Exploring dimensions of consumer-human brand attachment

Abstract

Evidence suggests that many consumers form strong attachments to the brands they use. Recently, celebrities have been recognised as human brands and research suggests that consumers are influenced by their attachment towards such human brands. This study explores the attachment that consumers form towards celebrities by identifying specific dimensions of attachment. A principal components factor analysis revealed four distinct factors of consumer-human brand attachment: 1) separation distress, 2) trust, 3) relatedness and 4) satisfaction. Further analyses showed that each of the four factors was able to be used to differentiate between strong versus weak consumer-human brand attachment.