Exploring a process and stages of brand identification for luxury goods consumers

[[abstract]]本研究針對奢侈品消費者，從社會心理學之社會認定和社會學習觀點探討品牌認同的概念，旨在探討：(1)探究奢侈品消費者品牌認同的動態過程。(2)比較奢侈公開品與奢侈私有品之消費者在品牌認同的過程中，是否存有階段性差異。(3) 瞭解奢侈品品牌認同過程階段的內在心理反應與外在行為。 為深入了解消費者與品牌接觸的動態歷程，採質性研究之紮根理論法深入研究奢侈品品牌認同的相關完整階段。根據Bearden and Etzel (1982)分類，將奢侈品進一步區分成奢侈公開品與奢侈私有品，訪談十位受訪者，探討消費者對品牌認同之現象與動態過程，並整理出詳細消費者品牌認同之階段與過程。 研究結果顯示，奢侈品消費者品牌認同是消費者自我概念與品牌形象的互動的結果。消費者品牌認同可分為三大時期，每一期又有數種不同階段，階段的進展即為對品牌認同強化的過程：1 發展認同期：包括知曉、潛伏、自發/順從-從眾、探索及模仿學習階段，其中潛伏階段要進入下個階段時，存在著需求確認機制。2 正式化認同期：包括計算式承諾和主動維持關係階段。3 忠誠式認同期：包括情感式承諾和共鳴階段。其中，在每個階段皆可能發生四種回返反應：消弱、返回、再生同化及固著。本研究補足學者對品牌認同研究的缺口，並推論出消費者品牌認同過程具動態性與階段性，進一步釐清品牌-消費者關係與品牌認同過程的內涵與程度、以及產品向度影響品牌認同的發展。[[abstract]]This study explores the process of how consumers develop their brand identification toward luxury goods from the perspective of social identity and social learning The research objectives are: (1) to explore dynamic process of brand identification toward luxury goods (2) to compare whether there exists identification differences between luxury public goods and luxury private goods (3) to understand inherent psychologies reaction and behavior on each identification process By interview of ten respondents this study adopts grounded theory method to collect data and analyze consumers brand identification towards luxury goods The results reveal that consumers brand identification towards luxury goods consumers mainly results from the interaction between consumer’s self concept and brand image Consumer brand identification could be divided into three stages and each stages includes its own subphases as follows: 1 Developmental identification: including awareness latent spontaneity compliance-conformity explore and imitate learning phase While entering next stage during the course of latent among them the need recognition will exist 2 Sacralizational identification: including calculative commitment and proactive and relationship maintain 3 Loyalty identification: including affective commitment and resonance subphase Among them four types of responses (extinction retrogression reproductive assimilation and fixation) take place at each stage The social dynamic concept and the developed brand identification phases constructed in this research offers practical interesting implications for brand practitioner