Consumers' relationship with mass prestige brands and happiness

• Published in: European management review 2023-06, Vol.20 (2), p.307-326
• Main Authors: Nobre, Helena, Kumar, Ajay, Kastanakis, Minas N., Paul, Justin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: brand happiness; Brands; consumer happiness; Consumers; consumer–brand relationships; Happiness; masstige; Moderation; new luxury brand relationship; Prestige; symbolic consumption; Symbols
• ISSN: 1740-4754; 1740-4762
• DOI: 10.1111/emre.12538

This study investigates how the relationships consumers establish with prestigious brands can lead to brand happiness. A study of 545 responses covering 19 global brands assessed consumers' perceptions of their relationship with prestigious brands—in both functional and symbolic categories—and brand happiness. Using structural equation modeling and moderation analysis, we show that (1) the prestige associated with brands induces consumers to formulate relationships with those brands and (2) brands' mass prestige (masstige) helps them achieve brand happiness. We show that consumers' attitudes toward luxury brands moderate the masstige–brand happiness relationship. In addition, brand classification (functional vs. symbolic) is an important moderator, with consumers perceiving symbolic brands as more intimate and, thus, as exhibiting more prestige and contributing more to brand happiness than functional brands. The more passionate consumers' relationship with a masstige brand, the happier they are with the brand.