The dark side of salesperson brand identification in the luxury sector: When brand orientation generates management issues and negative customer perception

Michaela Merk and Géraldine Michel (michel.iae@univ-paris1.fr)
Additional contact information
Michaela Merk: SKEMA Business School
Géraldine Michel: IAE Paris - Sorbonne Business School

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: While there is extensive literature on the positive impact of salesperson brand identification, we have little understanding about its negative effects in the luxury context where brand aura can generate deviant behavior. To investigate the negative consequences of salesperson brand identification in the luxury sector, we conducted qualitative studies, including observations and interviews with retail managers, salespeople and consumers. On the one hand and according to managers, salespeople with brand identification present high resistance to change and generate brand distortion. On the other hand, salespeople with brand identification, in particular those with low self-confidence or low brand seniority, develop a selling approach with strong brand centricity but little customer orientation. Regarding consumers, salespeople with brand identification may generate negative perceptions, particularly for those customers with brand and product expertise and those engaging in exclusive brand relationships.

Keywords: Salespeople; Luxury retail; Brand identification; Brand orientation; Salesforce management; Luxury consumption (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ipr and nep-mkt
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-02045833
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

Published in Journal of Business Research, 2019

Downloads: (external link)
https://hal.science/hal-02045833/document (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02045833

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD (hal@ccsd.cnrs.fr).