Short answer

Designers and marketers should prioritize creating products and brand experiences that evoke strong emotional and sensory pleasure, and clearly communicate the unique symbolic value and prestige of the brand to foster deep consumer affection and loyalty.

Field: Innovation & Markets
Source: Journal of Strategic Marketing (2023)
Method: Quantitative survey research utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM).
Evidence: Strong effect

Consumer love for traditional luxury brands is primarily driven by the pursuit of hedonistic experiences and the symbolic value these brands represent, which in turn foster brand prestige. This innovation & markets research insight is drawn from a 2023 study published in Journal of Strategic Marketing. Using Quantitative survey research utilizing partial least squares structural equation modelling (pls-sem)., researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Designers and marketers should prioritize creating products and brand experiences that evoke strong emotional and sensory pleasure, and clearly communicate the unique symbolic value and prestige of the brand to foster deep consumer affection and loyalty.

Study

Innovation & MarketsRecentStrong effect

Hedonism and Symbolism Drive Consumer Love for Traditional Luxury Brands

Consumer love for traditional luxury brands is primarily driven by the pursuit of hedonistic experiences and the symbolic value these brands represent, which in turn foster brand prestige.

Journal of Strategic Marketing · 2023

Key Findings

01Hedonism is the primary driver of brand prestige and symbolism in luxury brands.
02Brand prestige and symbolism jointly influence brand love.
03Brand love significantly impacts purchase intention, positive word-of-mouth, and attitudinal brand loyalty.

Application

Design takeaway

How to apply

When developing new luxury products or campaigns, consider how to enhance the sensory experience and reinforce the aspirational symbolism. Conduct market research to understand the specific hedonistic and symbolic drivers relevant to your target demographic.

Project actions

01When researching a luxury product, consider how its design contributes to sensory pleasure and its symbolic meaning.
02Explore how brand narratives and visual identity reinforce prestige and emotional connection.

Method & Evidence

AimTo investigate the combined effects of brand uniqueness, hedonism, prestige, and symbolism on consumer love for traditional luxury brands, and their subsequent impact on purchase intention, word-of-mouth, and attitudinal loyalty.

MethodQuantitative survey research utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM).

ProcedureResearchers collected survey data from consumers and analyzed the relationships between various brand qualities (stimuli), brand love (organism), and consumer responses (purchase intention, word-of-mouth, loyalty). The mediating roles of brand prestige and symbolism were also evaluated.

ContextTraditional luxury brand consumption.

Variables

IV["Brand uniqueness","Hedonism","Brand prestige","Brand symbolism"]

DV["Brand love","Purchase intention","Positive word-of-mouth","Attitudinal brand loyalty"]

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Employs a robust statistical method (PLS-SEM) for analyzing complex relationships.
+Tests a comprehensive model linking brand qualities to consumer responses.

Limitations

The study's findings might be specific to the cultural context of Australian consumers. The definition of 'traditional luxury' could also influence the results.

Reliability & validity

The use of PLS-SEM on survey data provides a quantitative measure of relationships. Reliability and validity would depend on the quality of the survey instrument and sampling.

Think critically

To what extent can these findings be generalized to non-traditional luxury brands or different cultural contexts? How might the 'conspicuous consumption' aspect, often associated with luxury, interact with hedonism and symbolism?

Design Principles

"Luxury brand design and communication should focus on cultivating hedonistic appeal and symbolic resonance to build profound consumer love."

Understanding these drivers is crucial for brands aiming to cultivate deep consumer connections. By focusing on the experiential and symbolic aspects, businesses can develop more effective marketing strategies that resonate with their target audience and build lasting loyalty.

What This Means for Your Design

People really love luxury brands because they feel good (hedonism) and the brand means something special (symbolism). This makes the brand seem prestigious, which then makes people love it, want to buy it, tell their friends, and stick with it.

How to use in your project

1.Use this research to justify design choices that enhance sensory appeal or symbolic value in your product development.
2.Cite findings to support arguments about the importance of brand perception in consumer behaviour for your design project.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This study highlights that consumer affection for traditional luxury brands is significantly influenced by hedonistic appeal and symbolic value, which collectively build brand prestige and subsequently foster deep brand love. This leads to increased purchase intention, positive word-of-mouth, and attitudinal loyalty, suggesting that design efforts should focus on enhancing sensory experiences and communicating aspirational symbolism to cultivate strong consumer connections.

Source

Journal of Strategic Marketing

What (really) drives consumer love for traditional luxury brands? The joint effects of brand qualities on brand love

journal · 2023

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about hedonism and symbolism drive consumer love for traditional luxury brands?: Designers and marketers should prioritize creating products and brand experiences that evoke strong emotional and sensory pleasure, and clearly communicate the unique symbolic value and prestige of the brand to foster deep consumer affection and loyalty. Evidence: Journal of Strategic Marketing (2023).
Why does "Hedonism and Symbolism Drive Consumer Love for Traditional Luxury Brands" matter for design?: Understanding these drivers is crucial for brands aiming to cultivate deep consumer connections. By focusing on the experiential and symbolic aspects, businesses can develop more effective marketing strategies that resonate with their target audience and build lasting loyalty.
How can designers apply this research?: Designers and marketers should prioritize creating products and brand experiences that evoke strong emotional and sensory pleasure, and clearly communicate the unique symbolic value and prestige of the brand to foster deep consumer affection and loyalty.
What were the main findings?: Hedonism is the primary driver of brand prestige and symbolism in luxury brands.. Brand prestige and symbolism jointly influence brand love.. Brand love significantly impacts purchase intention, positive word-of-mouth, and attitudinal brand loyalty.
What research method was used?: Quantitative survey research utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM)..
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2023 journal from Journal of Strategic Marketing.
What should I do differently in my next project?: When developing new luxury products or campaigns, consider how to enhance the sensory experience and reinforce the aspirational symbolism. Conduct market research to understand the specific hedonistic and symbolic drivers relevant to your target demographic.
What are the limitations?: The study was conducted on Australian consumers, and findings may vary across different cultural contexts. The focus was on traditional luxury brands, and the results might not directly apply to contemporary or niche luxury segments.