Conceptualisation, measurement, and validation of consumer-brand identification : a social identity theory perspective

Elbedweihy, Alaa Mohamed

Abstract

Of particular importance to academics and practitioners in the marketing discipline is the ability to identify means of building deep, committed and enduring relationships with customers. Consumer-brand identification has been proposed as a useful construct in understanding the underlining mechanisms that explain relationships between consumers and brands. Despite the surge in interest in examining identification in the organisational settings, little attention has been paid to the investigation of the notion of identification in the branding context. Following a systematic review of relevant peer-reviewed articles in six major electronic databases, published between 1989 and 2013, three limitations were apparent (a) the lack of clear unequivocal definition of consumer identification, (b) doubts over discriminant validity between consumer identification and similar marketing constructs, and (c) limited evidence of reliability or validity for most available measures. Informed by these issues, a theoretically grounded conceptualisation and measurement of consumer-brand identification construct were developed. Specifically, three comprehensive phases were conducted to develop a reliable, valid and parsimonious consumer-brand identification scale. Following item generation from literature review and two expert surveys, these items in conjunction with related constructs and existing measures of identification were administered to two independent samples. Numerous exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were employed to purify the scale, determine the dimensionality of the construct, assess the internal consistency of the scale, and support its convergent, discriminant and predictive validity. These analyses found support for a second-order consumer-brand identification construct comprising of five first-order factors: cognitive identification, affective identification, public evaluation, private evaluation, and emotional responses. Using a third new sample, the newly developed scale was then incorporated into a full structural model to assess its nomological
validity.

This thesis contributes to the identification theory and practice by, first, offering a theoretically grounded conceptualisation of consumer-brand identification and delineating the construct of interest from similarly related constructs. Second, by developing a valid, reliable and parsimonious scale that reflects the multidimensional conceptualisation of the construct. Third, by utilising the new measure to study underexplored antecedents and consequences to the newly conceptualised consumer-brand identification construct. Finally, the findings would help researchers and managers gain a better understanding of the phenomenon of identification and factors under which identification is likely to occur that can derive advocacy or championing behaviour. In addition, consumer-brand identification scale might facilitate the measurement of identification in future empirical studies and could be a useful tool for managers to determine the level of identification of both current and potential consumers.

Citation

Elbedweihy, A. M. (2014). Conceptualisation, measurement, and validation of consumer-brand identification : a social identity theory perspective. (Thesis). University of Hull. Retrieved from https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4216742

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Jul 22, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 23, 2023
• Keywords: Business
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4216742
• Additional Information: Business School, The University of Hull
• Award Date: Dec 1, 2014