Consumer-brand relationships in step-down line extensions of luxury and designer brands
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Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Consumer-brand relationships in step-down line extensions of luxury and designer brands Kamilla Hanslin Anne Rindell Article information: To cite this document: Kamilla Hanslin Anne Rindell , (2014),"Consumer-brand relationships in step-down line extensions of luxury and designer brands", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 18 Iss 2 pp. 145 - 168 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-04-2013-0057 Downloaded on: 01 April 2015, At: 02:07 (PT) References: this document contains references to 51 other documents. To copy this document: [email protected] The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 2393 times since 2014* Users who downloaded this article also downloaded: Jing Theng So, Andrew Grant Parsons, Sheau-Fen Yap, (2013),"Corporate branding, emotional attachment and brand loyalty: the case of luxury fashion branding", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, Vol. 17 Iss 4 pp. 403-423 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-03-2013-0032 Nadine Hennigs, Klaus-Peter Wiedmann, Stefan Behrens, Christiane Klarmann, Juliane Carduck, (2013),"Brand extensions: A successful strategy in luxury fashion branding? Assessing consumers’ implicit associations", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, Vol. 17 Iss 4 pp. 390-402 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-03-2013-0022 RayeCarol Cavender, Doris H. Kincade, (2014),"Management of a luxury brand: dimensions and sub- variables from a case study of LVMH", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, Vol. 18 Iss 2 pp. 231-248 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-03-2013-0041 Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by 543700 [] For Authors If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com Emerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services. Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. *Related content and download information correct at time of download. Downloaded by AIR UNIVERSITY PAKISTAN At 02:07 01 April 2015 (PT)
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Consumer-brand relationships in step-down line extensions of luxury and designer brands
Transcript of Consumer-brand relationships in step-down line extensions of luxury and designer brands
Journal of Fashion Marketing and ManagementConsumer-brand relationships in step-down line extensions of luxury and designerbrandsKamilla Hanslin Anne Rindell
Article information:To cite this document:Kamilla Hanslin Anne Rindell , (2014),"Consumer-brand relationships in step-down line extensions of luxuryand designer brands", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, Vol. 18 Iss 2 pp. 145 - 168Permanent link to this document:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-04-2013-0057
Downloaded on: 01 April 2015, At: 02:07 (PT)References: this document contains references to 51 other documents.To copy this document: [email protected] fulltext of this document has been downloaded 2393 times since 2014*
Users who downloaded this article also downloaded:Jing Theng So, Andrew Grant Parsons, Sheau-Fen Yap, (2013),"Corporate branding, emotional attachmentand brand loyalty: the case of luxury fashion branding", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: AnInternational Journal, Vol. 17 Iss 4 pp. 403-423 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-03-2013-0032Nadine Hennigs, Klaus-Peter Wiedmann, Stefan Behrens, Christiane Klarmann, Juliane Carduck,(2013),"Brand extensions: A successful strategy in luxury fashion branding? Assessing consumers’ implicitassociations", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, Vol. 17 Iss 4 pp.390-402 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-03-2013-0022RayeCarol Cavender, Doris H. Kincade, (2014),"Management of a luxury brand: dimensions and sub-variables from a case study of LVMH", Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An InternationalJournal, Vol. 18 Iss 2 pp. 231-248 http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-03-2013-0041
Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by 543700 []
For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald forAuthors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelinesare available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information.
About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The companymanages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well asproviding an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.
Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committeeon Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archivepreservation.
*Related content and download information correct at time of download.
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Consumer-brand relationshipsin step-down line extensions of
luxury and designer brandsKamilla Hanslin and Anne Rindell
Department of Marketing, Centre for Relationship Marketing andService Management, HANKEN School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss and identify consumer-brand relationships ina luxury brand context. The focus is on consumer-brand relationship forms emerging in relation tostep-down line extensions of luxury brands. The study is positioned within fashion industry.Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research approach is adopted analyzing data from13 open consumer interviews. Photo collages of luxury brands and their step-down line extensionlogos were used as inspiration for informants in the interviews.Findings – Findings show that consumer-brand relationships mostly follow earlier identifiedconsumer-brand relationships. However, five new relationship types (status, inspirational, impulse,rewarding and turncoat) are identified. All but status relationships can be generalized also to othercontexts than the luxury brand context.Research limitations/implications – The study advances the understanding of luxury productsand their step-down line extensions from a consumer perspective. However, due to the exploratorynature of the study the data are limited.Practical implications – This study showed that step-down line extensions are not perceivedas that important that they could not be replaced with another brand in the same product category.Informants often preferred step-down line extensions to parent brands due to their moresuitable design, even when the informant was hypothetically asked if the opinion would change ifeconomic issues were not a restraint. Managers are encouraged to analyze their brands based ona brand-relationship approach.Originality/value – The study uses the concept consumer-brand relationship as a new way tounderstand how consumers relate to line extensions in a luxury brand context. The approach is novel.
Keywords Luxury brands, Consumer-brand relationships, Fashion brands, Image dynamics,Line extensions, Step-down line extensions
Paper type Research paper
1. IntroductionLuxury fashion is not what it used to be. Luxury goods are no longer seen as theprivilege of the wealthy, and the phenomenal democratization of luxury has raisedits head worldwide (Kapferer and Bastien, 2009; Okonkwo, 2007; Twitchell, 2002).The democratization phenomenon describes how luxury goods are made accessibleto more consumers thanks to mass premium brands, second lines and designercollaborations making the target segment wider (Okonkwo, 2007; Silverstein andFiske, 2003; Twitchell, 2002). The importance of possessing certain social standingand image among one’s peers has become of greater significance and has increased thedesire to own luxury products even among young consumers (Okonkwo, 2007; Phauand Cheong, 2009b; Truong et al., 2009). To express one’s own status to others throughluxury products and status consumption has generally become a necessity (Atwal andWilliams, 2009; Phau and Cheong, 2009b; Truong et al., 2009), and brands are used toconstruct one’s identity (Aaker, 1996; Lee et al., 2009). On the other hand, consumers
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available atwww.emeraldinsight.com/1361-2026.htm
Received 12 April 2013Revised 15 June 2013
Accepted 13 September 2013
Journal of Fashion Marketing andManagement
Vol. 18 No. 2, 2014pp. 145-168
r Emerald Group Publishing Limited1361-2026
DOI 10.1108/JFMM-04-2013-0057
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have more alternatives to choose from, and therefore, companies must adapt toconsumers’ ever-changing lifestyles (Fredlund et al., 2006). In essence, the inaccessiblehas become more accessible, and owning the unnecessary has become a necessity.
Luxury brands can expand their business and fulfil consumers’ needs throughstep-down line extensions ( Jackson and Shaw, 2009) by entering the same brand andproduct category where they are already present (Kapferer, 2008; Magnoni and Roux,2008), but at a lower price and quality (Magnoni and Roux, 2008). This has beenconsidered one of luxury brands’ best answers to recent external challenges, suchas requirements to make luxury more accessible (Mallevays, 2011). An example ofa step-down line extension is Marc by Marc Jacobs, which is a result of Marc Jacobsextending its brand downwards. Keller (2008) suggests that extending a brand throughstep-down line extensions facilitates the acceptance of the extension when the newbrand is linked with an older established brand. However, Magnoni and Roux (2008)found that the relationship consumers have with the parent brand might also beinfluenced negatively. Similarly, cannibalization, where the introduction of a newproduct negatively affects sales volumes and market share of the other products, mightoccur (Kirmani et al., 1999; Njissen, 1999). Previous research on step-down lineextensions has thus identified both positive and negative effects that extensions mightexert on consumers’ perceptions and evaluations of the parent brand (Kim et al., 2001;Phau and Cheong, 2009a, b). Consumer-brand relationship forms relationship forms instep-down line extensions in the context of the luxury fashion industry, however, havenot been previously studied, although Fournier et al. (2012) argue that one of the mosteffective tools that companies have to hedge against risk is the portfolio ofrelationships that consumers form with the company’s brand. Kim and Kwon (2011)have urged for such studies in the context of the luxury fashion industry.
This paper addresses this research gap in consumer-brand relationships byidentifying different consumer-brand relationship forms in step-down line extensionsin the context of the luxury fashion industry. In addition, how consumers perceivestep-down line extensions and especially how consumers’ image heritage (Rindell,2013) influences the perceptions are considered. This paper contributes to luxuryfashion branding and to the consumer-brand relationship literature by identifyingfive novel consumer-brand relationship forms that previous research has not reported.Within these five new relationship forms, one is specifically related to luxury brands.Additionally, the paper supports previous research on image heritage by identifyingthe phenomenon in a luxury fashion brand context.
The paper first reviews luxury brand consumption and step-down line extensions.Then, consumer-brand relationships are discussed. The methodological settings of thestudy follow. Thereafter, the findings and a discussion of the findings are presented.Finally, the implications of the study and an invitation for further studies are mentioned.
2. Step-down line extensions in luxury fashion industryBased on Jackson and Shaw (2009) and Okonkwo (2007), a luxury brand is a globalbrand that solely concentrates on producing and merchandizing exclusive fashion andluxury goods. These brands are associated with exclusivity, which Jackson and Shaw(2009) and Okonkwo (2007) see as one of luxury brands’ main characteristics. Othercore characteristics are differentiation, premium pricing, high quality andcraftsmanship ( Jackson and Shaw, 2009; Okonkwo, 2007). Good examples of luxurybrands are Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Prada. Designer brands, such as Armani, CalvinKlein and Vivienne Westwood, are characterized by the same attributes as luxury
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brands, but they have a main designer whose own design style sets the direction of thebrand ( Jackson and Shaw, 2009). Due to the two terms’ close relation, this study refersto both as luxury brands.
A number of definitions of brand and line extensions exist. The difference amongthe concepts lies in their ways to expand. This study adapts a combination ofdefinitions constructed by Aaker (1996), Magnoni and Roux (2008) and Magnoni andRoux (2008), defining line extensions as an extension strategy where a new product isintroduced within the same product category that the parent brand already existsin, but with a difference in quality and price. When a line extension is conducteddownwards, meaning that a brand introduces a product within the same productcategory but at a lower price and quality, it is referred as a step-down line extension(Magnoni and Roux, 2008). A step-down line extension in the fashion industryis also defined as the second line (diffusion brand) of a designer brand that is targetedtoward younger consumers with a more commercial design and lower price points(Cochrane, 2012; Fernie et al., 1997; Jackson and Shaw, 2009; Menkes, 2012). The use ofstep-down line extensions as a company’s strategy is growing due to their globalvolume growth potential (Passariello, 2006; Phau and Cheong, 2009a, b). Examples ofwell-known step-down line extensions in the fashion industry are D&G (Dolce andGabbana), Marc by Marc Jacobs (Marc Jacobs), DKNY (Donna Karan), Miu Miu (Prada)and T by Alexander Wang (Alexander Wang) (Menkes, 2012; Passariello, 2006; Phau andCheong, 2009a, b).
Not all designer brands see step-down line extensions as an option. Gucci, for example,has clearly neglected the idea of launching a second line, as well as Hermes and Chanel(Menkes, 2012). Some luxury brands, such as Louis Vuitton, express their negative viewon extending a brand downwards by emphasizing that their brand will only be soldthrough their own channels – not online or as a secondary version (Lutz, 2012).
A good body of research has focussed on brand extensions (Reast, 2005), but lineextensions have remained rather understudied (Kim et al., 2001). Even in line extensionresearch, the focus has been on step-up line extensions (e.g. Munthree et al., 2006),where brands extend from mass to luxury (e.g. Dall’Olmo Riley et al., 2011; Heine andPhan, 2011) rather than on step-down line extensions (Magnoni et al., 2012).
However, Phau and Cheong (2009a) studied how status-seeking and fashion-innovativeyoung consumers evaluate diffusion brands (step-down line extensions) and the influenceof brand naming techniques and country of origin on brand image and product qualityof diffusion brands. The authors propose that young status-seeking fashion innovatorsexploit sub-brands and nested brands as possible substitutes for the parent brand todisplay status, whereas new brands are not perceived to carry the same image as theparent brand, and therefore are not seen as a decent substitute. The study also revealsthat sub-brands and nested brands are accepted by young status-seeking fashioninnovators despite country of origin and propose that it is better to highlight their brandorigin instead of country of origin. In addition, it is proposed that when additionalinformation about a diffusion brand exists (e.g. name of the parent brand), the influence ofknowing the brand’s country of origin diminishes.
In another study regarding diffusion brands, Phau and Cheong (2009b) concentratedon evaluating how brand loyalty might affect young status consumers’ evaluationsof diffusion brands for high/low-involvement fashion products. In particular, thepositioning strategy of the type of diffusion brand names was investigated. Basedon their results, young status-brand-loyal consumers might use sub-brands andnested brands as a substitute for the parent brand due to their product-quality fit and
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brand-image fit with the parent brand. Greater value is especially placed ondiffusion brands reflecting their parent brand’s image (Phau and Cheong, 2009b).The authors also propose that nested and sub-brands should be targeted toward youngstatus-brand-loyal consumers to communicate their loyalty toward an existing brand.New brands, on the other hand, should not be promoted as substitutes for the parentbrand. The fact that both studies by Phau and Cheong (2009a, b) were conductedby using a quantitative method provides gives another reason to study differentconsumer-brand relationship forms with step-down line extensions through a moredescriptive, qualitative research method.
Kim et al. (2001) examined how consumer evaluation of a core brand is affectedwhen a step-up or step-down vertical brand extension is introduced. The focus wasalso on how the use of distancing techniques may affect consumer evaluations ofstep-up and step-down vertical brand extensions, as well as core brands. The studywas targeted toward the automobile and watch industries. The authors argue thatpresentation of any kind of vertical extension has a negative effect on consumers’perceptions of the parent brand. Kim et al. (2001) argue that the parent brand’s imagebecomes diluted because the vertical extension conducted differs significantly from itsparent brand with respect to matters of quality and price. To decrease the dilution ofthe parent brand’s image, Kim et al. (2001) argue that a distancing technique should beused. By putting superior distance between the extension and the prestige-orientedparent brand, the amount of dilution is minimized, especially in the case of step-downextensions (Kim et al., 2001). However, the authors argue that a distancing technique’seffects are twofold in the case of step-down extensions. A greater distancing techniquebenefits the parent brand because the risk for the dilution of the parent brand’s imageis smaller. On the other hand, no distancing technique should be used if the target touse step-down extensions is to capture new segments that will be more profitable in thelong run (Kim et al., 2001).
Based on these previous studies, introducing a step-down line extension may haveserious effects on consumers’ perceptions of the parent brand and on the relationshipbetween the consumer and the brand. In conclusion, companies face many challengeswhen considering line extensions, even though their advantages may be tempting.A strong brand is usually considered as one of the company’s most valuable intangibleassets (Heden and McAndrew, 2005). Therefore, it should be fostered carefully. Luxurybrands may be more vulnerable than other brands if deteriorated consumer imagesdilute the luster felt toward the brand. Therefore, it is of great interest to explore whatkinds of relationships consumers, especially customers, develop with the brand.
3. Consumer-brand relationshipsPermanent customer relationships are often perceived as fundamental to a successfulbusiness (Hess et al., 2011), and therefore, the relationship between a consumer and abrand has started to interest researchers (Fournier, 1998; Esch et al., 2006; Magnoni andRoux, 2008). Several marketing researchers have attempted to define consumer-brandrelationships, but no clear definition of what is meant by a relationship exists(Veloutsou, 2007). Fournier proposed that continuous interactions between familiarindividuals compose a relationship, which develops over time due to variations insurroundings and in people’s behavior (Fournier, 1998). Fournier also points out thatrelationships are personal and provide different meanings. To understand anyrelationship, the meanings the relationship gives to an individual in the relationshipshould be grasped. How important a relationship develops to be over time is a sum of
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sociocultural, relational and psychological factors. For example, relationships mightclear up a daily concern that individuals face frequently ( psychological context) orthey could keep a person as a member of a larger network (relational) (Fournier, 1998).Rindell (2013) emphasizes the mental part of the relationship by proposing that aconsumer-brand relationship can be seen as a mental relationship the consumer haswith certain brands over time. The mental dimension in a brand relationship isespecially relevant in a luxury brand context because consumers might have admiredcertain luxury brands for a longer time, although they are considered too expensivefor the current time. However, a relationship may still exist with the luxury brand,and the brand in question may even become accessible for the consumer in the future.Therefore, a brand relationship is defined in this paper from a consumer perspective asmetaphoric (Bengtsson, 2003), imagined (O’Guinn and Muniz, 2009) and developingover time (Rindell, 2013).
Fournier’s (1998) seminal study identified four categories under which brandrelationship forms are organized: compartmentalized friendships, childhood buddies,casual and best friends are categorized under friends, whereas relations as marriage ofconvenience, arranged marriage and committed partnerships are labelled undermarriage. Unions that are momentary and therefore short-term (courtships, flings)constitute temporally oriented relationships. Not all relationships have to be positive;instead, some are categorized under dark-side relationships. Out of the 15 relationshipforms identified, dependencies, enmities, secret affairs and enslavements can be putunder this more negatively loaded category. Fournier’s (1998) study has been extendedby Kates (2000), Sweeney and Chew (2002), Ji (2002), Zayer and Neier (2011) andLindholm (2012). Table I presents these identified consumer-brand relationship forms.
Regardless of the increase in brand relationship research and the growing amountof second lines being introduced to the fashion market, only a few studies havediscussed the relationships between consumers and step-down line extensions. Theaim of Magnoni and Roux’s (2008) study was to understand better the reactions ofcurrent customers of a brand confronted with a step-down extension strategy and tocontribute to knowledge on brand extensions and their feedback effects by focussingon three specific brand relationship bonds (trust, emotional attachment andcommitment).The study included both real and fictive extensions. The authorspropose that the influence on brand image and on the relationship bonds appearsnegative when consumers’ perceived consistency between the parent brand and theextension is low. In addition, prestige brands are more often exposed to this negativeimpact compared to non-prestige brands (Magnoni and Roux, 2008). Magnoni et al.(2012), on the other hand, concentrated on evaluating the impact of step-down lineextension on what they refer to as consumer-brand relationship variables, namelyself-brand connections, brand attachment, brand trust and brand commitment. Theauthors specifically analyzed the role of brand concept (luxury vs non-luxury) onconsumer-brand relationship bonds following a step-down line extension decision. Theresults by Magnoni et al. (2012) show that self-brand connection, brand attachment,brand trust and brand commitment considerably deteriorate after a step-down lineextension is introduced, which might even result in reduced brand loyalty. The authorsalso point out that only the luxury brand is jeopardized, and that the strongest dilutioneffects are experienced for self-brand connections and brand attachment, which areconsidered emotional relational variables. What should be pointed out regardingthe studies by Magnoni and Roux (2008) and Magnoni et al. (2012) is that they refer tospecific brand relationship bonds as consumer-brand relationships, whereas the
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ier,
1998
)In
vol
un
tary
un
ion
that
ison
lyst
eere
dd
ue
tod
esir
eof
the
rela
tion
ship
par
tner
.T
he
rela
tion
ship
con
tin
ues
sole
lyd
ue
toci
rcu
mst
ance
sd
esp
ite
the
neg
ativ
efe
elin
gs
that
are
inv
olv
ed16
.C
omm
un
ity
mem
ber
s(K
ates
,20
00)
Av
olu
nta
ryre
lati
onsh
ipb
etw
een
the
targ
etg
rou
pan
dlo
calr
etai
lbu
sin
ess.
Hig
ham
oun
tof
pos
itiv
eim
pac
t,lo
yal
ty,
tru
stan
dco
mm
itm
ent.
Stu
die
dam
ong
ace
rtai
nsu
b-c
ult
ure
(gay
men
)17
.P
olit
ical
alli
ance
s(K
ates
,20
00)
Ach
osen
un
ion
bet
wee
nth
eta
rget
gro
up
and
bra
nd
sof
mai
nst
ream
corp
orat
ion
s.C
onta
ins
pos
itiv
efe
elin
gs
and
reci
pro
city
.Bra
nd
loy
alty
inte
rms
ofp
olit
ical
exch
ang
e:b
ran
ds
are
bou
gh
tb
yth
eta
rget
gro
up
inor
der
tole
git
imiz
eth
ein
form
atio
nco
mm
un
icat
edb
yth
eco
rpor
atio
n.
Stu
die
dam
ong
ace
rtai
nsu
b-c
ult
ure
(gay
men
)
(con
tinu
ed)
Table I.Consumer-brandrelationship forms
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il 20
15 (
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Rel
atio
nsh
ipfo
rmD
efin
itio
n
18.
Pol
itic
alen
emie
s(K
ates
,20
00)
Are
lati
onsh
ipof
neg
ativ
en
atu
re.
Itis
char
acte
rize
db
yh
ate
and
rep
uls
ion
,as
wel
las
avoi
dan
ce.
Aw
ill
toaf
fect
the
mar
ket
ina
har
mfu
lway
.Nor
mal
lyta
rget
edto
war
db
ran
ds,
peo
ple
orco
rpor
atio
ns
wit
hin
ten
sion
sag
ain
stth
eta
rget
gro
up
’sre
ason
for
exis
ten
ce.
Stu
die
dam
ong
ace
rtai
nsu
b-c
ult
ure
(gay
men
)19
.L
ove-
hat
ere
lati
onsh
ips
(Sw
een
eyan
dC
hew
,20
02)
Are
lati
onsh
ipof
vol
un
tary
nat
ure
.Nor
mal
lyem
otio
nal
lyin
ten
sed
ue
toth
ere
ver
sed
feel
ing
s:ch
arac
teri
zed
by
pos
itiv
ean
dn
egat
ive
imp
act
onth
eot
her
.B
oth
un
frie
nd
lyan
dp
leas
ant
rela
tion
sex
ist,
and
mai
nly
pre
serv
edd
ue
tore
war
dp
ossi
bil
itie
san
dre
cip
roci
ty20
.S
ecre
tad
mir
er(J
i,20
02)
On
eh
asa
big
app
reci
atio
nto
war
da
bra
nd
and
wis
hes
toow
nit
,bu
ton
eis
not
able
du
eto
lim
ited
reso
urc
esan
dab
ilit
ies.
Stu
die
dam
ong
chil
dre
n21
.F
irst
lov
e(J
i,20
02)
Th
efi
rst
lov
eex
per
ien
cew
ith
ab
ran
dan
dh
asa
sig
nif
ican
tm
ean
ing
for
the
con
sum
er.
Lik
ewis
e,a
hu
ge
infl
uen
ceon
the
con
sum
ers.
Aff
ects
futu
rere
lati
onsh
ips
and
beh
avio
r.S
tud
ied
amon
gch
ild
ren
22.
Ch
eap
dat
es(Z
ayer
and
Nei
er,
2011
)T
he
cost
sre
late
dto
bei
ng
wit
hth
ep
artn
erac
tas
the
dri
ver
ofth
eu
nio
n.M
ale
con
sum
ers’
sen
sib
ilit
yw
ith
the
cost
sre
late
dto
the
bra
nd
mak
esth
ese
rela
tion
ship
ssh
ort
term
orte
mp
orar
y.S
tud
ied
amon
gm
en23
.M
ento
rs(Z
ayer
and
Nei
er,
2011
)A
lon
gte
rman
dv
olu
nta
ryu
nio
nw
ith
hig
hso
cio-
emot
ion
alim
pac
t.T
he
rela
tion
ship
isen
du
edw
ith
resp
ect
and
ad
esir
eto
imit
ate
the
men
tor.
Stu
die
dam
ong
men
24.
Bu
sin
ess
par
tner
s(Z
ayer
and
Nei
er,
2011
)A
vol
un
tary
un
ion
wit
hou
tin
tim
acy
and
ism
ain
lym
ain
tain
edto
get
pos
itiv
ere
war
ds
inex
chan
ge.
Can
be
lon
gte
rmb
ut
only
ifth
ere
war
ds
rem
ain
atta
inab
le.
Stu
die
dam
ong
men
25.
Fad
ing
rela
tion
ship
(Lin
dh
olm
,20
12)
Rel
atio
nsh
iph
asb
een
imp
orta
nt
earl
ier
bu
tit
has
bee
nfo
rgot
ten
,an
dn
owre
-fou
nd
.E
xp
erie
nce
das
nos
talg
icd
ue
top
rev
iou
sre
lati
onsh
ip.
Rem
ind
son
esel
fof
the
gol
den
day
s26
.S
econ
db
est
frie
nd
(Lin
dh
olm
,20
12)
Imp
orta
nt
tob
oth
par
ties
even
thou
gh
the
rela
tion
ship
isse
con
dar
y.A
not
her
rela
tion
ship
exis
tsth
atis
mor
eim
por
tan
tb
ut
one
doe
sn
otw
ant
toch
oose
bet
wee
nth
ese
rela
tion
ship
s,in
stea
dw
ill
hav
eb
oth
ofth
emsi
mu
ltan
eou
sly
27.
Pla
ce-s
pec
ific
rela
tion
ship
(Lin
dh
olm
,20
12)
Ab
ran
dis
bou
gh
tei
ther
bec
ause
ofth
elo
cati
onor
not
bec
ause
ofth
elo
cati
on.
Som
etim
esth
eb
ran
dis
bou
gh
tb
ecau
seth
ew
ante
db
ran
dis
out
ofre
ach
.L
ikew
ise,
ab
ran
dca
nb
eb
oug
ht
sole
lyb
ecau
seof
the
pla
ce,
and
the
bra
nd
inq
ues
tion
doe
sn
otm
atte
r
Table I.
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present study focusses on identifying different consumer-brand relationship formsbetween consumers and step-down line extensions, an approach that has not beenutilized in previous studies.
4. MethodologyThis study aims to answer questions such as how and what types of, which are of anexplanatory nature. Therefore, a qualitative approach has been chosen. To gather richdata, purposeful sampling and semi-structured interviews with follow-up questionswere used. Purposeful sampling was based on the authors’ knowledge of informantsuse and interest in luxury fashion brands. Data includes 13 interviews, eight withfemales and five with males. The age range of informants was 24-62 years, with a meanage of 36 years. The interview guide was categorized into four parts. The interviewbegan by showing two different photo collages of luxury brand logos. The first collageincluded both the parent brand and its step-down line extension logo. The secondcollage contained luxury brand logos of only the step-down line extensions (seeAppendix). Informants were asked to reflect first on the brands in collage 1 and then oncollage 2, as well as on their relationship to the brand. The study generated 140 pagesof transcribed text to analyze. Data were analyzed using Spiggle’s (1994) sevenoperations model to reduce the amount of data and to understand it.
5. FindingsThis section presents the consumer-brand relationship forms that emerged betweenconsumers and step-down line extensions. First, brand relationship forms that have beenpreviously identified by other researchers are presented in Table II. Subsequently, newrelationships that emerged from the data are introduced. Table III summarizes the resultsconcerning consumer-brand relationships already identified by other researchers.
New emerging consumer-brand relationships that have not been identified inprevious studies were also identified.
The new emerging consumer-brand relationship forms relate directly to luxurybrands. However, relationships, such as the inspirational, impulse, rewarding or dynamicbrand relationship, do not necessary only relate to luxury, but can be considered moregeneral brand relationship forms, as they do not require the brand to be expensive norexpressive, which are core dimension of luxury brands. On the other hand, status-enhancingrelationship can be considered to characterize luxury brands specifically.
General reflections and support for previous studiesIn this sample, step-down line extensions were perceived rather positively. The abilityto purchase quality design at a lower price was mostly appreciated, although luxurybrands’ expansion through inferior lines did not appeal to all in this study. Veloutsou(2007) argues that sometimes consumers feel so attached to certain brands that they arenot willing to take other brands as substitutes to fulfil needs that arise. However, in thissample, step-down line extensions were perceived to be replaceable by anotherbrand in the same product category. Informants often preferred step-down lineextensions to parent brands due to their more suitable design, even when the informantwas hypothetically asked if their opinion would change if economic issues were nota restraint. This finding supports Kapferer and Bastien’s (2008) conclusion thatconsumers do not always buy brands that are more expensive, even though theyfinancially could. It seems that they can be daydreamt about, but consumers havedifficulty seeing them as reality. The findings suggest that step-down line extensions
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Bra
nd
rela
tion
-sh
ipF
ind
ing
sIl
lust
rati
ve
exce
rpts
from
info
rman
ts
Cas
ual
frie
nd
s/b
ud
die
sF
req
uen
tly
occu
rrin
gre
lati
onsh
ipty
pe.
Rel
atio
nsh
ips
tow
ard
SD
LE
sw
ere
per
ceiv
edas
tem
por
ary,
som
etim
eson
lyto
fulf
ila
tem
por
ary
nee
dco
nsu
mer
sac
tual
lyw
ante
dfr
omth
ep
aren
tb
ran
ds
bu
tw
ere
not
able
tog
etit
.C
onsu
mer
sea
sily
nam
edb
ran
ds
that
wer
ese
enas
mor
eim
por
tan
tan
did
enti
fied
SD
LE
sas
easi
lyre
pla
ceab
le.
Con
sum
ers
exp
ress
edth
eir
nee
dfo
rv
arie
ty,
and
emp
has
ized
the
low
lev
elof
com
mit
men
t
“You
hav
ea
nee
dth
atyo
uw
ant
Pra
da
bu
tth
enyo
uh
ave
ace
rtai
nn
eed
that
you
can
fulf
ilth
en
eed
par
tly,
for
par
tti
me.
Th
ed
iffu
sion
lin
esar
eto
sati
sfy
our
nee
ds
just
for
ap
erio
dof
tim
eb
ecau
seth
enyo
uw
ill
nee
dso
met
hin
gel
se”
(Fem
ale,
24ye
ars
old
)“I
wou
ldju
stfo
rget
it[D
&G
]an
dfi
nd
som
eth
ing
else
ifth
eyd
on’t
hav
ew
hat
Iw
ant.
It’s
rep
lace
able
”(F
emal
e,26
year
sol
d)
Com
mit
ted
par
tner
ship
s“S
oul
mat
es,
lov
emar
ks”
Th
isre
lati
onsh
ipty
pe
gai
ned
stro
ng
sup
por
tam
ong
SD
LE
s.R
elat
ion
ship
sar
ech
arac
teri
zed
by
lon
g-t
erm
com
mit
men
tan
dar
eof
vol
un
tary
nat
ure
.W
hen
con
sum
erfo
un
dso
met
hin
gon
eli
ked
and
was
sati
sfie
dw
ith
,it
incr
ease
dth
ele
vel
oftr
ust
tow
ard
SD
LE
.Th
isre
sult
edin
incr
ease
db
ran
dlo
yal
tyan
din
ato
pof
min
das
soci
atio
n.
Itb
ecam
eea
syto
dec
ide
wh
ere
tog
ofi
rst
tolo
okfo
ra
cert
ain
clot
hw
hen
the
nee
dar
ousa
l.S
omet
imes
the
lev
elof
tru
stw
asso
stro
ng
that
con
sum
ers
stop
ped
look
ing
for
oth
eral
tern
ativ
es
“My
rela
tion
ship
toM
arc
by
Mar
cJa
cob
sst
arte
dw
hen
Ifo
un
da
won
der
ful
bag
by
them
.Ilo
oked
clos
eran
dre
aliz
edth
atth
ey’r
eal
lm
yst
yle.
Id
on’t
nee
dan
yth
ing
else
.It
’sth
esa
me
wit
hM
ax&
Co.
Ifo
un
da
nic
eth
ing
ther
ean
dal
mos
tev
ery
tim
eI
go
ther
eI
fin
dso
met
hin
g.T
hat
’sw
hy
Ig
oth
ere”
(Fem
ale,
58ye
ars
old
)
“Max
&C
o,[y
]M
axsp
ort.
An
dth
enM
arc
by
Mar
cJa
cob
sar
ep
lace
san
db
ran
ds
from
wh
ere
Ial
way
sfi
nd
som
eth
ing
Ili
ke.
Itr
ust
them
.I’v
ele
arn
tth
atth
ere
Iw
illf
ind
som
eth
ing
Ili
ke”
(Fem
ale,
58ye
ars
old
)S
DL
Es
pu
tin
this
cate
gor
yw
ere
also
per
ceiv
edas
imp
rov
ing
con
sum
ers’
self
-est
eem
.C
onsu
mer
sfe
ltp
rou
dof
them
selv
esto
hav
eb
een
able
toac
qu
ire
thes
eb
ran
ds.
Th
ese
kin
ds
ofre
lati
onsh
ips
mad
eth
emfe
elsu
reab
out
thei
rch
oice
reg
ard
ing
the
bra
nd
,an
dch
arac
teri
zed
thes
ere
lati
onsh
ips
ascl
ose
“Ife
elli
ke
pro
ud
ofm
yse
lfth
atI’
ve
bee
nab
leto
bu
yso
met
hin
gli
ke
it,
and
can
wal
kh
ead
up
hig
han
dh
ave
the
feel
ing
oflo
okin
gg
ood
”(F
emal
e,28
year
sol
d)
“Ife
elso
secu
reof
my
self
wh
enI’
mab
leto
wea
ra
styl
ish
,g
ood
bra
nd
[Miu
Miu
,D
KN
Y]
and
not
hin
gca
ng
ow
ron
g.L
ike
ara
ise
ofse
lf-e
stee
m.
An
da
kin
dof
secu
refe
elin
gab
out
one’
sou
tfit
”(F
emal
e,31
year
sol
d)
To
be
cate
gor
ized
asa
fav
orit
e,th
eb
ran
d’s
qu
alit
yw
ash
igh
lyap
pre
ciat
ed.E
ven
thou
gh
SD
LE
wer
ek
now
nto
be
a“s
econ
dar
yli
ne,
”co
nsu
mer
sap
pre
ciat
edif
som
ep
arts
oflu
xu
ryw
ere
pre
serv
edin
the
exte
nsi
on“I
t’sb
ecau
seal
thou
gh
it’s
the
step
-dow
nb
ran
d,
all
the
elem
ents
ofa
lux
ury
bra
nd
are
ther
e”(F
emal
e,31
year
sol
d)
“It’s
the
sam
ew
ith
the
Arm
ani
Jean
sd
enim
coat
that
isin
fash
ion
agai
naf
ter
10ye
ars.
We
don
’tex
actl
yg
ive
thes
efr
omfa
ther
toso
nb
ut
Id
on’t
thro
waw
ayth
emei
ther
.T
hey
’llb
eb
ack
”(M
ale,
32ye
ars
old
)
Com
mit
men
tto
war
dth
ese
bra
nd
sw
aslo
ng
term
.T
hes
ere
lati
onsh
ips
wer
ech
arac
teri
zed
ofa
pro
mis
eto
stay
tog
eth
er.
SD
LE
sth
atco
nsu
mer
sfe
ltst
ron
gly
abou
tal
soaw
oke
con
sum
ers’
def
ence
mec
han
ism
s.C
onsu
mer
him
self
kn
ewth
atot
her
did
not
feel
goo
dab
out
the
bra
nd
and
felt
that
he
had
tod
efen
d“h
is”
bra
nd
inso
me
way
“Ial
soh
ave
old
shir
tsfr
omP
olo,
for
sure
15ye
ars
old
.Id
on’t
use
them
bu
tso
onth
ey’r
ein
fash
ion
agai
n”
(Mal
e,62
year
sol
d)
(con
tinu
ed)
Table II.Consumers’ brandrelationship forms
with step-down lineextensions as identified
in earlier studies
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Bra
nd
rela
tion
-sh
ipF
ind
ing
sIl
lust
rati
ve
exce
rpts
from
info
rman
ts
Bes
tfr
ien
dsh
ips
Aty
pe
ofre
lati
onsh
ipth
atal
sooc
curr
edre
pea
ted
ly.
Mos
tin
form
ants
felt
thes
eS
DL
Es
enh
ance
dth
ew
eare
r’s
bes
tsi
des
and
com
pli
men
ted
the
wea
rer.
Ov
eral
l,th
ese
rela
tion
ship
sw
ere
per
ceiv
edto
mak
eth
eco
nsu
mer
feel
mor
ev
alu
able
and
spec
ial
“Ife
elsu
per
ior.
I’d
rath
erb
uy
lux
ury
.Y
oufe
elb
ette
rw
hen
you
hav
ea
bag
from
Mar
cb
yM
arc
Jaco
bs.
Of
cou
rse
you
’llfe
elb
ette
r”(F
emal
e,28
year
sol
d)
“Max
&C
ois
may
be
my
fav
ouri
te.T
hey
hav
eon
lysu
rpri
sed
me
pos
itiv
ely
and
Ith
ink
alm
ost
ever
yth
ing
they
hav
eis
gre
at.
Alm
ost
all
they
hav
eco
rres
pon
ds
tom
yst
yle
and
exp
ress
my
self
wit
hm
ycl
oth
s”(F
emal
e,25
year
sol
d)
Th
ere
lati
onsh
ipw
asch
arac
teri
zed
by
tru
stto
war
dth
eb
ran
din
term
sof
that
one
nev
erh
adb
een
dis
app
oin
ted
wit
hth
eb
ran
d’s
offe
rin
gs.
Rel
atio
nsh
ipis
char
acte
rize
db
ysi
mil
arv
alu
esan
din
tere
sts.
Som
eco
nsu
mer
sev
enex
per
ien
ced
SD
LE
asa
goo
dfr
ien
db
ecau
seon
efe
ltb
ond
ing
stro
ng
lyw
ith
the
cert
ain
bra
nd
.T
his
resu
lted
ina
stro
ng
rela
tion
and
ina
feel
ing
ofsu
cces
sC
omp
artm
enta
lize
dfr
ien
dsh
ips
Th
isty
pe
was
char
acte
rize
db
yh
igh
erin
terd
epen
den
ce.
SD
LE
bra
nd
sw
ere
use
dd
uri
ng
mor
esp
ecia
loc
casi
ons
wer
eot
her
peo
ple
wer
eab
leto
see
and
even
reco
gn
ize
the
bra
nd
s.H
owev
er,
ifth
eco
nsu
mer
felt
that
the
par
tyw
ould
not
not
ice
ord
idn
oth
ave
inte
rest
tow
ard
thes
eb
ran
ds,
con
sum
ers
end
edu
pch
oosi
ng
oth
erb
ran
ds
“If
Iw
asab
out
tob
uy
ap
ull
over
,it
wou
ldb
eb
ecau
seI
was
abou
tto
go
toa
spec
ial
occa
sion
.L
ike
D&
G.
Iw
ould
mak
esu
reth
atp
eop
lew
ould
reco
gn
ize
the
bra
nd
and
then
itw
ould
be
lik
eto
show
off”
(Fem
ale,
26ye
ars
old
)“T
he
Bu
rber
ryco
at.I
hav
en’t
even
dar
edto
tak
eit
out
from
its
bag
.It
has
bee
nra
inin
g,
bu
tI’
llw
ear
itw
hen
the
sun
issh
inin
gso
that
itw
on’t
bec
ome
dir
ty.A
nd
wh
enI
kn
owth
eoc
casi
onis
ab
itm
ore
imp
orta
nt.
Th
eyar
efo
rm
ea
bit
mor
eli
ke
bet
ter
clot
hes
”(F
emal
e,28
year
sol
d)
Info
rman
tssh
owed
that
they
had
som
ece
rtai
nS
DL
Es
that
they
pre
ferr
edw
hen
goi
ng
tofa
nci
erev
ents
orev
enin
goc
casi
ons.
Som
eS
DL
Es
wer
eon
lyb
oug
ht
for
fan
cier
even
ts,a
nd
they
wer
en
otev
ensu
pp
osed
toh
ave
anot
her
fun
ctio
nth
anto
be
pre
tty
and
clas
sy“T
he
bra
nd
sar
eon
lyas
goo
das
thei
rla
stco
llec
tion
.So
Ife
elli
ke
I’m
loy
alto
the
bra
nd
s,I
alw
ays
go
chec
kth
emou
tb
ut
ifth
eyar
en
otg
ood
,th
eyju
star
en
otg
ood
.If
the
coll
ecti
onis
not
my
thin
g,
then
Iw
on’t
cry
”(F
emal
e,24
year
sol
d)
Som
ein
form
ants
even
per
ceiv
edso
me
SD
LE
sso
pre
stig
iou
san
dsp
ecia
lth
atth
eyd
idn
oth
ave
the
hea
rtto
use
them
that
ofte
n.
On
lyif
the
exte
rnal
con
dit
ion
sw
ere
inb
alan
cean
dn
oh
arm
for
the
item
was
able
toh
app
en.
Rel
atio
nsh
ipch
arac
teri
zed
by
cau
tion
Th
isw
asal
sosy
mb
oliz
edb
yac
tual
ity.
Ch
arac
teri
stic
ofb
ein
gea
syto
beg
inan
dte
rmin
ate
was
pre
sen
tif
SD
LE
sd
idn
otd
eliv
er,
and
des
crib
eslo
wle
vel
oflo
yal
ty
(con
tinu
ed)
Table II.
154
JFMM18,2
Dow
nloa
ded
by A
IR U
NIV
ER
SIT
Y P
AK
IST
AN
At 0
2:07
01
Apr
il 20
15 (
PT)
Bra
nd
rela
tion
-sh
ipF
ind
ing
sIl
lust
rati
ve
exce
rpts
from
info
rman
ts
Reb
oun
ds/
avoi
dan
ce-d
riv
enre
lati
onsh
ipsþ
Ex
per
ien
tial
avoi
dan
ceþ
Iden
tity
avoi
dan
ceþ
Un
inte
nti
onal
bra
nd
avoi
dan
ce
On
eco
mm
onre
ason
for
avoi
din
ga
bra
nd
was
that
itd
idn
otin
tere
stth
eco
nsu
mer
.Bra
nd
’sst
yle
and
des
ign
ph
ilos
oph
yw
asn
otse
enfi
ttin
gco
nsu
mer
’sow
nst
yle
orli
fest
yle,
and
ther
efor
eth
eb
ran
dw
asn
egle
cted
(id
enti
tyav
oid
ance
).C
onsu
mer
doe
sn
otfe
elre
late
dto
the
bra
nd
.M
ater
ial
and
fab
ric
choi
ces
had
an
egat
ive
imp
act
onco
nsu
mer
’sp
erce
pti
on,a
nd
adv
erti
sin
gw
asig
nor
edif
SD
LE
was
not
one’
scu
pof
tea.
Som
eS
DL
Es
that
wer
eav
oid
edfo
rth
em
ost
par
tth
oug
hh
adso
me
pie
ces
the
con
sum
erth
oug
ht
s/h
eco
uld
hav
ew
orn
“Iw
ill
alw
ays
tak
ea
look
,I
wil
lig
nor
eb
ran
ds
that
don
’tin
tere
stm
e.S
oI
won
’tn
ever
ever
go
toth
eb
ran
ds
that
Iam
not
into
even
thou
gh
they
are
pro
mot
edon
the
dol
ls.O
rth
eyar
eon
the
hot
zon
es.I
tsju
stth
atI
see
that
no,
not
my
thin
g.M
ovin
gon
”(F
emal
e,24
year
sol
d)
“Wel
l,D
&G
for
exam
ple
,th
eyar
en’t
just
for
me.
Id
on’t
lik
eth
est
yle.
Fee
lsch
eep
[y]
it’s
afi
ne
bra
nd
bu
tn
otfo
rm
e.I
got
from
my
aun
tb
ut
Ig
ave
itto
my
cou
sin
”(F
emal
e,25
year
sol
d)
“[y
]D
KN
Y,
Ck
Ith
ink
they
are
min
imal
isti
c.I’
mn
otth
eon
ew
ho
lik
esit
,not
my
styl
e.T
hey
hav
eg
reat
stu
ffb
ut
not
for
me,
and
the
D&
Gse
con
dli
ne
isn
’tfo
rm
e”(F
emal
e,25
year
sol
d)
An
oth
erre
ason
lead
ing
tob
ran
dav
oid
ance
was
bra
nd
s’cl
ose
asso
ciat
ion
toco
un
terf
eit
pro
du
cts.
Cer
tain
bra
nd
s,su
chas
D&
Gan
dE
mp
orio
Arm
ani
wer
eof
ten
con
nec
ted
toco
un
terf
eit
pro
du
cts
du
eto
thei
rb
iglo
gos
and
hig
hv
isib
ilit
yin
tou
rist
pla
ces
du
rin
gh
olid
ays.
Th
eb
road
exp
ansi
onan
dv
isib
ilit
yin
wro
ng
situ
atio
ns
lead
sto
avoi
dan
ce.
Als
ow
ron
gp
eop
lew
eari
ng
and
usi
ng
the
bra
nd
wer
eco
nsi
der
edw
eak
enin
gth
eb
ran
d’s
attr
acti
ven
ess.
Wh
enth
eb
ran
dw
asas
soci
ated
wit
hp
eop
leth
eco
nsu
mer
had
an
egat
ive
con
not
atio
nw
ith
,it
led
toav
oid
ance
.N
orm
ally
info
rman
tsd
idn
otli
ke
the
extr
emel
yv
isib
lew
ayp
eop
leu
sed
the
bra
nd
bu
tin
som
eoc
casi
ons
ace
rtai
nsu
bg
rou
pof
peo
ple
wer
eju
stp
erce
ived
neg
ativ
ely
“Bra
nd
sth
atar
eea
syto
cop
yan
dh
ave
lots
offa
ke
ver
sion
,Ith
ink
thos
ear
eof
ten
org
eta
neg
ativ
eco
nn
otat
ion
.S
ud
den
lyw
ron
gp
eop
lest
art
wea
rin
gth
eman
dI’
mli
ke
wh
at’s
this
.T
hen
you
don
’tw
ant
tow
ear
itan
ym
ore.
You
asso
ciat
eth
eb
ran
dw
ith
wro
ng
peo
ple
”(F
emal
e,24
year
sol
d)
“I’v
eb
oug
ht
anE
mp
orio
Arm
ani
shir
tb
ut
Id
idn
’tw
ear
it.
Th
eyar
en
otth
esa
me
[wit
hA
rman
i]”
(Mal
e,62
year
sol
d)
“Arm
ani
Ex
chan
ge
isb
adq
ual
ity,
real
ly!I
’ve
had
one
pie
ceof
clot
hb
ut
itw
asan
exce
pti
on.
Bu
tI’
ve
sold
itat
the
flea
mar
ket
”(F
emal
e,27
year
sol
d)
An
oth
erco
mm
onre
ason
for
avoi
din
ga
bra
nd
was
con
sum
er’s
own
exp
erie
nce
wit
hth
eb
ran
d(e
xp
erie
nti
alav
oid
ance
).U
sual
lyth
eex
per
ien
cew
asp
erce
ived
neg
ativ
ean
don
ere
aliz
edaf
ter
usi
ng
the
item
that
the
bra
nd
did
not
fit
his
life
styl
eor
itw
asa
mis
tak
ep
urc
has
e.C
onsu
mer
sst
opp
edu
sin
gth
eit
eman
din
wor
stca
ses
star
ted
ign
orin
gth
eb
ran
daf
ter
fou
nd
ing
out
that
itw
asn
otth
eb
ran
dfo
rth
em.I
non
eca
seth
eex
per
ien
cew
ith
the
bra
nd
end
edu
pb
ein
gn
egat
ive
even
thou
gh
the
cert
ain
pu
rch
ase
item
was
pos
itiv
e.T
he
con
sum
erfe
ltth
ath
eg
otch
eate
db
yth
eb
ran
db
ecau
sew
asn
otaw
are
ofth
ese
con
dli
ne’
sex
iste
nce
.F
rom
bei
ng
del
igh
ted
wit
ha
chea
pp
urc
has
efr
omA
rman
ito
hat
ing
and
avoi
din
git
afte
rre
aliz
ing
that
the
pu
rch
ase
was
not
the
orig
inal
bra
nd
,b
ut
the
seco
nd
lin
e
“Ife
elth
atM
arc
by
isso
pre
sen
tn
owad
ays,
[y]
earl
ier
we
did
n’t
hav
ea
mar
cb
yM
arc
stor
e.W
ed
idn
’th
ave
aM
arc
Jaco
bs
stor
eei
ther
bu
tn
oww
eh
ave
aM
arc
Jaco
bs
boo
kst
ore
her
ean
dev
eryo
ne
ish
avin
gth
ese
bag
sla
tely
,an
dI’
mk
ind
ofg
etti
ng
over
it”
(Fem
ale,
24ye
ars
old
)
(con
tinu
ed)
Table II.
155
Consumer-brandrelationships
Dow
nloa
ded
by A
IR U
NIV
ER
SIT
Y P
AK
IST
AN
At 0
2:07
01
Apr
il 20
15 (
PT)
Bra
nd
rela
tion
-sh
ipF
ind
ing
sIl
lust
rati
ve
exce
rpts
from
info
rman
ts
Ste
p-d
own
lin
eex
ten
sion
s’in
crea
sed
avai
lab
ilit
yal
soaf
fect
edso
me
con
sum
ers’
rela
tion
ship
neg
ativ
ely
resu
ltin
gin
bra
nd
avoi
dan
ce(d
e-in
div
idu
atio
n).
Wh
enth
ep
rev
iou
sly
pre
sen
tex
clu
siv
ity
star
ted
tod
imin
ish
,co
nsu
mer
slo
stth
eir
inte
rest
tow
ard
them
.A
pos
itiv
ety
pe
ofav
oid
ance
was
also
fou
nd
amon
gth
ein
form
ants
wh
ena
bra
nd
was
un
inte
nti
onal
lyav
oid
ed,a
son
ew
asn
otab
leto
pu
rch
ase
the
bra
nd
inon
e’s
own
hom
eco
un
try.
Th
isw
asp
erce
ived
mor
eas
ash
ame
Cou
rtsh
ips
Th
ism
ore
tem
por
ary
rela
tion
ship
typ
ew
asla
rgel
yp
rese
nte
din
this
stu
dy.
Nor
mal
lyth
eco
nsu
mer
had
just
dis
cov
ered
the
bra
nd
,an
dh
adim
med
iate
lyfa
llen
for
it.
Inso
me
case
sth
eco
nsu
mer
had
chan
ged
her
own
styl
ean
dth
eref
ore
dis
cov
ered
the
bra
nd
firs
tn
ow,w
her
eas
som
etim
esth
efi
rst
enco
un
ter
wit
hth
eb
ran
dh
app
ened
by
acci
den
t.C
onsu
mer
sq
uic
kly
clic
ked
wit
hth
eb
ran
dan
dst
arte
du
sin
git
mor
eof
ten
and
nam
edit
even
asth
eir
fav
orit
eb
ran
d.
Som
eco
nsu
mer
sal
soat
tach
edit
wit
hth
eir
fav
orit
ep
aren
tb
ran
dle
adin
gto
asu
rpri
sem
omen
tw
hen
the
bra
nd
was
avai
lab
lefo
ra
low
erp
rice
“Bu
tth
eth
ing
isth
atit
’sju
stth
ela
stco
up
leof
mon
ths
I’v
eb
een
star
tin
gto
lik
eA
lex
and
erW
ang
alo
tac
tual
ly.A
nd
Tb
yA
lex
and
erW
ang.
It’s
clea
ner
”(F
emal
e,24
year
sol
d)
“Iju
stb
oug
ht
aB
urb
erry
,B
rit
coat
,or
wh
atw
asit
?T
hey
hav
ere
ally
nic
ecl
oth
bu
tm
ost
ofth
emar
eto
oex
pen
siv
eb
ut
real
lyn
ice”
(Fem
ale,
28ye
ars
old
)“I
dis
cov
ered
Val
enti
no
[Red
Val
enti
no]
som
em
onth
sag
oh
ere
atth
ed
epar
tmen
tst
ore.
Id
idn
’tk
now
itex
iste
dan
dI
was
real
lyp
osit
ivel
ysu
rpri
sed
.W
hat
ach
eap
Val
enti
no!
”(F
emal
e,25
year
sol
d)
Dep
end
enci
esT
his
rela
tion
ship
typ
ew
ason
lyw
eak
lyre
cog
niz
edin
this
stu
dy.
How
ever
,th
ere
lati
onsh
ipw
asex
trem
ely
emot
ion
alb
ecau
sen
otb
ein
gab
leto
get
the
bra
nd
and
mos
tly
cau
sed
anx
iety
pro
ble
ms
“Ih
aven
’tu
sed
Cal
vin
mu
chla
tely
.T
hey
had
goo
du
nd
erw
ear
and
wh
enth
eyw
eren
’tan
ym
ore
avai
lab
leI’
ve
real
lyb
een
intr
oub
le.M
igh
tso
un
dsi
lly.
Ial
way
sh
adth
emb
ut
now
Ica
n’t
any
mor
eas
they
don
’tse
llth
em”
(Mal
e,33
year
sol
d)
Fli
ng
sC
har
acte
rize
db
ytr
ansi
ence
and
lack
oflo
yal
ty,t
his
rela
tion
ship
typ
em
ostl
yem
erg
edas
aw
ayto
test
dif
fere
nt
SD
LE
s.D
ue
toS
DL
Es’
low
erp
rice
,co
nsu
mer
sfe
ltth
eyw
ere
able
totr
yth
ese
bra
nd
san
dif
itd
idn
otfi
t,th
eco
stfo
rtr
yin
gth
eit
emw
asn
otp
erce
ived
imp
ossi
ble
“[y
]Y
oute
sta
bit
oth
erb
ran
ds
asw
ell.
Th
eyar
ech
eap
er.
You
mig
ht
fin
dso
met
hin
gn
ice.
It’s
not
such
ab
igd
eal”
(Fem
ale,
25ye
ars
old
)“U
sual
lyw
hen
Ib
uy
an
ewb
ran
dI
don
’tb
uy
any
thin
gex
pen
siv
e,a
T-s
hir
t,p
ull
over
orsu
ch.
Itr
yth
ema
bit
,it
’sn
otso
exp
ensi
ve,
and
ifth
eyar
en’t
OK
you
don
’tm
ind
that
mu
ch.
You
get
tok
now
new
bra
nd
sth
rou
gh
thes
ech
eap
eron
es”
(Mal
e,62
year
sol
d)
Th
isk
ind
ofre
lati
onsh
ipal
sop
rov
ided
the
pos
sib
ilit
yfo
rv
arie
ty.
Con
sum
ers
wer
eh
app
yto
pay
anaf
ford
able
pri
cefo
ra
hig
hq
ual
ity
bra
nd
,w
hic
hst
ill
enab
led
the
opp
ortu
nit
yfo
rd
iver
sity
(con
tinu
ed)
Table II.
156
JFMM18,2
Dow
nloa
ded
by A
IR U
NIV
ER
SIT
Y P
AK
IST
AN
At 0
2:07
01
Apr
il 20
15 (
PT)
Bra
nd
rela
tion
-sh
ipF
ind
ing
sIl
lust
rati
ve
exce
rpts
from
info
rman
ts
En
mit
ies
En
mit
yre
lati
onsh
ips
emer
ged
mos
tly
thro
ug
hp
ure
dis
lik
efe
ltto
war
dth
eS
DL
E.
As
inre
bou
nd
rela
tion
ship
s,so
me
bra
nd
sw
ere
dis
lik
edd
ue
toot
her
con
sum
ers
wh
ou
sed
the
bra
nd
.Som
ed
idn
otw
ant
them
selv
esto
be
asso
ciat
edw
ith
the
bra
nd
bec
ause
ofth
en
egat
ive
feel
ing
san
dco
nn
otat
ion
sot
her
con
sum
ers
cau
sed
.Th
eyd
idn
otw
ant
oth
ers
toth
ink
the
sam
eab
out
them
that
they
them
selv
esth
oug
ht
abou
tth
eot
her
s
“Ial
sose
eso
me
peo
ple
wea
rin
gth
ing
sth
atI
may
also
hav
ein
my
clos
etan
dI
mig
ht
be
lik
eW
HA
Tth
eyar
ew
eari
ng
it.
[y]o
rw
hen
Iw
ear
itI
don
’tw
ant
tolo
okli
ke
that
.An
dth
enI’
mli
ke,
Id
on’t
wan
tto
wea
rit
any
mor
eor
Ith
ink
it’s
alo
tof
that
ifot
her
peo
ple
wea
rth
eth
ing
and
Id
on’t
lik
eth
ep
eop
lew
eari
ng
it,
that
real
lyaf
fect
sm
yre
lati
onsh
ipw
ith
the
bra
nd
,too
.[y
]I
thin
kin
my
hea
dth
atif
she’
sw
eari
ng
that
som
ayb
eot
her
peo
ple
thin
kth
esa
me
ofm
e”(F
emal
e,24
year
sol
d)
Som
eS
DL
Es
cau
sed
sost
ron
gn
egat
ive
feel
ing
sth
atco
nsu
mer
sd
idn
otw
ant
tob
ein
any
con
tact
wit
hth
em.T
his
bec
ame
clea
rw
hen
ask
edif
info
rman
tsw
ould
use
dis
lik
edb
ran
ds
inan
ysi
tuat
ion
.Som
en
egat
ive
exp
erie
nce
sh
adre
sult
edin
asi
tuat
ion
wh
ere
one
did
not
see
itp
ossi
ble
tou
seth
eb
ran
dan
ym
ore.
Mak
ing
the
cust
omer
feel
chea
ted
once
affe
cted
one’
sp
erce
pti
onof
the
wh
ole
bra
nd
neg
ativ
ely.
Info
rman
tsex
pre
ssed
thei
rd
isli
ke
wit
hth
eir
bod
yla
ng
uag
ean
dto
ne
ofla
ng
uag
e
“If
Iw
ork
inth
est
able
s,I
cou
ldu
seth
em[D
&G
,A
rman
i][y
]Or
ifM
rA
rman
icam
ean
dp
erso
nal
lyg
ave
them
tom
e,b
ut
oth
erw
ise
no”
(Fem
ale,
28ye
ars
old
)
Sec
ret
affa
irs
Th
isre
lati
onsh
ipfo
rmw
ason
eof
the
mos
tof
ten
emer
gin
gty
pes
.W
her
eas
Fou
rnie
rsa
wth
ese
mor
ep
rob
lem
load
ed,t
his
stu
dysh
owed
info
rman
ts’n
eed
toh
ide
are
lati
onsh
ipm
ore
vers
atile
“[y
]if
you
don
’tk
now
that
the
met
alth
ing
isM
arc
by
Mar
c,yo
ud
on’t
kn
owth
atth
eb
agis
Mar
cb
yM
arc.
Th
aton
eis
qu
ite
pri
vat
eb
ecau
seit
doe
sn’t
stan
dou
t;on
lyif
you
are
into
fash
ion
you
kn
owit
.T
hen
Ih
ave
anot
her
one,
the
bri
gh
tp
ink
one.
It’s
aca
nv
asb
agb
ut
Ith
ink
that
real
lyse
nd
sth
em
essa
ge
out.
Im
ust
say
Id
on’t
use
itm
uch
.[y
]N
owI
don
’tu
seit
any
mor
e,it
’sto
om
uch
.A
nd
the
log
ois
ther
eli
ke
WH
OO
M.I
don
’tw
ant
tob
eth
ep
erso
nw
ho
goe
son
the
stre
etto
show
oth
erp
eop
leth
atI
can
affo
rdit
.[y
]T
hat
ifyo
uar
en
otw
eari
ng
log
osyo
uca
nst
illt
ellw
her
eth
ecl
oth
ing
com
esfr
om,I
thin
kth
atis
mor
ew
hat
Iap
pre
ciat
e”(F
emal
e,24
year
sol
d)
On
eco
mm
onre
ason
for
wan
tin
gto
kee
pth
ere
lati
onsh
ipse
cret
was
that
info
rman
tsd
idn
otw
ant
tob
rag
wit
hex
pen
siv
eb
ran
ds
they
use
d.
Big
log
osac
ted
wer
ere
pu
lsiv
e,an
dS
DL
Es
wit
hh
idd
enlo
gos
wer
ep
refe
rred
.T
he
mos
tim
por
tan
tth
ing
was
that
info
rman
th
imse
lfk
new
the
qu
alit
yan
dth
eb
ran
din
stea
dof
show
ing
itp
ub
licl
y.In
form
ants
wer
em
ore
con
ten
tth
atot
her
sw
ho
kn
ewab
out
fash
ion
wou
ldk
now
that
info
rman
tsp
refe
rred
qu
alit
yon
lyb
ylo
okin
gat
outf
its.
Som
ed
idn
otw
ant
tob
eas
soci
ated
asu
sers
ofex
pen
siv
eS
DL
Es,
and
hid
the
log
osif
pos
sib
le.
How
ever
,b
ran
ds
wer
en
otav
oid
edif
the
log
osco
uld
be
hid
den
“Id
on’t
wan
tto
be
kn
own
asth
eon
ew
ho
use
sex
pen
siv
ecl
oth
es.I
cou
ldu
seif
Ili
ked
it,i
tw
asg
ood
bu
tI
don
’tth
ink
the
log
osh
ould
be
mu
chv
isib
le.
Man
yb
ags
by
Kor
sh
ave
real
lyh
ug
elo
gos
.If
they
can
be
tak
enaw
ay,
Ial
way
sd
oth
at.I
wan
tg
ood
qu
alit
y,so
met
imes
even
lux
ury
bu
tI
don
’tw
ant
itto
be
seen
”(F
emal
e,58
year
sol
d)
Am
ore
surp
risi
ng
reas
onw
hy
toh
ide
are
lati
onsh
ipw
asto
pre
ven
tot
her
sfr
omb
uy
ing
the
sam
ecl
oth
es.
To
pro
tect
the
orig
inof
fav
orit
eb
ran
ds
refl
ects
con
sum
er’s
wil
lto
be
per
son
alin
bra
nd
choi
ces,
and
ever
yth
ing
isd
one
tok
eep
oth
ers
away
from
the
bra
nd
s
(con
tinu
ed)
Table II.
157
Consumer-brandrelationships
Dow
nloa
ded
by A
IR U
NIV
ER
SIT
Y P
AK
IST
AN
At 0
2:07
01
Apr
il 20
15 (
PT)
Bra
nd
rela
tion
-sh
ipF
ind
ing
sIl
lust
rati
ve
exce
rpts
from
info
rman
ts
“Ik
now
that
not
man
yof
my
frie
nd
sk
now
the
bra
nd
sso
Ial
way
str
yto
bu
yit
.Ial
way
sg
oal
one.
Ito
ldit
tom
ym
om,
[y]
Bu
tth
ensh
e’s
tak
ing
all
her
frie
nd
sth
ere,
and
I’m
lik
est
opyo
uar
eru
inin
git
!E
ver
yon
eis
goi
ng
tob
uy
thei
rcl
oth
esth
ere
and
then
Ih
ave
tofi
nd
som
eth
ing
else
”(F
emal
e,24
year
sol
d)
Som
ere
lati
onsh
ips
wer
ek
ept
secr
etb
ecau
seth
eon
efe
ltem
bar
rass
edto
even
hav
etr
ied
it.I
nso
me
case
sin
form
ants
did
not
men
tion
bra
nd
sth
eyfe
ltem
bar
rass
edab
out
wh
enfi
rst
talk
ing
abou
tb
ran
ds
they
use
d,b
ut
itb
ecam
eap
par
ent
clos
erto
the
end
ofth
ein
terv
iew
s
Sec
ret
adm
irer
Th
isre
lati
onsh
ipfo
rmw
asex
trem
ely
rele
van
tin
this
stu
dy.
Info
rman
tsse
cret
lyw
ish
edto
own
man
yS
DL
Es
bu
tse
ver
alre
ason
s,su
chas
rest
rict
edec
onom
icsi
tuat
ion
and
lim
ited
avai
lab
ilit
y,st
ood
inth
ew
ayof
acq
uir
ing
them
.Som
etim
esth
ein
form
ant
bec
ame
even
irri
tate
dth
ats/
he
was
not
able
top
urc
has
eth
em,
and
was
only
able
tod
ream
ofow
nin
gth
em.
Wh
enth
ein
form
ant
was
not
able
toac
qu
ire
it,s
/he
acce
pte
dto
only
dre
amab
out
itb
yd
iscu
ssin
git
wit
hot
her
con
sum
ers
wh
oh
adth
esa
me
kin
ds
offe
elin
gs
“Of
cou
rse
I’d
lik
eto
hav
ea
Mar
cb
yM
arcs
.Som
eon
eas
ked
wh
atI’
dli
ke
asex
amin
atio
np
rese
nt
and
that
wou
ldb
eon
e”(F
emal
e,25
year
sol
d)
“May
be
Mar
cb
yM
arc
Jaco
bs
ison
eth
atyo
ud
ream
ofan
dta
lkab
out
rath
erth
anb
uy
ing
one
ones
elf”
(Fem
ale,
26ye
ars
old
)C
hea
pd
ates
Som
eco
nsu
mer
sp
erce
ived
SD
LE
sex
pen
siv
e,an
dth
eref
ore
thei
rp
rice
sen
siti
vit
yaf
fect
edth
ere
lati
onsh
ipth
eyfo
rmed
by
mak
ing
itsh
ort-
term
.M
any
said
that
they
wou
ldm
ore
than
hap
pil
yu
seS
DL
Es
ever
yd
ayif
they
cou
ldaf
ford
,so
mon
eyw
asse
enas
anob
stac
le.B
ecau
seso
me
SD
LE
s’d
esig
nst
yle
was
also
per
ceiv
edas
chal
len
gin
g,i
tb
ecam
ean
oth
erfa
ctor
inad
dit
ion
toth
eh
igh
erp
rice
wh
entr
yin
gto
fin
dth
ew
ante
dp
iece
from
sale
s
“If
Ik
now
In
eed
goo
dcl
oth
es,t
hen
Ig
oth
ere[
Max
&C
o].I
fI
hap
pen
toh
ave
mon
eyof
cou
rses
”(F
emal
e,25
year
sol
d)
Men
tors
Th
isre
lati
onsh
ipty
pe
issu
pp
orte
db
yth
ed
esir
eof
try
ing
tob
eli
ke
som
eon
eth
eco
nsu
mer
adm
ires
orfe
els
stro
ng
resp
ect
for.
Inth
isst
ud
yso
me
con
sum
er’s
fam
ily
mem
ber
sac
ted
asm
ento
rs,w
her
eas
som
eco
nsu
mer
sh
adfe
ltth
en
eed
tob
eon
eof
the
oth
ers
inth
eir
wor
kp
lace
.T
his
typ
eof
beh
avio
rb
reat
hes
stro
ng
resp
ect
and
des
crib
esa
wil
lto
bel
ong
toa
cert
ain
gro
up
“Ire
late
them
tom
ym
om’s
fin
eb
ran
ds.
Th
atyo
u’r
ea
bea
uti
ful
wom
anin
you
rb
est
age
and
you
bu
yA
rman
i.H
asto
do
wit
hth
eg
ener
atio
n.W
hen
Iw
asw
ith
my
mom
inN
Yw
ew
ent
toth
eir
stor
ean
dsh
ere
ally
lik
edit
.T
hat
’sh
owI
wan
tto
bec
ome
wh
enI
bec
ame
old
er”
(Fem
ale,
25ye
ars
old
)
Bu
sin
ess
par
tner
sþ
Ex
chan
ge
rela
tion
ship
s
Are
lati
onsh
ipb
uil
ton
vol
un
tari
nes
san
dg
etti
ng
ap
osit
ive
rew
ard
from
bot
hp
arti
esw
ascl
osel
yat
tach
edw
ith
situ
atio
ns
wh
ere
the
info
rman
tu
sed
cert
ain
SD
LE
sb
ecau
seof
his
wor
k.I
nn
orm
alw
ork
ing
con
dit
ion
sin
form
ants
use
dS
DL
Es
tob
ed
ress
edw
ith
dig
nit
y,w
her
eas
peo
ple
wor
kin
gw
ith
fash
ion
had
“Ip
arti
cip
ated
ina
pro
ject
run
by
Cal
vin
Kle
inJe
ans
and
then
Ire
aliz
edth
atm
ayb
eth
eta
rget
gro
up
ism
ore
toth
eE
ast,
[y]
Wh
enI
was
doi
ng
the
pro
ject
soof
cou
rse
Iw
asd
ress
edin
thei
rcl
oth
es”
(Mal
e,29
year
sol
d)
(con
tinu
ed)
Table II.
158
JFMM18,2
Dow
nloa
ded
by A
IR U
NIV
ER
SIT
Y P
AK
IST
AN
At 0
2:07
01
Apr
il 20
15 (
PT)
Bra
nd
rela
tion
-sh
ipF
ind
ing
sIl
lust
rati
ve
exce
rpts
from
info
rman
ts
rep
rese
nte
da
bra
nd
and
ther
efor
eb
een
req
uir
edto
wea
rit
scl
oth
es.T
his
was
per
ceiv
edm
ore
pos
itiv
ely
bec
ause
no
neg
ativ
eas
soci
atio
ns
exis
ted
tow
ard
the
bra
nd
.On
ein
form
ant’s
acti
vit
yto
war
db
ran
ds
was
bu
sin
ess
orie
nte
d.I
nor
der
tok
eep
up
wit
hth
eb
ran
ds’
dev
elop
men
tan
dp
ossi
ble
job
opp
ortu
nit
ies
the
info
rman
tfo
llow
edth
emb
yu
sin
gso
cial
med
ia.
Bra
nd
sth
atw
ere
foll
owed
shar
edsa
me
val
ues
and
inte
rest
sth
ein
form
ant
had
.Th
ere
war
dw
ould
be
ifth
ein
form
ant
star
ted
wor
kin
gfo
rth
eb
ran
d
“If
Ith
ink
abou
tw
ork
ing
for
ab
ran
dth
enof
cou
rse
you
wou
ldw
ant
itto
be
lik
eyo
uan
dh
ave
the
sam
est
yle”
(Fem
ale,
25ye
ars
old
)
Fad
ing
rela
tion
ship
Th
efa
din
gre
lati
onsh
ipw
asp
artl
yp
rese
nt
inth
isst
ud
y.S
ome
con
sum
ers
atta
ched
cert
ain
SD
LE
sw
ith
mem
orie
sfr
omth
ep
ast,
wh
ich
rem
ind
edth
emfr
omth
eg
ood
old
day
s.T
hes
eb
ran
ds
wer
ese
enas
nos
talg
icb
ut
also
awok
eth
efe
elin
gs
oflo
ng
ing
ifth
eb
ran
ds
wer
en
olo
ng
erav
aila
ble
for
use
“Wel
lof
cou
rse
Ih
ave
som
em
emor
ies,
hav
en’t
bou
gh
tth
emfo
rye
ars.
Ire
mem
ber
DK
NY
.It
’sa
pit
yit
has
dis
app
eare
dfr
omm
ym
apb
ecau
seit
was
just
sog
ood
”(M
ale,
32ye
ars
old
)
Pla
ce-s
pec
ific
rela
tion
ship
Som
etim
esS
DL
Es
wer
eb
oug
ht
bec
ause
ofth
eir
easy
loca
tion
.T
he
city
ofre
sid
ence
had
alo
tto
do
wit
hth
isan
dth
eref
ore
con
sum
er’s
use
ofa
cert
ain
bra
nd
was
rest
rict
edto
ace
rtai
np
lace
“Iu
sed
tou
seD
KN
Yin
2002
-200
5w
hen
Iw
asof
ten
inA
mst
erd
amas
you
cou
ldfi
nd
them
ofte
nin
the
shop
s.T
hey
hav
eg
reat
bra
nd
sth
ere
[Em
por
ioA
rman
i,D
&G
]an
dit
’sea
syto
fin
dth
emw
hen
trav
elli
ng
”(M
ale,
32ye
ars
old
)S
ome
SD
LE
bra
nd
sw
ere
bou
gh
tso
lely
bec
ause
ofth
eir
non
-ex
iste
nce
inon
e’s
own
cou
ntr
y.W
hen
bei
ng
abro
adth
eco
nsu
mer
felt
the
nee
dto
dif
fere
nti
ate
her
self
from
oth
erco
nsu
mer
s,an
db
oug
ht
the
bra
nd
that
was
not
avai
lab
leb
ack
hom
e.S
omet
imes
only
the
pla
ceac
ted
asa
trig
ger
and
was
enou
gh
tod
ecid
eto
bu
yth
eb
ran
d
“Wh
enI
was
ak
idan
dab
road
itw
asre
ally
nic
eto
go
toC
KC
alv
inK
lein
and
bu
yje
ans.
Th
atyo
uco
uld
n’t
do
ath
ome”
(Fem
ale,
25ye
ars
old
)
Table II.
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Con
sum
er-b
ran
dre
lati
onsh
ipD
escr
ipti
onof
the
bra
nd
rela
tion
ship
Illu
stra
tiv
eex
cerp
tsfr
omin
form
ants
Sta
tus
enh
anci
ng
rela
tion
ship
Are
lati
onsh
ipch
arac
teri
zed
by
the
wil
lto
show
oth
ers
that
one
can
affo
rdan
dis
able
tob
uy
exp
ensi
ve
bra
nd
s(S
DL
E).
To
use
bra
nd
sth
atw
ere
open
lyas
soci
ated
wit
hw
ealt
han
dh
igh
pri
ces
wer
ep
erce
ived
asst
atu
ssy
mb
ols
and
aw
ayto
show
oth
ers
that
one
was
doi
ng
wel
lfi
nan
cial
ly.
Th
isre
lati
onsh
ipth
atw
asof
vol
un
tary
nat
ure
som
etim
esb
ecam
em
ore
pre
sen
tam
ong
oth
erco
nsu
mer
sw
ho
fou
nd
the
cert
ain
SD
LE
sim
por
tan
t,w
hic
hon
lyin
crea
sed
the
info
rman
t’sw
ill
tob
eon
eof
the
oth
ers,
and
show
his
own
soci
alst
and
ing
“[y
]M
ayb
eyo
ud
on’t
nee
dto
‘wea
rth
atm
uch
mon
eyon
you
’bu
td
efin
itel
yyo
uca
nsh
oww
ith
you
rcl
oth
esth
atyo
u’r
ed
oin
gfi
ne”
(Mal
e,32
yea
rsol
d)
“D&
Gan
dE
mp
orio
.[y
]Wh
enI
was
ap
rofe
ssio
nal
foot
bal
lpla
yer
oth
ers
wer
ed
ress
edin
thes
eb
ran
ds
and
ifyo
uw
ante
dto
bel
ong
toth
esa
me
gro
up
and
show
that
you
can
also
affo
rdth
em,
then
you
just
had
tow
ear
thes
eb
ran
ds”
(Mal
e,32
year
sol
d)
“[y
]an
dyo
un
gp
eop
lew
ho
can
affo
rdth
em.
It’s
ag
reat
way
tosh
owyo
ur
wea
lth
”(M
ale,
32ye
ars
old
)In
spir
atio
nal
rela
tion
ship
Th
isfo
rmof
rela
tion
ship
emer
ged
asb
inar
y.F
irst
ofal
l,so
me
con
sum
ers
sear
ched
insp
irat
ion
from
the
par
ent
bra
nd
and
then
trie
dto
fulf
ilth
en
eed
amon
gS
DL
Es.
Du
eto
SD
LE
s’h
igh
pri
ces,
som
ese
arch
edin
spir
atio
nfr
omth
ese
con
dli
nes
for
thei
row
ncl
oth
ing
.T
his
rela
tion
ship
form
isch
arac
teri
zed
by
lon
gev
ity
bu
tth
ele
vel
oflo
yal
tyis
qu
esti
onab
leb
ecau
seth
eS
DL
Ech
osen
did
not
hav
eto
be
from
the
par
ent
bra
nd
’sex
ten
sion
,b
ut
oth
erex
ten
sion
sw
ere
suit
able
aslo
ng
asth
eyfu
lfil
led
the
nee
d
“Iw
ould
firs
tg
oto
the
par
ent
bra
nd
s,an
dI
alw
ays
go
toB
urb
erry
bu
tB
urb
erry
from
the
catw
alk
(Pro
rsu
m)
not
the
one
wit
hth
ech
eck
s.A
nd
then
chec
kou
tal
lth
ep
iece
sI
lik
ean
dof
cou
rse
they
are
all
ver
yex
pen
siv
e.A
nd
then
Ig
oto
the
dif
fusi
onli
nes
.A
nd
Id
on’t
go
toth
ed
iffu
sion
lin
espe
rse
for
the
bra
nd
sI
saw
bu
tI
look
for
the
clot
hes
that
wer
esi
mil
arth
atI
saw
up
stai
rs–
bu
tfo
rle
ssm
oney
!F
orex
amp
le,
Isa
wan
amaz
ing
coat
atB
urb
erry
,li
ke
som
eth
ing
wit
hle
ath
er,
and
then
Ig
olo
okat
the
dif
fusi
onli
nes
bec
ause
it’s
chea
per
.D
oth
eyh
ave
any
thin
gsi
mil
arth
atw
ould
may
be
suit
me
too?
”(F
emal
e,24
year
sol
d)
Imp
uls
ere
lati
onsh
ipIm
pu
lse
rela
tion
ship
sar
est
eere
db
yth
ep
urc
has
esi
tuat
ion
and
the
pos
sib
ilit
yof
acq
uir
ing
the
bra
nd
wit
ha
shor
tn
otic
ean
dw
ith
out
over
thin
kin
git
.Th
elo
wer
pri
ceco
mp
ared
toit
sp
aren
tb
ran
d’s
cost
was
seen
asa
dec
idin
gan
den
cou
rag
ing
fact
or.
Som
etim
esev
enca
lmin
g.
Th
ese
kin
ds
ofre
lati
onsh
ips
are
hig
hly
sati
sfy
ing
wit
ha
shor
t-te
rmen
gag
emen
t
“Ica
nea
sily
bu
yth
issu
b-b
ran
db
yan
imp
uls
eb
ecau
seit
’sle
ssex
pen
siv
e.I
mig
ht
bu
yju
stli
ke
that
,al
lof
asu
dd
en”
(Mal
e,62
year
sol
d)
“May
be
mor
eto
Max
Mar
a,b
ecau
seth
eyar
eal
way
sw
aym
uch
mor
eex
pen
siv
e,so
then
Ica
nm
ake
mor
eim
pu
lse
pu
rch
ases
from
thei
rse
con
dli
ne
[Max
&C
o]”
(Fem
ale,
58ye
ars
old
)R
ewar
din
gfr
ien
dsh
ipR
ewar
din
gfr
ien
dsh
ips
are
char
acte
rize
db
yth
e“T
hen
wh
enI
am[y
]”–
thin
kin
g.C
onsu
mer
sp
ush
them
selv
esto
reac
hth
eir
goa
lsin
ord
erto
be
able
tore
war
dth
emse
lves
afte
rre
ach
ing
the
mil
esto
nes
.T
his
typ
eof
rela
tion
ship
isst
eere
db
yco
nsu
mer
’sow
nam
bit
ion
and
wil
l,an
dco
nta
ins
hig
hem
otio
nal
rew
ard
s.
“Ial
way
ssa
wm
yse
lfli
ke
wh
enI
gra
du
ate,
Iw
illb
uy
my
self
ali
ttle
Ch
anel
bag
.[y
]S
oye
s,I
wan
tto
trea
tm
yse
lfb
ut
Iw
ill
go
for
som
eth
ing
less
exp
ensi
ve.
Iw
ould
not
go
over
the
bu
dg
etof
500h
wh
enI
wan
tto
trea
tm
yse
lfli
ke
bec
ause
Ig
rad
uat
edor
bec
ause
it’s
my
bir
thd
ayor
Ife
elli
ke
Id
eser
ve
it.
Itr
eat
my
self
bu
tn
otw
ith
(con
tinu
ed)
Table III.New consumers’ brandrelationship forms withstep-down line extensionsnot identified in earlierstudies
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Con
sum
er-b
ran
dre
lati
onsh
ipD
escr
ipti
onof
the
bra
nd
rela
tion
ship
Illu
stra
tiv
eex
cerp
tsfr
omin
form
ants
Rel
atio
nsh
ips
are
sym
bol
ized
by
lon
g-t
erm
eng
agem
ent
and
hav
eh
igh
inte
rdep
end
ence
.C
onsu
mer
sw
ant
tob
ep
rou
dof
thes
eac
hie
vem
ents
,an
dth
eref
ore
are
stro
ng
lyco
mm
itm
ent
hu
ge
amou
nt
ofm
oney
”(F
emal
e,24
year
sol
d)
“Th
enI
thou
gh
tli
ke
that
Ih
aven
’tg
iven
my
self
ag
rad
uat
ion
pre
sen
tso
this
Iw
ill
giv
em
yse
lfas
ag
rad
uat
ion
pre
sen
t![D
iscu
sses
D&
Gb
ag]
Iu
sual
lyh
ave
ag
ood
reas
onw
hy
Ib
uy
som
eth
ing
lik
eth
at.I
tis
usu
ally
atr
eat.
[y]
Ire
war
dm
yse
lfth
atI
can
say.
[y]
Ib
oug
ht
them
bec
ause
I’v
eb
een
goo
d.
[y]
you
’ve
bee
na
goo
dg
irl,
her
eis
you
rtr
eat”
(Fem
ale,
26y
ears
old
)T
urn
coat
(dy
nam
icre
lati
onsh
ip)
Th
isty
pe
ofre
lati
onsh
iph
adp
rev
iou
sly
bee
nof
neg
ativ
en
atu
reb
ut
now
,su
dd
enly
org
rad
ual
ly,d
evel
oped
toa
pos
itiv
e-lo
aded
rela
tion
ship
.T
he
rela
tion
ship
mig
ht
stil
lla
cklo
yal
tyb
ecau
seof
the
pas
t.E
mot
ion
ally
inte
nse
char
acte
rb
ecau
seof
chan
ged
feel
ing
s
“Bu
rber
ryB
rit
isa
pos
itiv
esu
rpri
se.
It’s
not
so‘h
igh
-up
’.I
saw
an
ice
coat
and
wh
enI
real
ized
it’s
Bu
rber
ry,w
hic
hI
hat
edas
ach
ild
,th
eit
was
too
late
tob
ack
asth
eyw
ere
son
ice.
An
dth
ew
hol
eas
sort
men
tis
nic
e.N
owI
feel
bet
ter
abou
tB
urb
erry
asw
ell”
(Fem
ale,
28ye
ars
old
)
Table III.
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may not fully be replacements, but rather temporary substitutes for consumers.The temporary solutions to informants’ needs suggests that luxury brands have partlysucceeded in their attempts to expand their customer base. Further, despite thatextensions often are targeted toward younger consumers (e.g. Beaudoin et al., 2003;Cochrane, 2012), both young and older consumers use them. This may become achallenge for the parent brand in the future, if more mature consumers with betterpurchasing power decide to replace the parent brands completely with extensions.Further, the findings suggest that consumers who are not able to buy the parent brandmay satisfy the need with the extension. This supports Sweeney and Chew’s (2002)dimension of subordination, where a consumer accepts one’s role as secondary andsettles for the given opportunities. Certain types of brands are used during different lifephases, and the present study presents an idea of a continuum, where one graduallyproceeds from high street brands to step-down line extensions and eventually evenstarts using parent brands later in life. Additionally, it supports Kim and Kwon’s (2011)study where consumers’ life stage was found to affect the relationship formedwith brands. Some consumers wanted to look after and fulfil the need to ownstatus-indicating goods despite the more challenging financial times. Hence, theextensions were not completely replacing their parent brands, but the possibilityexisted. In contrast to the Phau and Cheong (2009b) proposal that loyalty toward theparent brand describes the use of its extension, and the present study revealed thatwhen searching for inspiration for one’s own clothing, whatever step-down lineextension was suitable to fulfil the need was purchased. It did not necessarily have tobe the inspirational parent brand’s extension that was bought. In this sample, lineextensions have partially replaced parent brands among consumers mostly due to theirsuitable style and affordable prices. This, therefore, supports Speed’s (1998) proposalthat line extensions can be accepted as substitutes. Even consumers who are usedto buying the parent brand prefer line extensions due to the design. This type ofcannibalization where the extension directly impacts the parent brand’s sales, affectsthe relationship formed with the parent brand, supporting findings by Kirmani et al.(1999) and Njissen (1999).
6. Discussion and further studiesThe aim of the present study was to identify different consumer-brand relationshipforms in step-down line extensions in the context of the luxury fashion industry.In addition, the study provided support to earlier studies concerning how consumersperceive step-down line extensions and especially how consumers’ image heritage(Rindell, 2013) influences their perceptions. This study recognized both negative- andpositive-loaded brand relationships between consumers and step-down line extensions.Overall, 21 brand relationship forms were identified, out of which 16 were previouslyidentified by other researchers: casual friends/buddies, committed partnerships, bestfriendships, compartmentalized friendships, rebounds/avoidance-driven relationships,courtships, dependencies, flings, enmities, secret affairs, secret admirer, cheap dates,mentors, business partners, fading relationships, place-specific relationship. The currentfindings support these studies. Five new relationship forms were identified, however:status enhancing relationship, inspirational relationship, impulse relationship, rewardingrelationship and turncoat relationship.
One of step-down line extension brands’ challenges may be to form dependencyrelationships with consumers. This study recognized only a few relationships wherefeelings of anxiety were aroused if the informant was not able to use the extension,
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as informants saw them only as “someone’s second line.” When extensions were perceivedvery positively, it mostly resulted in increased trust for the brand. This developed therelationship to become more long term, which Fournier (1998) sees as a characteristic for atrusted brand, resulting in committed partnerships.
However, some extensions evoked extremely negative feelings among informants,resulting in enmity relationships. Likewise, some parent brands were perceivednegatively, resulting in same form of brand relationship with the extension. Consumersmay feel that negative brand relationships are not relationships. However, negativerelationships may be considered as brand relationships due to the mental nature ofconsumer-brand relationship (Rindell, 2013) and are important to study in future research.
In this sample, secret affairs were one of the most common relationships emergingwith step-down line extensions. These extremely private relationships were mostly suchwhere informants did not either want others to know that they liked the extension or didnot want others to know which brands they were using. As Fournier (1998) mentioned, itwas often perceived as a problem if others knew about the relationship they were secretlyhaving, and therefore, informants preferred extensions with hidden logos.
In conclusion, this study identified five new brand relationship forms extendingbrand relationship theory. Status-enhancing relationships reflect the need to showothers that one could afford expensive line extensions. As Okonkwo (2007) and Truonget al. (2009) argue, even young consumers aim for owning luxury products to improvetheir social standing among people they feel are in the same setting. The feeling ofbeing part of a group is central and using “the right step-down line extension” can actas a way to break into the group, supporting previous findings of communicatingstatus to others as being a necessity (e.g. Atwal and Williams, 2009; Nueno and Quelch,1998). The idea is to show that one should be perceived similar to others in the groupinstead of bragging with one’s capability to buy pricey brands. The need to belong tothe group is a status symbol itself. Inspirational relationships describe consumers’ways of searching for inspiration for their clothing. When parent brands are used asthe source of inspiration, the real end product steaming from the inspiration is foundamong step-down line extensions. Informants also searched inspiration directly fromthe extensions when realizing that their financial situation did not allow buying themdirectly. The dream of owning a product of higher quality was the dominant factor inthis relationship and can therefore be attached to Ji’s (2002) secret admirer. The biggestdifference is that in secret admirer relations, consumers wish to own the brand but arenot able to get it, whereas inspirational relationships are formed to find inspirationfor one’s own clothing, not a potential purchase. This type can be assumed relevantin other industries too. In the automobile industry, one can assume that consumerstest drive exclusive cars to find elements they find important for the eventual car theydecide to purchase.
The emergence of impulse relationships could be explained as a relationship formwhere the price is the dominant factor. A relationship steered by the moment occurredamong informants who were able to buy an extension on short notice and without overthinking. Rewarding relationships, on the other hand, emerge when one sets a goal foroneself, and after reaching it, rewards the achievement by buying something they like.It was often from step-down line extensions because one did not want the price to betoo high. Therefore, one can conclude that the existence of these two relationships hasa common deciding factor, the price. Relationships of these kind emerged when theextension’s low price was not seen as an obstacle, but more as a stimulus. This studyalso identified relationships that had changed from being hated to being liked over time.
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Turncoat (changing) relationships are characterized by voluntariness, but the differencefrom a love-hate relationship lies in the yo-yo effect. In turncoats, a consumer has fullychanged her opinion of a brand (from negative to positive), resulting in this relationship.This finding is of greater importance for firms due to the change factor. Rindell (2007)studied brand image dynamics and found that changes may be due to slow changes overtime or sudden changes, as well as related to the customer, company or the customer’senvironment. Further studies on brand relationship changes are invited to deepen theunderstanding of brand image dynamics.
The study demonstrated the value of interpersonal relationship metaphorsconsidering differences in consumers’ relationships with step-down line extensions.It is critical to understand relationships emerging between consumers and brands inthe fashion industry because of the ongoing changes in the marketplace. By beingaware of diverse consumer-brand relationships, brand owners may develop strategicand tactical initiatives that enable customer satisfaction and evolvement for step-downline extensions. In addition, retailers and distributors may be inspired by the findingsof the present study and offer a broader selection of line extensions for customers.Consumer-brand relationship understanding may also enable marketing managers tounderstand changes in customer preferences, thereby attracting lost customers. Futurestudies are invited to verify, maybe through quantitative approaches, the explorativefindings in this study.
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Appendix. Collages of fashion brands
Figure A2.Collage 2: step-down
line extensions
Figure A1.Collage 1: parent brands
and step-down lineextensions mixed
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About the authors
Kamilla Hanslin is associated to the Department of Marketing, Centre for Relationship Marketingand Service Management CERS at the HANKEN School of Economics in Helsinki. Her researchinterests are related to luxury brands.
Anne Rindell is an Associate Professor in the Department of Marketing at the HANKEN Schoolof Economics. She holds a PhD from HANKEN School of Economics. Her research interests arebranding, service and relationship management and arts marketing. Associate Professor AnneRindell is the corresponding author and can be contacted at: [email protected]
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email protected] visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
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