Anne Rindell

The role of brand images in consumer practices: uncovering embedded brand strength

Purpose – The present paper seeks to analyse the role of brand images in consumer practices for uncovering brand strength.Design/methodology/approach – By employing a qualitative approach, data are analysed based on three elements that constitute the practices: objects (what tools or resources are required in the practice), images involved, and competences (what competences does the practice require).Findings – The authors suggest practices as an additional unit of analysis for understanding brand strength based on image. Towards this end, the paper identifies and systematically categorises consumer practices and proposes that consumers develop novel and personal practices related to brands. The findings reveal embedded brand strength in mundane, routinised practices.Originality/value – The paper presents a novel approach for understanding the past (image heritage) and current (image‐in‐use) dimensions of brand images and their embeddedness in consumer practices.

Am I worth it? Gifting myself with luxury

Purpose – Consumers gift themselves with luxury fashion brands, yet the motives for self-gifting are not well understood. Whereas traditionally, self-gifting is defined as self-orientated in nature, luxury brands are seen as social statements, and self-gifting of luxury fashion brands that combine these two controversial areas is an interesting research topic. The purpose of this paper is to address this issue by exploring the self-gifting behaviour of consumers, in particular focusing on the personal motives of gifting oneself with luxury fashion brands. Design/methodology/approach – The study takes a multi-qualitative approach involving a small (n=19) but rich sample. Data collection and analysis were triangulated to reduce researcher biases. Findings – The study provides key dimensions for understanding consumers’ perceptions of luxury fashion brands and self-gifting motives (self and socially orientated). The findings reveal that reflections from others are part of the self-gifting phenomenon. It appe...

Consumer-brand relationships in step-down line extensions of luxury and designer brands

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss and identify consumer-brand relationships in a luxury brand context. The focus is on consumer-brand relationship forms emerging in relation to step-down line extensions of luxury brands. The study is positioned within fashion industry. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research approach is adopted analyzing data from 13 open consumer interviews. Photo collages of luxury brands and their step-down line extension logos were used as inspiration for informants in the interviews. Findings – Findings show that consumer-brand relationships mostly follow earlier identified consumer-brand relationships. However, five new relationship types (status, inspirational, impulse, rewarding and turncoat) are identified. All but status relationships can be generalized also to other contexts than the luxury brand context. Research limitations/implications – The study advances the understanding of luxury products and their step-down line extensions from a consumer pe...

Satisfaction as a mediator between quality metrics in manufacturer-supplier relationships

The objective of the current study is to test the findings in previous research indicating satisfaction is a mediator between trust and commitment, and among the three important outcomes of coordination, cooperation and continuity expectancy. Researchers contacted a sample of the 1,000 largest companies in Finland and Sweden by telephone to identify key informants, and posted surveys to them. The empirical findings of the current study validate the conceptual model tested; commitment and trust relate positively to satisfaction, and satisfaction, in turn, relates positively to all three outcomes of coordination, cooperation and continuity. The validation of the measurement and structural properties of the tested conceptual model is of benefit to other researchers. The empirical findings indicate that to establish lasting relationships of cooperation, and coordination, companies need develop commitment and trust in ongoing relationships to enhance satisfaction. A contribution is the validation of empirical findings in previous research.

Context and time in brand image constructions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to further understanding of the roles that time and context play in consumers’ evolving brand image construction processes over time. Design/methodology/approach – This exploratory, qualitative research is based on the analysis and interpretation of 164 online consumer narratives pertaining to the consumers’ most memorable coffee moments. Findings – Consumers build images of a brand through both fleeting moments over time linked to special occasions and everyday moments in their lives over time. Understanding image construction processes thus must go beyond just physical (location) and psychological (social) circumstances. Activity processes (“When I am doing […]”) also are central to this understanding. Research limitations/implications – Time and context emerge as key determinants of consumers’ brand image processes and should hence be explicitly recognised in branding research. This study focuses only on brand admirers; because the study context refers to a busine...

A validation of inputs and outputs of satisfaction in business-to-business relationships through a Nordic comparison

The purpose of this study was to make an international comparison of business-to-business relationships in Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The focus is on testing: a) the validity and reliability of whether trust and commitment have a positive association with satisfaction; b) whether satisfaction has a positive association with the outputs of specific investments, opportunism, and formalisation. This international study consisted of 1,500 companies. The Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish sampling frame each consisted of the 500 largest companies, based upon revenue, across multiple industries. The response rate was 38%. Based on the tested model, it was validated that: a) the most solid positive relation is between trust and satisfaction; b) the most solid negative relation is between satisfaction and opportunism. The study indicates that companies should focus on and strive toward solid satisfaction in business relationships to reduce the risk of business partners becoming opportunistic. The study validates previous research comparing cross-country inputs and outputs of satisfaction in business relationships.

Validation of a META‐RELQUAL construct through a Nordic comparative study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the validity and reliability of a META‐RELQUAL construct in Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish business relationships.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 1,500 companies were involved. The Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish sampling frames each consisted of the 500 largest companies based upon revenue across multiple industries. The response rate was 38 percent.Findings – The goodness‐of‐fit measures of the tested measurement model of the META‐RELQUAL construct were all found to be satisfactory within the recommended guidelines. The recommended guidelines for convergent, discriminant and nomological validity, as well as for construct reliability, were all well met. It is concluded that the measurement properties of the META‐RELQUAL construct applied in Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish business relationships indicate acceptable validity and reliability.Research limitations/implications – The tested META‐RELQUAL construct appears accurate for those Finnish, Norwegi...