The role of functional and symbolic brand associations on brand loyalty

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of functional (perceived quality) and symbolic (personality congruence, user imagery congruence, brand prestige and brand tribalism) brand associations in attitude and brand loyalty of Generation Y’s consumers towards two categories of luxury fashion brands. Design/methodology/approach – A structural equation modeling method is employed in this research based on data collected from 450 individuals born between 1977 and 1994 in Iran. Watches and sunglasses are two luxury product categories chosen in this study. Findings – The findings of the study reveal that perceived quality is the better predictor of brand attitude and brand loyalty. Personality congruence (mediated by perceived brand quality), brand prestige (mediated by perceived brand quality and brand attitude) and brand tribalism (mediated by brand attitude) have an indirect positive effect on brand loyalty. Research limitations/implications – Due to the historical delay in the entrance and publicity of modern information and communication technologies in Iran compared with the western societies, the studied generation in this paper might not be completely conformed to the mentioned characteristics of Generation Y in terms of using media. Originality/value – This study combines consumer-based and community approaches of creation and management of brand to examine loyalty towards luxury fashion brands in Generation Y’s consumers as an attractive segment for luxury brands.