Relationship Stages and Consumption Patterns: Variations in Object Attachment and Importance of the Brand

Relationship Stages and Consumption Patterns: Variations in Object Attachment and Importance of the Brand

 

Maria Sääksjärvi

Ryszard Kedzior

HANKEN – Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration

 

This paper presents a conceptualization of relationship stages and links it to object attachment and the importance of brands. The relationship cycle refers to intimate relationships and is proposed to consist of four stages: single life, infatuation, committed relationship, and dissolution. Each stage is consumer-perceived rather than actual, and is signified by a distinct combination of object attachment levels, in which the importance of brands also varies. These fluctuations are proposed to be driven by consumers’ need to communicate or maintain their self-identity throughout the different stages.



Citation:

Maria Sääksjärvi and Ryszard Kedzior (2006) ,"Relationship Stages and Consumption Patterns: Variations in Object Attachment and Importance of the Brand", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 33, eds. Connie Pechmann and Linda Price, Duluth, MN : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 334-335.

Authors

Maria Sääksjärvi, Hanken- Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration
Ryszard Kedzior, Hanken- Swedish School of Economics and Business Administration



Volume

NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 33 | 2006



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