Brand and product attachment in an industrial context: The effects on brand loyalty |
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| Institution: | 1. University of Bergamo, Department of Management, Economics and Quantitative Methods, Via dei Caniana 2, Box 24127 Bergamo, Italy;2. University of Oulu, Oulu Business School, Erkki Koiso-Kanttilan katu, Box 4600-90014 Oulu, Finland;1. Swinburne University of Technology, Department of Marketing, Tourism and Social Impact, Cnr Wakefield and William Streets, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia;2. Monash University, Department of Marketing, Peninsula Building D4, Room 24, McMahon''s Road, Frankston, VIC 3199, Australia;3. Deakin University, Faculty of Business & Law, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC 3125, Australia;1. University of Trieste, Department of Economics, Management, Mathematics, and Statistics “Bruno de Finetti”, Via Valerio 4/1, 34127 Trieste, Italy;2. Turku Institute for Advanced Studies, Turku School of Economics, Department of Marketing 20014, University of Turku, Finland |
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| Abstract: | The role of attachment as a driver of industrial brand loyalty has largely been investigated at the inter-organizational level, while there is a notable lack of studies on industrial buyers' attachment to industrial brands and products. By researching an empirical setting in which buyers have first-person experience of product use, this study proposes the existence of brand attachment and product attachment in an industrial context and tests their influence on brand loyalty based on the results of a survey of 317 owner-operators of heavy trucks. Findings suggest that while brand attachment positively and directly influences brand loyalty, product attachment indirectly drives brand loyalty through the mediating effects of brand attachment. Product irreplaceability, however, was found to be a direct driver of brand loyalty. The current research also proposes tests to measure the relationship between the constructs of brand attachment and product attachment. This research has several managerial and theoretical implications indicating that paying attention to the emotional meanings of industrial brands and products is warranted, as are further studies on the application of attachment in industrial marketing. |
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