دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی تاثیر نوآوری مد بر ارزش برند مبتنی بر مصرف کننده - امرالد 2017

Impact of Fashion Innovativeness on Consumer-Based Brand Equity

Brand equity is the brand’s overall strength (Aaker, 1991). Brand equity refers to the value derived from consumer recognition of the overall superiority of a particular brand, which raises a firm’s competitive advantage based on brand value propositions besides low price (Lassar et al., 1995). According to Keller (1993), consumer-based brand equity (hereafter CBBE) occurs when a brand’s marketing mix leads to the following consumer responses: familiarity with the brand; favorable, strong, and unique brand associations; and consequent consumer loyalty toward the brand. Brand associations consist of the amalgamation of meanings that a consumer connects to a brand (Aaker, 1991). These associations are categorized as cognitive, sensory, or affective dimensions, yet most branding studies concentrate on the cognitive aspects of consumer associations (Cho et al., 2015). Research supports Keller’s (1993) noted impact of CBBE, as it has been linked to preferential evaluations of the brand by consumers (Hoeffler and Keller, 2003) as well as increased consumer confidence and trust in their purchase decisions (Lassar et al., 1995). These responses lead to higher levels of consumer satisfaction and repeat-purchase intentions (Buil et al., 2013), along with an increased willingness to pay a premium price for the brand (Hoeffler and Keller, 2003). Consequently, these consumer responses help to ensure the success of the brand (Lassar et al., 1995; Keller, 1993). It follows that creating and maintaining equity among customers should be a top priority for brands (Aaker, 1991) and a topic of future study by researchers.

Discussion and Implications

Consumers with high FI may contribute to long-term brand success, because they increase brand awareness (Goldsmith and Flynn, 1992; Goldsmith et al., 1999) and perpetuate positive brand associations (Beaudoin and Lachance, 2006), important elements of brand equity. Despite the potential importance of FI to brand success, the present study appears to be the first to confirm how FI relates to brand image variables in an extended CBBE model (Cho et al., 2015) for fashion-related brands. FI was associated with the importance of all three brand image dimensions—cognitive, sensory, and affective associations. These dimensions, in turn, led to brand love and respect (i.e., a lovemark), as well as a lovemark experience, consequently contributing to brand loyalty. The importance of all three brand image dimensions demonstrates that consumers high in FI value associations resulting from past and present interactions with a brand, product-related and retail environment-related aesthetic attributes of a brand, and positive emotional feelings and commitment forged with a brand. These results align with studies demonstrating that consumers with a high level of FI (a) engage heavily in mental activity during pre-purchase and purchase stages (Kim and Hong, 2011; Workman and Cho, 2012), (b) embrace sensory stimulation offered by the product (Cho and Workman, 2011; Muzinich et al., 2003), and (c) engage in experiential shopping for fun and enjoyment (Cho and Workman, 2011, 2014; Workman and Cho, 2012). Moreover, the significance of all three brand image dimensions aligns with consumer involvement theory (Zaichkowsky, 1985); consumers with high FI will actively engage with, or be involved in, various aspects of the consumption process for fashion-related products (Naderi, 2013).