Possession Attachment toward Global Brands

Author(s)
Udo Wagner, Isaac Cherian Jacob, Monica Khanna, Krupa Ashwin Rai
Abstract

This research studies possession attachment and focuses on bonds with brands acquired during childhood. The study concentrates on millennial girls growing up in Indian culture and investigates their possession attachment towards Barbie dolls and its impact on their mindsets. The Barbie brand is a prominent cultural icon from the industrialized world. The influence of possession attachment manifests itself when adults use comfort objects such as dolls, blankets, or photographs during childhood. Authors observed that attachment behaviour towards inanimate objects differs depending on the culture in which an infant was raised. This research identifies and validates multiple outcomes of possession attachment such as memories, nostalgia, identity congruity and transnational imagined community. The role of Barbie dolls within the product category of girls toys allows to generalize the results achieved here to broader setting of possession attachment acquired during childhood towards global brands, especially in crafting branding strategies for high involvement goods.

Organisation(s)
Department of Marketing and International Business
External organisation(s)
Somaiya Vidyavihar University
Journal
Journal of International Consumer Marketing
Volume
33
Pages
434-451
No. of pages
18
ISSN
0896-1530
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/08961530.2020.1813671
Publication date
2020
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
502019 Marketing
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Marketing, Management Information Systems
Portal url
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/996279c3-2857-452e-b7cf-ca50ffe61f6b