Individual Brand Loyalty and the Self-Corporate Connection Induced by Corporate Associations

기업연상이 소비자의 자아연관성과 개별브랜드의 충성도에 미치는 영향

Research regarding corporate associations in marketing has generally been approached using the association theory. However, limited research investigates the effect of corporate associations on consumer loyalty to individual brands by examining the role of self connectedness with a corporate image. The activation of behavior-related constructs can influence individuals' behaviors without their intention or conscious awareness. A recently developed body of research suggests that self connection can play an important role in affecting subsequent behaviors. Although these effects have received considerable attention, the set of mechanisms involved in self connectedness and loyalty to individual brands is not clear. An active self account in which associative constructs can affect behavior by temporarily altering the active self-concept may lead to behavior or evaluation. If the exposure to a corporate brand can induce consumers' cognitive associations and goal-primed effects through the role of active self accounting, the connectedness between the consumer's self and the corporate brand could be developed and this connectedness could be explained by associative and connection models and the goal priming theory. Therefore, this study investigates the influence of corporate associations on loyalty to individual brands through connections between the corporate and the consumer's self. There are three main purposes of the research. First, theories regarding corporate associations will be explored. Second, theories of self-concept will be investigated and self connectedness with corporate brands will be explored. Third, the effects of the connectedness between the self and the corporation on corporate identification and loyalty to individual brands will be investigated. For the purposes of this research, the types of corporate associations are classified into corporate ability (CA) associations and corporate social responsibility (CSR) associations. Furthermore, the connectedness between the consumer's self and the corporate image are divided into two concepts: the connectedness between the individual self-concept and the corporate identity and the connectedness between social self-concept and the corporate identity. This study suggests the hypotheses that the types of consumer self connections with the corporate image could vary according to the types of corporate associations created and further that the connectedness between the corporate association and the consumer's self-concept have positive effects on loyalty to corporate individual brands. The results of testing these hypotheses are as follows. First, corporate ability associations enhance the connectedness between the consumer's individual self and corporate brands. That is, corporate ability associations influence individual connectedness between the corporate and individual self-concept positively from the viewpoint of the consumer's personal ability and branding success. In addition, corporate social responsibility associations have a positive effect on social connectedness between the corporation and the consumer's social self-concept. Second, the connectedness between the corporate brand and the consumer's self-concept affects identification with the corporation. The consumer's personal self and social self connectedness induces corporate identification. Third, individual self connectedness has a positive effect on loyalty to corporate individual brands, while social self connectedness does not. This also means that individual self connectedness with the corporate image or brand plays a more important role in forming individual brand loyalty than social self connectedness with the corporate does. In addition, social connectedness cannot influence individual brand loyalty until it passes through identification with the corporate. Fourth, consumers who experience identification with a corporate identity also show positive responses to corporate individual brands. That is, consumers also develop loyalties toward individual brands through the corporate identification because self-pursued goals that are induced by corporate associations can be achieved by consuming the individual brands that are sold by the corporate that the consumers identify with.

이 연구는 기업연상의 유형을 기업능력연상과 사회적 책임연상으로 구분하고, 기업연상의 유형에 따라 기업과 연관되는 소비자의 자아 유형이 다르며, 기업과 소비자의 자아와의 연관성이 기업의 개별브랜드충성도에 영향을 미치는 과정을 분석하였다. 기업능력연상이 자신의 능력이나 개인적 성공의 관점에서 자신의 개인적 자아와 연관성을 형성하고, 기업의 사회적 책임연상은 다른 사람들의 시선에 관련된 소비자의 사회적 자아와의 연관성을 형성함을 탐색하고, 소비자의 개인적 자아 및 사회적 자아와의 연관성은 기업과의 동일시를 유도함을 분석하였다. 그리고 개인적 자아연관성은 기업의 개별브랜드 충성도에 직접적으로 긍정적인 영향을 주고, 또 동일시를 통하여 개별 브랜드의 충성도에 영향을 미침을 탐색하였다. 그런데 사회적 자아연관성은 직접적인 영향을 주지 않고 동일시를 통하여 개별 브랜드의 충성도에 영향을 미침을 탐색하였다.