97-024
THE CONSUMER AND THE BRAND: AN UNDERSTANDING WITHIN THE
FRAMEWORK OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
Susan Fournier
While the relationship metaphor dominates contemporary
marketing thought and practice, surprisingly little
empirical work has been conducted on relational phenomena in
the consumer products domain, particularly at the level of
the brand. In this paper, the author: (1) argues for the
validity of the relationship proposition in the consumer-
brand context, including here a debate as to the legitimacy
of the brand as an active relationship partner, and
empirical support for the phenomenological significance of
consumer-brand bonds; (2) provides a framework for
characterizing and better understanding the types of
relationships consumers form with brands; and (3) inducts
from the data the concept of brand relationship quality
(BRQ), a diagnostic tool for conceptualizing and evaluating
relationship strength. Three in-depth case studies inform
this agenda, their interpretation guided by an interactive
review of the literature on person-to-person relationships.
Insights offered through application of inducted concepts
and frameworks in three relevant research domains-brand
loyalty, brand personality, and symbolic brand
consumption-are advanced in closing. The exercise is
intended to urge fellow researchers to develop their own
relationship-inspired ideas, and to progress toward these
goals with confidence in the validity of the relationship
premise in the brand context, and a set of working hypothese
that can guide their activities.
MKT
90 pages
Complete Text (Acrobat PDF Version) [HBS Only]
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