Brand relationships and consumer loyalty in the automotive and fast-food industries

Brand Relationships

"Having a Relationship" with a Brand

Establishing and maintaining a "relationship" with a brand is a complex concept that often is taken for granted. Much of the complexity arises out of the fact that goods are inanimate objects and do not fall under the traditional notion of a subject of a relationship since the good or product can interact with an individual with human-like qualities. However, at the same time, people attribute human characteristics to products and brands. The human activity of anthropomorphizing inanimate objects has been identified as a universal activity in virtually all societies (Fournier, 1998). Therefore, in this way the brand can interact with the individual given the attributed human qualities. It is generally thought that people have relationships with brands instead of products because products typically have a lifecycle that eventually ends while brands are more enduring and can introduce new products (Rasmussen, N.d.)

Furthermore, the relationship between a brand or product and an individual can mirror interpersonal relationships in many ways and share many of the same dynamics. Feelings of trust, reliability, and even love can be thought of in regard to various brands as well as negative emotions such as disgust and disappointment. Furthermore, the relationships with brands can also develop and strengthen or diminish similarly to an actual relationship as well. The following illustration shows some of the different patterns that consumers have displayed in their relationships with a brand.

Figure 1 - Brand Relationship Progression (Fournier, 1998)

Discussion on Fournier and Brand Relationships

I think it is entirely reasonable to perceive consumers as having relationship with brands. I have noticed myself anthropomorphizing many of the objects I work with on a daily basis; especially complicated items such as a car or a computer. Such items can definitely to appear to have something of a personality. For example, when my computer is seemingly working slower than normal then I might perceive this as the computer being angry or moody. The same kind of perceptions can be made with a vehicle. If the car is not operating as well as it normally does for any reason, then it is common that people will attribute this to a personality.

Powerful brand images such as Jeep and Harley Davidson provide great examples of a brand relationship in my opinion. I have known people who have owned Jeeps and it does seem like there is a strong relationship between them and their vehicle. I have even seen stickers on the back of Jeeps that said something to the effect of "It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand." The same kinds of sentiments exist between people and their Harley Davidson brand motorcycles as well. The relationship between these consumers and the brand is so strong that the brand image actually becomes part of their lives. They define themselves by the products and the brand serves as part of their self-image. Therefore, I believe Fournier was correct in developing the relationship model between people and brands.