| Summary: | 博士 === 國立高雄第一科技大學 === 管理學院博士班 === 103 === The development of consumer-brand relationship is a very popular topic in the past two decades. Until the last decade this issue has more empirical evidence to prove consumer-brand relationship is a better predictor for consumer behavior than customer satisfaction. However, these studies are still lacking investigation on the formation of consumer-brand relationship, the relationships among brand love dimensions, and these relationships may vary in different service patterns.
Therefore, this study is based on Sterbernberg (1986)’s brand triangular theory to include brand intimacy and brand commitment into the model and to find out what’s relations between these two constructs. We further developed rational appeals (food quality, restaurant environment, and price fairness) and emotional appeals (self-consistency, employee hospitality and past memories) to understand how its effect on brand intimacy and brand commitment and then affect resistance to negative information and not willing to switch.
The subjects who had dined in one of these four catering services include self-service restaurant, casual restaurant, café and fast food were qualified to film the questionnaire. We used snowball sampling method to collect questionnaire on line. A total of 1,067 effective questionnaires were received and the response rate was 95%. That included 213 in self-service cafeteria, 202 in casual restaurant, 300 in café and 302 in fast food restaurant. Amos 17.0 and SPSS18.0 were conducted to do the reliability rest, validity test and path analysis.
Critical academic implications are as follows: (1)This research establishes a comprehensive model to understand how the close relationships between customer and brand can be built. (2)The elements under rational appeals and emotional appeals are developed to measure the effect of marketing plan. Rational appeal includes food quality, restaurant environment, and price fairness and emotional appeal includes self-congruence, employee hospitality, and past memories. (3)This research discovers the mediation effect of brand intimacy and brand commitment. The rational appeals and emotional appeals will positively affect brand commitment through brand intimacy and brand intimacy will positively affect resistance to negative information and unwilling to switch through brand commitment. (4)Rational appeals have greater influences on brand love than emotional appeals. (5)Restaurant environment is the primary factor of rational and emotional appeals to enhance brand intimacy. (6)Employee hospitality is a critical factor of emotional appeals to promote brand intimacy.
Important practical implications for the food and beverage industry are as follows: Rational appeals have greater impact on brand intimacy and brand commitment than emotional appeals. Restaurant managers need to return to focus on the basic elements of the restaurant which is food quality, dining environment, and price fairness. Designing a well dining environment, providing good food, and setting a fair price will get closer to the customers. Then, customers will be willing to make a commitment and behave as a loyal customer. This research also provides many branding strategy to the Self-Service Cafeteria, casual restaurant, café, and fast food industry.
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