Beyond Attitudes: Attachment and Consumer Behavior

Abstract

Although attachment theorists have examined the attachment concept in diverse relationship contexts (romantic relationship, kinship, and friendship, etc.), the nomological network of the construct has not been fully delineated. The purpose of the present paper is to develop this nomological network. We define brand attachment as the strength of the cognitive and emotional bond connecting the brand with the self. This definition involves two unique and essential elements: (1) connectedness between the brand and the self and (2) a cognitive and emotional bond, the strength of which evokes a readiness to allocate ones processing resources toward a brand. We examined factors that create brand attachment, the effects of brand attachment on higher order relationship-based exchange behaviors, why attachments (and hence relationships) weaken or terminate, and how they may be measured.