The moderating effect of need for belonging and communal-brand connection on counterfeit purchasing

Matthew Hawkins ()
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Matthew Hawkins: ICN Business School, CEREFIGE - Centre Européen de Recherche en Economie Financière et Gestion des Entreprises - UL - Université de Lorraine

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Abstract: Developing social-links among consumers can increase firm performance but does having a communal-brand connection impact counterfeit consumption? Two studies are implemented to explore this question. Study 1 finds that there is a positive relationship between moral beliefs towards counterfeits and willingness to purchase counterfeits. Study 1 also discovers that a weak to average communal-brand connection moderates this relationship. However, study 2 reveals that need for belonging is a stronger moderator. In particular, consumers with a low to average need for belonging are less willing to purchase counterfeits when they hold unfavorable moral beliefs towards counterfeits but are more willing when they hold favorable moral beliefs. The results suggest that need for belonging levels influences a consumer's willingness to purchase counterfeit products. Managers are encouraged to promote messages to their brand communities that decrease moral beliefs towards counterfeits, such as counterfeit consumers are inauthentic and immoral.

Keywords: Counterfeit; Need for belonging; Communal-brand connection; Consumer behavior; Brand community; Social-linking value (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-07-31
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-02943037
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Published in Journal of retailing and consumer services, 2020, 57, pp.102250. ⟨10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102250⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02943037

DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102250

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