Introduction
The Consumer-Brand relationship is a phenomenon in the modern times. People have an emotional attachment to brands because of the identity and hype associated with diverse brands. The brand gives a person an identity given that people acquire a brand use it, like it and introduce other members of society to the brand based on its attributes and benefits. In the same breath, brands can be abandoned by people due to various reasons including a compromise on integrity, brand saturation in the market, and emergence of better substitutes in the market. The well-being of some consumer is attributed to their brands because they derive many benefits from the brands unlike other brands. The relationship between consumers and brands transcends emotional and psychological barriers. A brand relationship is subject to brand attachment, social media and self-identity.
Consumer-brand relationship and Brand attachment
Brand attachment is manifestation of the emotional attachment of a consumer to a brand. The devotion to a brand is the source of loyalty to a particular brand in the market. However, the emotional attachment of people to a brand decreases to an extent it is likened to a hobby or a pet. This is because the association with a brand is akin to the emotional attachment of a person to the pets. The extreme attachment to a brand by a consumer beyond the normal expectation constitutes of a brand attachment. Brand attachment is beneficial to the suppliers of various brands because the consumers are psychologically barred from critically considering the actual value of a brand (Aaker, 2011, p.23). Consequently, there can be false value attached to a particular brand. This means that the perception of the consumers is the only aspect of consumer behavior vital. This puts the consumers in a precarious situation because they can easily be persuaded to purchase contraband and substandard goods. For instance, some customers had emotional attachment to Samsung Edge 7 to an extent they could not easily detect the brand’s faulty of overheating. It is easy to overlook actual faults in a brand due to brand attachment. Brand attachment is makes consumers to make sacrifices in enhancing their commitment and loyalty to the brand. Attachment theory stipulates that a person who has emotional attachment to another person is always willing to take sacrifices for the person (Morgan and Hunt, 2014, p.26). The phenomenon also applies in the case of consumer-brand relationships whereby people are willing to make financial sacrifices due to the brand attachment. The emotional attachment to a brand is akin to an investment in life hence people never realize the limitation they are subjected to, in staying loyal to certain brands. The level of emotional attachment to objectives is the same as the emotional attachment to product and service brands.
The frequency of brand use immensely contributes to the increase in the brand attachment among the consumers. The consumers are bound to be more loyal to a brand due to the constancy in the efficiency and effectiveness of the brand. The experience derived from the use of the brand earns the consumers satisfaction. For this reason, all other brands are psychologically perceived as inferior to the consumers’ brands. The devotion of a consumer to a brand is usually high and it prevents the consumer from undertaking window-shopping in search of better brands. The emotional attachment of consumers to a brand is based on the intimacy relationship among people because it manifest passion, dedication and fondness, attributes common in intimate relationships. Brand attachment has been used by many business people to achieve their goals because they channel products, which do not sale to the line, which is appealing to the customers. Consumers get to blindly purchase the brands without scrutinizing the actual products due to the assumption that the brand is always ever good. The concept of brand attachment has enhanced business especially when the concept is combined with perception in consumer purchase behavior. Netemeyer et al (2014, p.231), brand loyalty enhances sales in business because the emotional attachment to a brand is a common phenomenon among the female gender. Female brands are usually leading in the sales index because of the phenomenon among the female gender compared to their male counterparts. For instance, the women who have brand attachment to Kim lipstick kit consider Rihanna lipstick kit brand inferior regardless of the latter’s actual quality over the former lipstick kit brand.
The emotional attachment to the brands is not a new phenomenon although it is a coincidence that it enhances business prospects among the entrepreneurs involved in the business. Human beings are social beings and people relate to the environment through emotions. The enthusiasm and vigor of a consumer who defends and sales the brand among his friends and foes is akin to the defense of adorable items in nature. Zhou et al (2012, p.93) assert that brand attachment leads to brand loyalty among consumers. The love for brands is a replica of human behavior, devotional and intimacy for their loved ones. The concept of brand attachment underscores the mystery in business and humanity given that some business will forever thrive while other business fail to optimize their performance due to brand attachment. By and large, entrepreneurs are always capitalizing on the concept to ensure that they meet their targets. The emotional attachment to brands enhances the health of the consumers because social health is a component of the health of the consumers. The satisfaction derived from the brands is presumed to be maintained by the respective supplies of the brands in the foreseeable future.
Consumer-brand relationship and Social Media
Social media has had a substantial effect on the relationship between the consumers and the brands. The consumer-brand relationship is enhanced by social media given that social media increases the customer base for a certain brand. For this reason, the customers become loyal to a brand by mere virtue of the ratings of the brands on the online platform. The social media platform enhances the collaboration of consumers, which enhances eh sharing of the benefits of various brands. In fact, the sharing of knowledge of brands leads to brand loyalty. The emotional attachment of the brands is derived from the continuous access to the internet for a review of the trend of a customer for certain brands. It is out of the statistics that customers develop brand attachment. According to Kozinets (2015, p.63), social media helps in the creation of brand communities. The brand communities boost brand loyalty given that consumers know and understand that the brand is appealing to many people. The brand communities are created over social media platform based on facts, euphoria or propaganda. However, the ultimate goal is the creation of the attraction of the clientele or consumer to a brand. In fact, social media is streamlined towards the achievement of brand loyalty. The inclusion of various features to a brand leads to high ratings for a brand among the consumers.
According to Altman & Taylor (2013, p.67), the creation and development of interpersonal relationships is essential in the strengthening of the consumer-brand relationships. Social media is a platform whereby people participate in social interactions on a wide array of issues including brands. In this case, the information sharing over social media is the basis upon which brands become part and parcel of people’s lives. The more people receive information whether false or factual on a brand, their affinity and loyalty to the brand is increased. Most entrepreneurs capitalize on social media because the latter enhances a quick flow of information to actual and potential customers. In addition, the social media platforms enable the entrepreneurs to understand the pattern of consumer behavior pertaining to a certain brand. Consequently, the entrepreneurs are able to strategically position their brands to appeal to the customers. There is a strong relationship between brand and consumers because consumers ordinarily have high expectation of brands. The consumers believe that brand meet their needs. In fact, many customers have high expectation that brands will positively respond to online postings. Consequently, most organizations have already devised software, which aligns the consumer need with the respective brands. The consumer-brand relationships have led to the creation of knowledge-based software, which provides an opportunity for customers to air their views and concern about their brands. Auter (2012, p.178) asserts that the advent of Para-social interaction theory underscores the fact that people can create interpersonal like relationships with just technology. Technology has enhanced the brand attachment hence it is easy for people to be attracted to the brands. However, the deceptive effect of the technology is unethical and compromises the business ethics. In this case, technology is a necessary-evil. The Para-social interaction theory’ application in the consumer-brand relationship building involves an effect similar to the effect of movie characters on the audience.
Many consumers are attracted to various brands due to the creativity and innovativeness of the organizations. Although the technology-driven interpersonal relationships are illusory they have a monumental effect on the overall success of a brand. In this regard, the relationship between the consumers and brands is both incidental and initiated. The illusion associated with the Para-social interaction theory is considered a marketing tool whereas it is actually a strategy for persuading consumers to embrace a brand. The use of interactivity in different dimensions allows the organizations to use technology to persuade customers to accept their brands (Owyang, 2012, p.6). The use of knowledge-based tools is a manifestation of innovation. In fact, the automated feedback for various customer queries promotes business. In this regard, social media tools enhance quickly repines to customer queries, which apparently leads to customer approval of various brands. In effect, customers are impressed and get emotionally attached to the brands without regard to the authentication of the information offered. Interactivity is enhanced through the use of technology hence the use of the Para-social interaction theory in the marketing of brands is relevant. The response promptness and the remembrance of customer conversations enhance customer approval of brands. Customers value organizations, which keeps track of their conversations and needs. When a customer receives a prompt response for his enquiry it is a reflection of the efficiency of the brand. Also, when an organization follows up a customer’s request customers are satisfied of the brand’s quality. This contributes to a stronger relationship between a brand and a consumer.
Customer-brand relationship and Self-Identity
Self-identity is closely related to the development of the brand-customer relationships. The commitment of a consumer to a brand is a reflection of a consumer identifying with the brand. Different people fancy different brands due to different interests in their lives. In this regard, consumers positively respond and approve of brands, which satisfy their self-image. A brand constitutes of the use and the physical attributes. According to Schiffman (2013, p.73), customers identify with the color, quality, texture and size of a brand hence organizations have the responsibility of undertaking a customer-need research to establish the attributes of a brand, which many customers prefer to enhance alignment of brand design to customer needs. Self-identity is the major driver of brand loyalty. Customer identify with various attribute and properties. The expectation of consumers underscores the various attributes and qualities of a brand. In this regard, organizations tend to always tailor their products towards meeting customer expectations. The strategic positioning of the products is aimed at winning the approval of customers. The development of a relationship between customers and the brand is not a mean task because it involves a consumer’s satisfaction.
The creation of connection between a consumer and a brand leads to the development of positive attitude towards the involved brands. The perception of good quality in a brand is also promoted when the rapport is good. The display of high quality has a good impression of the brand among the consumers. Self-brand connection accrues man benefits to a consumer. First, the self-connection with a brand among the consumers leads to the reinforcement of a sense of identity, which is crucial in the ultimate achievement of brad loyalty. The self-connection leads to the automatic emotional connection with other people with similar attachment to a brand (Keller, 2014, p.19). In effect, the self-connection to the brand and social connection among the consumers satisfies the psychological needs of the consumers. Brand associations are crucial in the development of strong relationship between the customers and the brands. Brand association enhances consumer identification with the brands. However, the restructuring of brand leads to the automatic disconnection between the consumers and the brands. Any change to the initial design of a brand causes a change of attitude among the customers who in turn seek new brands elsewhere. For this reason, organizations need to maintain the properties of a brand. The expression of self-identity is manifest in the increase and decrease in brand ratings over a certain period. Human behavior is also manifest in the self-connection to a brand. People will always want their preferences to be known to other people. In this regard, consumers will identify with brands, which portray their inner self. For instance, consumer will identify with Samsung Galaxy S8+ to showcase their love for technology and trend.
The emotional attachment to a brand is crucial because it determines a customer’s embrace or disapproval of a brand. Organizations must strive to win the appeal of the consumers. The brad associations are important in enhancing brand loyalty given that the consumers acquire process and store information pertaining to the respective brands. The integration between self and brand association enhances brad loyalty. Wallendorf and Arnould (2014, p.537) asserts that the attitude of consumers is a determinant of brand approval among customers. The attitude of a customer is subject to the perception and the information accessible at a particular time. Therefore, organizations have always ensured that insider information pertaining to their brand does not leak. This enhances strategic positioning of the brands to enhance consumer-brand relationships. Organizations have an upper hand in ensuring that consumers receive the right information concerning the brands. The attitudes developed due to brand quality enhance a consumer’s expression of self in public. The intrinsic motivation sought by consumers is manifest in their identity with certain brands. The ideologies and principles underscored in brands is the basis of identity. The firms have an obligation to provide information to the consumer to enable them make informed decisions pertaining to the brands. The development of the consumer-brand relationship is subject to perception of the brand among the customers. The development of identity is essential in the achievement of brand loyalty. The preference of a brand is based on the brand’s marketing. A firm must portray ts brad as standard even when it is not up to standard to create a good attitude among the customers pertaining to the brand. The change of attitude regarding a brand is subject to the information released to the public domain and the perception of the brand.
Conclusion
The Consumer-brand relationship is subject to social media, self-identity and brand attachment. Brand attachment occurs when a brand meets the expectations of the consumers. Social media enhances the brand association and social interaction among consumers of a particular brand. The Para-social interaction theory underscores the harnessing of technology in the strengthening of the consumer-brand relationship. Self-identity is also crucial in the achievement of brand loyalty. Consumers choose brands subject to their personality, interest, ideologies and principles. Therefore, consumers are usually objective in the selection of brands, which in turn displays their identity. Consequently, brand communities are formed over social media platforms.
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