An Exploration of the Components of Relational Bonds to an Arts Festival Brand

This research investigates the nature of the bonds that consumers form with a brand that provides highly uncertain outcomes, and is only available intermittently. The research model draws upon elements of Keller’s (2001) conceptualisation of brand resonance, and extends McAlexander, Kim, and Roberts’ (2003), and Muniz and O’Guinn’s (2001) brand community construct, testing these in an atypical service environment. Qualitative research suggested the need for a broader view of the bond formed in these circumstances, specifically one comprising measures of anticipation of usage, social attraction, commitment, loyalty, and trust. This paper reports on analysis undertaken to develop such a construct, which has been labelled “brand affinity”. Tests for discriminant validity suggest that the brand affinity construct is a distinct construct that can be used to measure consumer attitudes toward a highly uncertain, intermittently available product. Introduction Although many researchers now argue that a focus on building long-term relationships with customers produces superior organisational performance, the majority of the contexts studied could be considered relatively stable and predictable in terms of the availability of the product and the potential outcomes of the consumption experience, for example, retail clothing, airline travel (Sirdeshmukh, Singh, and Sabol, 2002), and life insurance (Gruen, Summers, and Acito, 2000). The predictable quality of the offering and relatively frequent contact between customer and organisation mean that relationship formation in these contexts is comparatively straightforward. There has been little research, however, into the formation of relationships and the nature of customer loyalty in contexts that might be considered by consumers to present uncertain outcomes and in environments where the offering is intermittent, such as annual arts festivals, seasonal sporting fixtures or occasionally used services (e.g., repairs). The assumption could be made that these types of interactions are more likely to be transaction-based, owing to the nature of the offerings, i.e., short-term, seasonal, and once off productions. Therefore, it could be expected that it will be difficult to develop a relationship between the customer and the organisation or brand due to the lack of investment in the relationship, the break between interactions, and the possibility of extra-dyadic behaviour between consumption opportunities (Christopher, Payne, and Ballantyne, 2002; Drigotas, Safstrom, and Gentilia, 1999; Grönroos, 1990). The products involved, by their very nature, also often involve unpredictable outcomes and high levels of perceived risk. In arts festivals, for example, it is the accepted norm to present new and challenging work, as well as change artistic directors frequently, and, therefore, any sense of predictability that might be gained through continuing artistic curatorship is also removed. Consequently, it is difficult to provide accurate or concrete information about the content of these products in advance, which increases the level of uncertainty for consumers (Hirschman, 1983). However, since many of these products are hedonic in nature, those who consume the offering are much more likely to form bonds with the product, as the hedonic