International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

search-icon

Brand Attachment and the Compulsive Buyer

Open access
In this paper a linkage between compulsive buying tendencies and brand attachment is developed, which is moderated by brand popularity. Consumers who engage in compulsive buying try to alleviate negative feelings, which are temporarily forgotten and replaced with positive feelings (Faber and Christenson 1996). The research is important because the phenomenon of compulsive buying is very serious while brand power has come to play a significant role in both firm strategic planning and consumer decision-making processes. We find that compulsive buying and brand attachment are positively related. However, the results are unclear in regards moderation effects of brand popularity.

Aaker, J. L. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34, 347-356.

Aaker, J. L. (1999). The malleable self: the role of self-expression in persuasion. Journal of Marketing Research, 36, 45-57.

Alex, J., & Joseph, A. (2012). Hedonic versus utilitarian values: The relative importance of real and ideal self to brand personality and its influence on emotional brand attachment. Vilakshan, XIMB Journal of Management, 77-90.

Aron, A., Paris, M., & Aron, E. (1995). Falling in love: studies of self-concept change. Journal
of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 1102-1112.

Aron, E. N., & Aron, A. (1996). Love and expansion of the self: the state of the model. Personal Relationships, 3, 45-58.
American Marketing Association (2012). Dictionary. In American Marketing Association. Retrieved from: http://www.marketingpower.com/_layouts/ Dictionary.aspx?dLetter=B.

Belk, R. W. (1988). Possessions and the extended self. Journal of Consumer Research, 15, 139-
168.

Bergami, M., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2000). Self-categorization, affective commitment and group self-esteem as distinct aspects of social identity in the organization. British Journal of Social Psychology, 39(4), 555-577.

Carlson, B.D., Donovan, D.T., & Cumiskey, K.J. (2009). Consumer-brand relationships in sport: brand personality and identification. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management 37(4), 370-384.

Chaplin, L. N., & John, D. R. (2005). The development of self-brand connections in children and
adolescents. Journal of Consumer Research, 32, 119-129.

Churchill, G. A. (1979). A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs. Journal of Marketing Research, 16, 64-73.

Coolsen, M. K., & Kumashiro, M. (2009). Self-image congruence models conceptualized as a
product affirmation process. Advances in Consumer Research, 36, 980-901.

Cronbach, L. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 74(1),
145-154.

Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Beattie, 0. (1979). Life themes: A theoretical and empirical explorations
of their origins and effects.Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 19, 45-63.

Dolich, I. J. (1969). Congruence relationships between self images and product brands. Journal
of Marketing Research, 6, 80-84.

Edwards, E. A. (1992). The measurement and modeling of compulsive buying behavior.
Dissertation Abstracts International, 53, 11-A.

Ericksen, M. K., & Sirgy, M. J. (1989). Achievement motivation and clothing behavior of working women: A self?image congruence analysis. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 4(4), 307-326.

Ericksen, M. K., & Sirgy, M. J. (1992). Employed females’ clothing preference, self-image
congruence and career anchorage. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 22(5), 408-22.

Faber, R.J., O’Guinn, T.C., & Krych, R. (1987). Compulsive Consumption. Advances in Consumer Research, 14, 132-135.

Faber, R. J., & O’Guinn, T. C. (1992). A clinical screener for compulsive buying. Journal of
Consumer Research, 19, 459-470.

Faber, R. J., & O’Guinn, T. C. (1988). Compulsive consumption and credit abuse. Journal of Consumer Policy, 17, 159-179.

Faber, R. J., & Christenson, G.A. (1996). In the mood to buy: Differences in the mood states experienced by compulsive buyers and other consumers. Psychology & Marketing, 13, 803-819.

Faber, R. J., Christenson, G. A., de Zwaan, M., & Mitchell, J. (1995). Two forms of compulsive
consumption: comorbidity of compulsive buying and binge eating. Journal of Consumer
Research, 22, 296-304.

Flight, R. L., Rountree, M. M., & Beatty, S. E. (2012). Feeling the urge: Affect in impulsive and compulsive buying. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 20(4).

Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: developing relationship theory in consumer
research. Journal of Consumer Research, 24, 343-373.

Guidano, V., & Liotti, G. (1983). Cognitive processes and emotional disorders. NY: Guilford.

Hassay, D. N., & Smith, M. C. (1996). Compulsive buying: an examination of the consumption motive. Psychology & Marketing, 13, 741-752.

Hinde, R. (1979). Towards understanding relationships. New York: Academic Press.

Hirschman, E. C. (1992). The consciousness of addiction: toward a general theory of compulsive
consumption. Journal of Consumer Research, 19, 155-179.

Iacobucci, D. (2012). MM2. Mason: Cengage Learning.

Kaplan, A. (2006). Compulsive buying disorder affects 1 in 20 adults, causes marked distress. Psychiatric Times, December. Retrieved from: www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/lnacademic

Keller, K. L., & Lehmann, D. R. (2006). Brands and branding: research findings and future priorities. Marketing Science, 25, 740-759.

Keller, K. L., Sternthal, B., & Tybout, A. (2002). Three questions you need to ask about your brand. Harvard Business Review, 80, 80-89.

Krueger, D. W. (1988). On compulsive shopping and spending: a psychodynamic inquiry.
American Journal of Psychology, 42, 574-584.
Kyrios M., Frost RO, Steketee G. (2003). Cognitions in compulsive buying and acquisition. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 28, 241–258.
Louis, D., & Lombart, C. (2010). Impact of brand personality on three major relational
consequences (trust, attachment and commitment to the brand). Journal of Product &
Brand Management, 19(2), 114-130.

Malär, L., Krohmer, H., Hoyer, W. D., & Nyffenegger, B. (2010). Emotional brand attachment
and brand personality: The relative importance of the actual and ideal self. Journal of
Marketing, 75, 35-52.

Market Share Reporter (2009). Detroit, MI: Gail Research.

Mooradian, T.A., Matzler, K., & Ring, L. J. (2012). Strategic marketing. Boston: Prentice Hall.

Onkvisit, S. & Shaw, J. (1987). Self-concept and image congruence: Some research and managerial implications. Winter, 4, 13-23.

O’Guinn, T. C., & Faber, R. J. (1989). Compulsive buying: a phenomenological exploration.
Journal of Consumer Research, 16, 147-157.

Park, C. W., Maclnnis, D. J., Priester, J., Eisingerich, A. B., & Iacobucci, D. (2010). Brand attachment and brand attitude strength: Conceptual and empirical differentiation of two critical brand equity drivers. Journal of Marketing, 74, 1-17.

Park, J. K., & John, D. R. (2012). Got to get you into my life: do brand personalities rub off on consumers. Journal of Consumer Research, 37, 655-669.

Parker, B. T. (2009). A comparison of brand personality and brand user-imagery congruence.
Journal of Consumer Marketing, 26(3), 175-184.

Reeves, R. A., Baker, G. A., & Truluck, C. S. (2012). Celebrity worship, materialism, compulsive buying, and the empty self. Psychology and Marketing, 29, 674-679.

Richins, M. L. (1991). Social comparison and the idealized imagers of advertising. Journal of Consumer Research, 18, 71-83.

Ridgway, N.M., Kukar-Kinney, M., & Monroe, K.B. (2008). An expanded conceptualization and a new measure of compulsive buying. Journal of Consumer Research, 35, 622-639.

Rindfleisch, A., Burroughs, J. E., & Denton, F. (1997). Family structure, materialism, and compulsive consumption. Journal of Consumer Research, 23, 312-325.

Roskos-Ewoldsen, D. R., Arpan-Ralstin, L., & St. Pierre, J. (2002). Attitude accessibility and Persuasion. J. P. Dillard & M. Pfau (Eds.), The persuasion handbook: developments in theory and practice (39-61). Thousand Oaks: Sage publications.
Scherhorn. G., Reisch, L. A., & Raab, G. (1990). Addictive buying in West Germany: an empirical study. Journal of Consumer Policy, 13, 355-387.

Schlenker, B. (1981). Impression Management. Belmont: Wadsworth.

Sirgy, M. J. (1982). Self concept in consumer behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 9(3), 287-300.

Sirgy, M. J., Grewal, D., Mangleburg, T. F., Parks, J., Chon, K., Clairborn, C.B., Johar, J.S., & Berkman, H. (1997). Assessing the predictive ability of two methods of measuring self-image congruence. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 25(3), 229-241.

Trautmann-Attmann, J. & Widner Johnson, T (2009). Compulsive consumption behavior investigating relationships among binge eating, compulsive clothing buying and fashion orientation. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 33, 267-273.

Zinkhan, G. M., Burton, S., Wallendorf, M. (1983). Marketing applications for snowball sampling: Potential benefits and problems. AMA Winter Educators; Conference Proceedings, 5-9.
Flight, R. L., & Sacramento, D. (2015). Brand Attachment and the Compulsive Buyer. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 5(8). 149-162.