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ABSTRACT
This research seeks mainly to identify the factors that make consumers strongly attached to the human brands/celebrities. It basically explores the latest improvements in self-determination theory as to why consumers develop strong attachments to human brands. Human brand refers to any well known personality who is the subject of marketing communication efforts. Survey has been done through questionnaires and autonomy as well as relatedness needs of the consumers have been identified. Results suggest that when a human brand enhances and fulfills the autonomy and relatedness needs of the consumers, consumers develop a strong attachment to the human brand. The results also imply that organizations will also be benefitted such as entertainment firms and political parties that establish direct interaction between human brands and consumers. Also, much of the success of the media and entertainment industry depends upon the strong relationships between the consumers and human brands.
KEY WORDS: Antecedents, attachment, human brand.
INTRODUCTION
Although consumers interact with thousands of products, people and brands in their lives, they develop an intense emotional attachment to only few. The possibility that consumers can develop strong emotional attachments to brands is interesting as attachment theory in psychology (Bowlby, 1979) suggests that the degree of emotional attachment to an object predicts the nature of an individual's interaction with the object. For example, individuals who are strongly attached to a person are more likely to be committed to, invest in, and make sacrifices for that person (Bowlby, 1980; Hazan &Shaver, 1994). Analogously, consumers' emotional attachments to a brand might predict their commitment to the brand (e.g., brand loyalty) and their willingness to make financial sacrifices in order to obtain it (e.g., to pay a price premium).
People can form attachments to a variety of objects including pets (Hirschman, 1994; Sable, 1995), places (Rubinstein & Parmelee, 1992) and celebrities (Adams-Price & Greene, 1990; Alperstein, 1991). These attachments vary in strength and stronger attachments are associated with stronger feelings of love, affection, connection and passion; (Bowlby, 1979; Brennan, Sternberg, 1987).
ANTECEDENT
An antecedent refers to a prior event or an occurrence that lead to a particular happening. In this case, antecedents are basically the factors that lead to a strong attachment between human brands and consumers.
ATTACHMENT
According to Bowlby,...