker, J. L. (1999). The Malleable Self: The Role of Self-Expression in Persuasion. Journal of Marketing Research, 36(1), 45-57.
Ainsworth, M. D. S. (1973). The Development of Infant–Mother Attachment. In B. Cardwell, & H. Ricciuti (Eds.). Review of Child Development Research, 3. (pp. 1-94). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Aron, A., & Aron. E. N. (1996). Self and Self-Expansion in Relationships. In G. O. Fletcher, & J. Fitness (Eds.). Knowledge Structures in Close Relationships: A Social Psychological Approach (pp. 325-344), New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associate Publishers.
Bahrainizadeh, M., & Ziaei Bide, A. (2012). Investigating the Effect of Consumer's Risk Aversion and Product Involvement on their Brand Loyalty and Word of Mouth Behavior: the mediating role of brand attachment and Brand Trust. Journal of New Marketing Research, 2(4), 105-121. (In Persian)
Ball, D. A., & Tasaki. L. H. (1992). The Role and Measurement of Attachment in Consumer Behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 1(2), 155-172.
Belaid, S., & Behi, A. (2011). The Role of Attachment in Building Consumer[1]Brand Relationships: An Empirical Investigation in the Utilitarian Consumption Context. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 20(1), 37-47.
Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss, Vol. 3, New York: Basic Books.
Brakus, J. J., Schmitt, B. H., & Zarantonello, L. (2009). Brand Experience: What Is It? How Is It Measured? Does It Affect Loyalty?. Journal of Marketing, 73(3), 52-68.
Celuch, K., Goodwin, S., & Taylor, S. A. (2007). Understanding Small Scale Industrial User Internet Purchase and Information Management Intentions: A Test of Two Attitude Models. Industrial Marketing Management, 36(1), 109-120.
Chaudhuri, A., & Holbrook, M. B. (2001). The Chain of Effects from Brand Trust and Brand Affect to Brand Performance: The Role of Brand Loyalty. Journal of marketing, 65(2), 81-93.
Davis, G. (2002). Prolonging the pleasure. In W. S. Green, & P. W. Jordan (Eds.). Pleasure with products: Beyond usability (pp. 315-319). London: Taylor & Francis.
Delgado-Ballester, E. (2004). Applicability of A Brand Trust Scale Across Product Categories: A Multi group Invariance Analysis. European Journal of Marketing, 38(5/6), 573-592.
Eghbali, A., Nayebzadeh, S., & Dehghan Dehnavi, H. (2015). The Effect of Brand Community on Brand Characteristics, Journal of Business Management, 6 (4), 709-730. (In Persian)
Feiz, D., Farsizadeh, H., Dehghani Soltani, M., & Qahri Shirinabadi, E. (2015). Devising a Model Brand Loyalty in Tires Industry: the Adjustment Role of Customer Perceived Value. Journal of New Marketing Research, 1 (16), 183-200. (In Persian)
Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and Their Brands: Developing Relationship Theory in Consumer Research. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(4), 343-373.
Gardner, B. B., & Levy. S. J. (1955). The Product and the Brand. Harvard Business Review, 33(2), 33-39.
Gilliland, D. I., & Johnston, W. J. (1997). Toward a Model of Business-to[1]Business Marketing Communications Effects. Industrial Marketing Management, 26(1), 15-29.
Grayson, K., & Shulman. D. (2000). Indexicality and the Verification Function of Irreplaceable Possessions: A Semiotic Analysis. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(1), 17-30.
Grisaffe, D. B., & Nguyen, H. P. (2011). Antecedents of Emotional Attachment to Brands. Journal of Business Research, 64(10), 1052-1059.
Han, S. L., & Sung. H. S. (2008). Industrial Brand Value and Relationship Performance in Business Markets-A General Structural Equation Model. Industrial Marketing Management, 37(7), 807-818.
Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. R. (1994). Attachment as an Organizational Framework for Research on Close Relationships. Psychological Inquiry, 5(1), 1-22.
Hoch, S. J. (2002). Product Experience Is Seductive. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(3), 448-454.
Kheiri, B., Samie Nasr, M., & Azimpour Khujin, M. (2013). Consumer Emotional Attachments to the Brand: Prerequisites and Outcomes. Journal of Marketing Management, 8(20), 49-65. (In Persian)
Kleine, S. S., & Baker, S. M. (2004). An Integrative Review of Material Possession Attachment. Academy of Marketing Science Review, 1, 1-35.
Kressmann, F., Sirgy, M. J., Herrmann, A., Huber, F., Huber, S., & Lee, D. J. (2006). Direct and Indirect Effects of Self-Image Congruence on Brand Loyalty. Journal of Business Research, 59(9), 955-964.
Louis, D., & Lombart, C. (2010). Impact of Brand Personality on Three Major Relational Consequences (trust, Attachment, and Commitment to the Brand). Journal of Product & Brand Management, 19(2), 114-130.
Malär, L., Krohmer, H., Hoyer, W. D., & Nyffenegger, B. (2011). Emotional brand attachment and Brand Personality: The Relative Importance of the Actual and the Ideal Self. Journal of Marketing, 75(4), 35- 52.
Malhotra, N. K. (1988). Self-Concept and Product Choice: An Integrated Perspective. Journal of Economic Psychology, 19(1), 1-28.
Manning, P. (2010). The Semiotics of Brand. Annual Review of Anthropology, 39, 33-49.
Matzler, K., Grabner, K.S., & Bidmon, S. (2011). Risk Aversion and Brand Loyalty: The Mediating Role of Brand Trust and Brand Affect. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 17(3), 154-162.
Mc Alexander, J. H., Schouten, J. W., & Koenig, H. F. (2002). Building brand community. Journal of Marketing, 66(1), 38-54.
Meller, J. J., & Hansan, T. (2006). An Empirical Examination of Brand Loyalty. Journal of Product and Brand Management, 5 (7), 442-490.
Michel, S., Brown, S. W., & Gallan, A. S. (2008). Service-Logic Innovations: How to Innovate Customers, not Products. California Management Review, 50(3), 54-66.
Mikulincer, M., Shaver, P. R., & Pereg, D. (2003). Attachment Theory and Affect Regulation: The Dynamics, Development, and Cognitive Consequences of Attachment-Related Strategies. Motivation and Emotion, 27(2), 77-102.
Mudambi, R., & Schründer, C. P. (1996). Progress towards Buyer–Supplier Partnerships: Evidence from Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturing Firms. European Journal of Purchasing & Supply Management, 2(2), 119-127.
Mugge, R., Schifferstein, H. N., & Schoormans, J. P. (2010). Product Attachment and Satisfaction: Understanding Consumers' Post-Purchase Behavior. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 27(3), 271-282. Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence Customer Loyalty?. Journal of marketing, 63(4), 33-44.
Park, C.P., Priester, J., & MacInnis, D.J. (2010). Brand Attachment and Brand Attitude Strength: Conceptual and Empirical Differentiation of Two Critical Brand Equity Drivers. Journal of Marketing, 74(6), 1-17.
Paulssen, M. (2009). Attachment Orientations in Business‐to‐Business Relationships. Psychology & Marketing, 26(6), 507-533.
Pedeliento, G., Andreini D., Bergamaschi, M., & Salo, J. (2015). Brand and Product Attachment in an Industrial Context: The Effects on Brand Loyalty. Industrial Marketing Management, 1, 229-241.
Sadeghi, M., & Landran Esfahani, S. (2015). The Effect of Brand and Product Attachment on Brand Loyalty in Mobile Marketing. Second International Conference on Innovation, Development and Business in History, Tehran, Kian Pajouhan Scientific Institute. (In Persian)
Sahin, A., Zehir, C., & Kitapçı, H. (2011). The Effects of Brand Experiences, Trust and Satisfaction on Building Brand Loyalty; An Empirical Research On Global Brands. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 24, 1288-1301.
Saidnia. H. R., & Bradaran, M. (2008). The Influence of Business Name Image and Company Fame on Customer Loyalty Process. Iranian Rubber Magazine, 6. (In Persian)
Schifferstein, H.N., & Zwartkruis, P.H. (2008). Consumer-Product Attachment: Measurement and Design Implications. International Journal of Design, 2(3), 1-13.
Silk, A. J., & Kalwani, M. U. (1982). Measuring Influence in Organizational Purchase Decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 19(2), 165-181.
Thomson, M., MacInnis, D. J., & Whan P.C. (2005). The Ties That Bind: Measuring The Strength of Consumer’s Emotional Attachments to Brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 15(1), 77- 91.
Sar Reshteh Dari, M., Purkiani, M., & Emami, F. (2020). Identifying and prioritizing the causes of customer loyalty to the Iranian sportswear brand with the AHP approach. Sports Marketing Studies, 1(1), 129-149. (In Persian)
Valipour, P., & Shekarchi, M. (2018). Studying the Effect of Clothes Color Indicators on Customers Loyalty, Mediated by the Brands Character and Credibility (Case study: LC Waikiki of Mazandaran Province). Journal of Textile Science and Technology, 7(2), 47-56. (In Persian)
Amin, Z., Novliadi, F., Zahreni, S., & Meutia Iskandar, L. (2018). Consumer purchase regret: How personality influences outcome regret and process regret. Journal of Business and Retail Management Research, 13(01), 100-107.
Hwang, E., Baloglu, S., & Tanford, S. (2019). Building loyalty through reward programs: The influence of perceptions of fairness and brand attachment. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 76(1), 19-28.
Mao, Y., Lai, Y., Luo, Y., Liu, Sh., Du, Y, Zhou, J., Ma, J., & Bonaiuto, F. (2020). Marino Bonaiuto Apple or Huawei: Understanding Flow, Brand Image, Brand Identity, Brand Personality and Purchase Intention of Smartphone, Sustainability, 12(8), 3391-3399.
Taherpour Kalantari, H., Rojui, M., & Kazemi Zanjani, M. (2021). The Impact of Buyer’s Remorse on Customer’s Behavioral Intention with Moderating Role of Customer-Brand Identification among Imported Car Users. Journal of International Business Administration, 4(2), 87-105. (In Persian)
Gholipour, N., Khabiri, M., & Eidi, H. (2020).The Effect of Brand Identification on Brand Evangelism Football Teams in Social Media: With the Mediating Role of Brand Loyalty. Communication Management in Sports Media, 7(3), 43-54. (In Persian)
Abdollahi, M., Gholami Torkesaluye, S., & Abolhoseini, A. (2021). Effect of individual contexts of sportswear consumers on brand hatred. Sports Marketing Studies, 1(4), 72-53. (In Persian

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics