Effects Of Self-construal And Persuasion Strategy On Consumer-Brand Relationship Restoration Intention

Maintain long-term and stable relationship of consumers-brand (referred to as brand relationship) is the key to maintain permanent competitive advantage. However, from establish, dissolution to renew, the relationship development between consumer and brand, is a dynamic process (Fournier,2001),the volatility dynamic relationship (i.e. brand relationship from dissolution to renew) greatly increased the difficulty of brand relationship management. How to renew the dissolution brand relationship become the major challenges of brand relationship management. The existing literatures were less about brand relationship renew strategy, current research is mainly focus on brand relationship renew strategy (Apologize, treatment, tangible rewards, etc) when consumers as "average person" (assuming that there is no difference between people). Previous studies have found consumer’s unique demand, faced with the same things, different individuals may have various cognitive and perception(Snyder and Framkin,1977).Self-construal theory argue that independent self-construal and dependent self-construal have different thinking modes respectively, Independent self who has a analytical thinking, and Dependent self who has a holistic thinking. Analytical thinking will seperate information from the social scene, Holistic thinking will make objective information and environment as a whole(Nisbett et al,2001).This article explore the difference of information credibility perception between different consumers who face with different persuasion information by introduce self-construal theory. Furthermore, explore the effects of information credibility perception on consumer’ brand relationship restoration intention. In addition, brand attachment is a important variable measuring emotional strength between consumer and brand. Consumer with high brand attachment preference to pay their own resources more that those with low brand (Park, MacInnis& Priester,2006).The article explores the effects of brand attachment that is a main internal information affect consumer’ relationship intention on consumer information credibility perception. This paper has three part, those are introduction, theoretical development and empirical research respectively. The first chapter is the first part, mainly about research background, theoretical meaning, practice meaning, research purpose and technical route. The part of theoretical development include chapter 2,3,4,5,6. We developed our research hypothesis and model based on literature review of consumer information processing theory, persuasion theory, self-construal theory, brand attachment and consumer-brand relationship restoration. Chapter 7,8,9 are the empirical study. Chapter 7 based on theoretical developing proposed our research model and hypothesis, described research design idea and process of stimulus development and scale establishment. In chapter 8 and chapter 9, our study tested hypothesis and model through two experiments. Chapter 10 was the conclusion and management revelations. At the end of the article, we proposed our limitation and future research.Chapter 1 introduced research background and motivation, theoretical meaning and practical meaning of this research. Proposed three study purposes of this paper and also introduced study idea and research route in this chapter.In chapter 2, firstly, reviewed definition and characteristics of consumer information processing theory, described seven types of consumer information process in detail, and then analysis five characteristics of consumer information process. In this chapter, we put more emphasis on analyzing the content and main research streams of credibility perception, and influential factors of credibility perception.Chapter 3 reviewed persuasion theory literatures through two respect, those are internal mechanism of persuasion changing attitude and influential factors of persuasion. In the part of internal mechanism of persuasion, we described six mechanism, those are function matching, repeat principle, self persuasion, sleeper effect, social comparison, first effect and recent effect, elaboration likelihood model. Furthermore, analysis three influential factors:credibility, excitement, showing method.In chapter 4, we discussed self-construal theory. Firstly, reviewed self concept and relevant research, the characteristic of independent self-construal and dependent self-construal, the differences between two type of self-construal.Secondly, carding and comment related research of self-construal in marketing field by reviewed influential factors about self-construal on brand relationship, consumer information processing and consumer behavior.In chapter 5,brand attachment and related research were reviewed. At first, the concept and content of brand attachment was discussed. Brief introduction about three theory basis those are attachment theory, brand relationship theory and self-congruity theory were proposed. Then, we analyzed the difference and common characteristics between brand attachment and brand affection, brand attitude, brand love, brand commitment, brand loyalty, brand involvement. At the end of this part, we proposed the important significance about studying brand attachment.Chapter 6 was about consumer-brand relationship dissolution and restoration. Firstly, we defined the concept of consumer-brand relationship dissolution, described the causes and types of consumer-brand relationship, reviewed influential factors of dissolution. At the second part of the chapter, mainly discussed theoretical basis of relationship restoration, and proposed necessity of restoration and related research about relationship restoration.Hypothesis and research model were proposed at chapter 7. Based on literature review, four hypothesizes were argued from three perspectives:persuasion strategy, self-construal and information credibility perception; brand attachment and information credibility; information credibility perception and relationship restoration intension. At last, we proposed research design ideas, introduced stimulus development and scale establishment.In chapter 8, study procedure and data analysis of study 1 were introduced. Experiment 1 was in the chronic self-construal context. Experiment was a 2(independent self-construal VS dependent self-construal) X 2 (diagnostic information VS counterargument information) design. Firstly, measure the chronic self-construal type of samples, then test research hypothesis through role playing and self report. Through the analysis of data, we argue that the interaction of persuasion strategy and self-construal type can affect consumer relationship restoration intension, consumer information credibility perception mediate the process from the interaction of persuasion strategy and self-construal type to relationship restoration intension; brand attachment mediate interaction of persuasion strategy and self-construal type to consumer information credibility perception; information credibility perception has the positive effect on consumer restoration intension.Chapter 9 is the further research of study 1.Study 2 was design in the context of situational self-construal In order to test the research conclusion in study one. Especially, exploring whether research hypothesis are significant in primed self-construal context. After data analyze, research result was consist with study one.In chapter 10, we propose the management suggestion, limitation and discussing future research.General speaking, on the basis of related literature review, we proposed the theoretical framework that self-construal,persuasion strategy, brand attachment and information credibility perception can affect consumer restoration intension. Hypothesis was verification through two experiments. Research results enriched current marketing literature, proposed meaningful theoretical basis for brand relationship management.