ROLE OF AUTHENTICITY IN LUXURY BRANDING: HOW NOVELTY IN DESIGN IS PREFERRED AS MUCH AS TYPICALITY IN LUXURY BRANDS

Aparna Sundar,John Price,Sung-Hee Wendy Paik 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2016 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2016 No.7

Marketers often attribute the premium charged on a luxury brand over a value brand to innovation in product form (Von Hippel 1986). One way of conveying this innovation is through the use of perceptual cues which use visual depiction of a product (Gregan-Paxton, Hoeffler, and Zhao 2005). Consequently, what we think of as high fashion or innovation in product form is essentially novelty in the perceptual cues of a product (Cox and Cox 2002) and it is known that moderate levels of novelty can increase complexity (or incongruity) of product design and is in general, favored by consumers (Cox and Cox 2002). However, despite the fact that novelty in form offered in high fashion or complex products is expected to bring value, we predict that novel designs are perceived as more favorable depending on their positioning as luxury (value) brands. In detail, we expect that value brands more than luxury brands benefit from novelty of form and that peripheral cues in product design informs a sense of brand authenticity which drives preferences. Past research showed that a product’s positioning in advertising moderates the effect of schema incongruence on product evaluation (Noseworthy and Trudel 2011). When products with a moderately incongruent design are positioned based on their functionality, they are evaluated more favorably. Conversely, when products are positioned based on experiential dimensions, this effect is reversed, and moderately incongruent designs are evaluated less favorably. We believe that these relationships can be explained using the perception of hedonic or utilitarian benefits offered by the product. In general, consumers are motivated by utilitarian concerns until they think that they have earned the right to indulge in hedonistic consumption (Kivetz and Simonson 2002). With congruent products, consumers may infer functionality from memory, and they are therefore liberated to indulge in hedonic pleasure. With incongruent products, however, consumers must work out the functionality of the product for themselves. Thus, we expect that brand positioning will influence the way novel designs are evaluated on functionality, such that novel designs are perceived as more functional in the value (vs. luxury) brand positioning (H1). Also, we predict that consumers of luxury brands will prefer prototypical designs to novel ones (H2). Recently, Stanton, Townsend, and Kang (2015) analyzed automobile market and showed that consumers prefer novel designs if their consideration set includes allpossible automobiles, but changed to prototypical designs, when the consideration set was entry-level automobiles. In addition, Hagtvedt and Patrick (2014) revealed that altering the form of a product has a more positive impact on product evolutions in a utilitarian context rather than a hedonic one. This is because luxury brands have a greater capacity to be extended into other product categories due to their hedonic potential, namely their ability to provide emotional benefits (Hagtvedt and Patrick 2009). Based on these findings, we postulate that brand positioning will moderate the influence of product design on functional evaluations and perceived comfort, such that only under the value (vs. luxury) brand positioning, individuals will prefer novelty over typicality. Lastly, given the consumers’ motivation of luxury brands for conspicuous consumption and desire for authenticity (Beverland and Farrelly 2010), we predict that consumers will avoid novel designs in a luxury brand. We believe this to be true because in order to convey the status which such consumers seek, the brand must be instantly and easily recognizable to others. In this case, a novel design can be a threat to this transmission of status, and may bring about less favorable evaluations of the brand. As a result, a novel design, even a moderately incongruent one, will be seen as a violation of the brand’s authenticity and the diminished authenticity will therefore explain the less favorable evaluations. Thus, we expect that for value (vs. luxury) brand positioning, brand authenticity will mediate the effect of product design on evaluations (H3). To test our hypotheses, a pilot study was conducted in advance to identify whether luxury positioning would influence the perceptions of functionality when evaluating the same novel design. Participants (N = 102; 63.7% female; Mage = 35.78) were recruited in an online panel and were randomly assigned to one of two conditions of brand positioning: a value brand positioning or a luxury brand positioning. The experiment was a between-subjects factorial design and from the pretest, Serafini brand was chosen as a luxury brand and New Balance brand was chosen as a value brand. Then, Participant saw an advertisement that featured the novel shoe design and indicated their perceived functional efficacy, the concept (value-luxury) of a presented product, and perceived status conferred by purchasing the product. As expected, participants saw Serafini as more of a luxury brand (M = 4.76) than New Balance (M = 3.92) and indicated that purchasing the same product by Serafini conferred more status to someone (M = 4.83) in comparison to purchasing the same product by New Balance (M = 4.22; t(100) = 2.18, p < .05). Importantly, participants viewed the novel design featured in the luxury brand advertisement of (Serafini) as less functional (M = 4.95) in comparison to the novel design featured in the value brand advertisement (New Balance; M = 5.50; t(100) = 2.19, p < .05) although the design of the two products were the same (H1 supported). Next, in Study 1, we intended to identify whether brand positioning would influence typical designs of a product in the same way that it would novel designs. Participants (N = 263; 59.7% female; Mage = 38.03) were recruited in an online panel and were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in a 2 (brand positioning: value vs. luxury) × 2 (product design: typical vs. novel) between-subjects factorial design. In this study, however, we used a fictitious watch brand (Dali) to manipulate the brand positioning. Manipulations were adopted from Hagtvedt and Patrick (2009). Like pilot test, pretestconfirmed that the manipulations worked as intended (Mvalue = 4.85; Mluxury = 5.67; t(39) = 2.19, p < .05) and participants rated Dali as having different abilities to confer status (α = .81; Mvalue = 4.43; Mluxury = 5.26; t(39) = 2.68, p < .05). After, each participant saw an advertisement that featured the new product and that corresponded to the randomized condition that they were assigned and responded to the questionnaires asking their perceived functional efficacy, overall attitudes toward the product, perceived comfort as well as the measures for the manipulation checks. As expected, result showed that in the absence of luxury brand positioning, the novel design was evaluated more favorably (M = 5.00) than the typical product design (M = 3.90; F(1, 259) = 18.74, p < .001). This effect was consistent with past studies that demonstrate the moderate incongruity effect (Noseworthy and Trudel 2011; Meyers-Levy and Tybout 1989; Mandler 1982). However, in the presence of the luxury brand positioning, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.46 vs. Mtypical= 4.25; p = .41). Also, an analysis of functionality indicated that in the value brand condition, the novel design was perceived to be higher in functionality (M = 4.88) than the typical product design (M = 4.39; F(1, 259) = 4.25, p < .05). However, in the presence of the luxury brand positioning, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.57 vs. Mtypical= 4.79; p = .35). Finally, analysis of comfort indicated that in the value brand condition, the novel design was perceived to have more comfort (M = 4.45) than the typical product design (M = 3.82; F(1, 259) = 6.97, p < .01). However, in the presence of the luxury brand positioning, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.14 vs. Mtypical= 4.33; p = .44). Thus, the results supported H1 and H2. To replicate the observed effects and to identify the underlying mechanism, Study 2 was followed. Same recruitment method and experimental design in Study 1 was used with a fictitious camera brand OLEG. Pretest confirmed that the manipulations worked as intended. Experimental procedures were similar to Study 1. However, this time, brand authenticity was measured (Morhart et al. 2015) in addition to the measures used in Study 1. Again, result indicated that in the absence of luxury brand positioning, the novel design was evaluated more favorably (M = 4.85) than the typical product design (M = 3.92; F(1, 209) = 10.30, p < .005) and in the presence of luxury branding, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.50 vs. Mtypical= 4.57; p = .80). Also, result showed that in the value brand condition, the novel design was perceived to be higher in functionality (M = 4.79) than the typical product design (M= 3.89; F (1, 209) = 11.75, p < .001) and in the presence of the luxury brand positioning, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.44 vs. Mtypical= 4.51; p = .79). Regarding comfort, in the value brand condition, using the camera with the novel design was perceived to be more comfortable (M = 4.49) than the typical product design (M= 3.82; F(1, 209) = 6.34, p < .01). However, in the presence of the luxury brand positioning, this difference was not significant (Mnovel = 4.06 vs. Mtypical= 4.25; p = .46). Lastly, mediated moderation analysis (Hayes 2012; Model 8; bootstrapped with 10,000 draws) found that only when design presented was typical, was there mediation through authenticity (95% confidence interval [CI]: .07, .86), but not when presented with the novel design (95% CI: -.60, .24) and thus, provided support to H3.Overall, three studies showed that while product evaluations and functional inferences with novel designs are higher for value brands, they are not for luxury brands. Also, we provided perceived authenticity as an underlying mechanism. From our findings, we provide four theoretical contributions. First, by showing that only value, not luxury brands benefit from novel product design, we demonstrated that brand positioning is another moderator to the effect of schema incongruity that consumers prefer a moderately incongruent product design over a congruent design or an extremely incongruent design (Noseworthy and Trudel 2011; Meyers-Levy and Tybout 1989; Mandler 1982). Second, although the research in product design and innovation has shown that the novelty in perceptual cues may signal innovativeness to consumers and thus engender favorable product evaluations (Gregan-Paxton, Hoeffler, and Zhao 2005; Cox and Cox 2002), we found that such novelty in perceptual cues in product design may not work in certain circumstances – when the product is positioned as luxury. Third, this research contributes to the understanding of luxury branding by offering evidence that prototypical designs benefit luxury brands because they increase perceived authenticity. Fourth, we broaden the research on authenticity in the aspect that merely having a novel or fashion forward design may impair authenticity and cause unexpected results. Managerially, we provide guidelines in that although brands benefit from novel designs in general, the manager of a luxury brand should be cautious when changing the design of a luxury good, especially ones in which functionality and comfort are important attributes. In other words, a luxury brand manager should adopt fashion and design in a way that is beneficial to the consumer. Some luxury brands, such as Porsche, are well-respected for their innovation, while other luxury brands, such as Louis Vuitton create value through promotion of a particular lifestyle (Reddy and Terblanche 2005). For brands that are particularly sought for their functional benefits, like Porsche, the importance of the impact of novel designs on perceptions of authenticity is particularly important. In addition, managers must be aware that novelty is not always perceived the same way. Consumer inferences on functionality and comfort can be elicited for fashion forward designs for value brands, where the novelty of design is used as a strategic tool. Nevertheless, when it comes to the luxury products, this effect might not appear and impairs brand authenticity. To extend our research, potential future research may examine the effect of novel designs on inconspicuous luxury goods. When conspicuous consumption is decoupled from the luxury brand, it is doubtful that prototypical designs would still be favored among consumers of luxury brands. Also, future research could examine the effect of other kinds of innovation. In our research, we mainly examined the product form and design as a method of innovation. However, it is possible that other kinds of innovation method can be used (i.e., change in product concept) and thus, can be potential future research topics. Finally, we believe that how other kinds of positioning might influence the relationship that we revealed could be studied further. For example, there are instances where value brands try to create a luxury line. In such instances, the effect of authenticity may differ from what we observed.

관광에서의 진정성 연구에 기여한 주요 학자들

심창섭 한국관광학회 2023 관광학연구 Vol.47 No.8

관광학 연구의 역사에서 진정성 개념은 중요하면서도 독특한 위치를 차지고 있으며 지난 반세기동안 수많은 논쟁을통한 학술적 축적이 진행되어 왔다. 관광이라는 현상이 발생하는 근원적 기제와 관련된 진정성 개념은 규범적 특성으로인해 서로 다른 세계관을 포괄하고 다양한 학문 분야의 관점이 교류할 수 있는 장으로서 역할을 해 왔다. 이 연구에서는관광에서의 진정성 논의에 중대한 영향을 끼친 학자 4명과 그들의 진정성 개념을 소개하는 것을 목적으로 하였다. 다니엘부어스틴은 진짜같은 가짜로 가득찬 미국사회를 대표하는 현상 중 하나로 대중관광을 지목하고 ‘의사사건’의 개념을 통해관광자를 진정성에 관심없이 오직 즐거움을 추구하는 존재로 설명한다. 관광학 연구에서 진정성 개념을 본격적으로 소개한 딘 맥캐널은 ‘무대화된 진정성’의 개념을 통해 관광자는 상품화된 관광지 이면에 존재한다고 여겨지는 진정성을 추구한는 존재라고 주장한다. 에릭 코헨은 관광자 유형에 따라 진정성의 추구 정도가 다르다고 주장하며 진정성은 고정된 가치가아닌 지속적으로 변화하는 협상가능한 가치라고 설명한다. 닝 왕은 관광대상의 진짜 여부에 초점을 맞춘 진정성 개념을관광자의 주관적 경험에 적용가능할 수 있다고 주장하며 실존적 진정성 개념을 제시한다. 각 학자의 진정성 개념은 그학자의 관광에 대한 시각뿐만 아니라 이러한 시각을 형성한 그의 학문적 궤적과 세계관 그리고 시대적 맥락까지 반영한텍스트이다. 또한 인류 문명의 진보 속에서 인간이 ‘진짜’라는 규범적 가치를 관광이라는 행위적 맥락 속에서 어떻게정립해 나갔는지를 되돌아볼 기회를 제공한다. The concept of authenticity has played a crucial and unique role in the history of tourism studies, resulting in theoretical advancements through vigorous debates. Focusing on the fundamental mechanism of tourism, the normative characteristics of the authenticity concept have facilitated diverse academic perspectives and traditions to interact with one another. The current study aims to introduce four prominent scholars who significantly influenced the authenticity discussion in tourism studies and their conceptualization of authenticity. Daniel Boorstin pointed out mass tourism as a symbolic phenomenon of American society, which is full of fakes that seem to be real, and asserted that tourists only seek pleasure without interest in authenticity. Dean McCannell argued that tourists pursue authenticity, which is believed to exist behind commercialized tourist attractions, by using the concept of ‘staged authenticity’. Erik Cohen suggested that each tourist pursues authenticity to various degrees and that authenticity is not a fixed value but a negotiable value that continuously changes. Ning Wang proposed the concept of existential authenticity, arguing that the concept of authenticity can be applied to the subjective experiences of tourists. Each scholar's concept of authenticity reflects not only the scholar's view on tourism but also his/her academic trajectory, worldview, and historical context. This study provides an opportunity to reflect on how humans have established the normative value of ‘real’ in the behavioral context of tourism amid the progress of human civilization.

세계유산 관광지 진정성 측정에 관한 연구 - 안동 하회마을 관광객을 대상으로 -

남윤희,엄서호 한국관광학회 2016 관광학연구 Vol.40 No.8

Authenticity has been recognized as having a primary role in world heritage tourism and it has included very complex and multiple meanings. This study developed measurement scales capturing multi-dimensionality of authenticity at a world heritage destination. The study was conducted throughout March, 2016 at Andong Hahoe Folk Village in South Korea with 278 valid data sets being obtained. Survey Questionnaires were designed to measure two different processes of authenticity: 1) ‘output’ which represents a visitor’s perception of tour performance and 2) ‘outcome’ which represents visitor’s perception of a tour result. The findings of this study showed that authenticity was divided into both an objective authenticity related to the tour objective and an existential authenticity based on a tourists’ experience at the destinations. In addition, authenticity was constructed and measured according to the aspects of both the ‘output’ and ‘outcome’ of a tour process. While ‘uniqueness’ was found to be the output of an objective authenticity, ‘realistic perception’ was found to be the outcome of an objective authenticity. Existential authenticity included ‘assimilation’ and ‘self-discovery’ respectively. The results of a multiple regression analysis showed that ‘uniqueness’, ‘realistic perception’, ‘assimilation’ and ‘self-discovery’ have significant effects on the intention to revisit the site. ‘Realistic perception’ and ‘self-discovery’ were both especially derived as an outcome, as they had greater effects on the intention to revisit. This study provides both an empirically valid scale for authentic measurement and a practical tool for visitor management at world heritage destinations. 본 연구는 세계 유산 관광지를 대상으로 중요하게 다뤄지고 있는 진정성의 복합적이고 다차원적인 개념을 측정하기 위하여 진정성의 이차원적 측정척도 개발을 탐색적으로 시도하였다. 이를 위하여 세계유산 관광지인 안동 하회마을에서 설문조사를 실시하였다. 총 350부가 수거되었으며 이 중 불성실한 응답을 제외한 278부가 실증분석에 사용되었다. 본 연구에서는 진정성의 측정을 위하여 관광성과인 output과 관광결과인 outcome 두 과정을 통합하여 진정성을 규정하였다. 분석을 통하여 객관적 진정성의 관광성과(output)와 관광결과(outcome)는 ‘고유함’과 ‘사실적인지’가 확인되었으며, 실존적 진정성에서는 ‘동화됨’과 ‘자아발견’으로 나타났다. 도출된 측정척도의 타당도를 검증하기 위하여 탐색적 요인분석, 예측타당도, 그리고 이해타당도를 검증한 결과 모두 양호한 타당도를 보이고 있으며, 신뢰도 역시 검증되었다. 뿐만 아니라 측정척도의 유용성검증을 위하여 재방문 의도와의 회귀분석을 진행한 결과 ‘고유함’, ‘사실적인지’, ‘동화됨’, ‘자아발견’의 영역 모두 재방문 의도에 영향을 미치고 있으며, 특히 관광결과(outcome)로 나타난 ‘사실적인지’와 ‘자아발견’이 관광성과(output)의 ‘고유함’과 ‘동화됨’보다 더 큰 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 학문적으로 진정성의 다차원적 측정척도 개발을 위한 실증적 토대를 제공하고 있으며, 실무적으로 진정성의 다차원적 측정을 통해 세계유산 관광지를 관리 운영할 수 있는 방안으로 활용할 수 있다는 것을 시사한다.

AUTHENTICITY UNDER THREAT: WHEN SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS NEED TO GO BEYOND PASSION

Alice Audrezet,Gwarlann de Kerviler,Julie Guidry Moulard 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2017 Global Fashion Management Conference Vol.2017 No.07

Recent research has pointed out the emergence of new online actors, especially in the domain of fashion and lifestyle—“social media influencers” or SMIs (Etter, Colleoni, Illia, Meggiorin, & D’Eugenio, forthcoming). SMIs are defined as “people who possess greater than average potential to influence others due to such attributes as frequency of communication, personal persuasiveness or size of—and centrality to—a social network.” As SMIs become professionals, with a mass audience of followers, they gain competence in generating sophisticated content such as creation of stories, videos, visuals, etc. (McQuarrie, Miller, & Phillips, 2013). As such, SMIs are tempted to leverage their online influence to partner with brands. One of the reasons brands collaborate with SMIs is that they are considered trustworthy and “one of the few forms of real, authentic communication” (Scott, 2015, p. 295). Authenticity is recognized in the marketing literature as an important attribute, as consumers increasingly desire authenticity in their products and brands (Chronis & Hampton, 2008). A notion of authenticity which has been gaining acceptance revolves around whether an individual or brand expresses their true self (Moulard, Raggio, & Folse, 2016). Holt (2002, p. 83) notes, “To be authentic, brands must be disinterested; they must be perceived as invented and disseminated by parties without an instrumental economic agenda, by people who are intrinsically motivated by their inherent value”. However, collaborating with brands may question SMIs authenticity as their inner desires to focus on products they are passionate about are challenged by commercial opportunities to showcase brands that they would not ordinary like. Their credibility might be questioned as the persuasive effect of their messages is often attributed to their perceived noncommercial nature as compared to branded advertisements. Despite growing research on influencers and acknowledged pressure of pursuing financial gains (Abidin & Ots, 2015), past research has overlooked the challenges to remain authentic when collaborating with brands. As such, our research focuses on the question: what are the strategies of SMIs to maintain authenticity while they are under commercial pressure? To answer it, we conducted a research in the context of fashion, beauty and lifestyle, as it is one of the most successful and visible domains of digital production. We analyze posts from 49 influencers participating in 9 brand campaigns that employed multiple SMIs simultaneously. These observations are complemented with 27 interviews with SMIs to understand “behind the scene” goals pursued to project this authenticity. Results suggest that SMIs implement two potentially complementary strategies expressing authenticity under commercial pressure: 1) passionate authenticity, which refers to one’s expressing of his/her inner self and being passionate even when involved in a collaboration, and 2) informational authenticity, which refers to being consistent with the facts and not lying about the partnership, the influencer or the products promoted. From a theoretical standpoint, the notion of passionate authenticity has been established in the previous literature (Moulard, et al., 2016), but we identify a new form of authenticity that we name informational authenticity. It thus extends the literature and builds on previous research to reframe the concept of authenticity (Grayson & Martinec, 2004; Morhart, Mal?r, Guevremont, Girardin, & Grohmann, 2015; Napoli, Dickinson, Beverland, & Farrelly, 2014). From a managerial standpoint, our findings should help SMIs manage their authenticity under threat as it suggest that they can either use Passion or Information. SMIs should be cautious to report the reality of the partnership and the product in their WOMM contents. Similarly, they should keep producing noncommercial messages about brands they are really passionate about. In the same vein, managers should be attentive to let SMIs select products in order to increase enthusiasm for the brand and minimize constraints to give room for personalized communication aligned with SMI’s style and opinions.

THE DYNAMICS OF BRAND AUTHENTICITY

Mitsutoshi Otake 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.6

The purpose of this study is to discuss the concept of brand authenticity by examining how Harley-Davidson motorcycles became popular in the Japanese market. My particular focus will be on interactions among consumers, corporations, and distributors regarding brand authenticity. Not all Harley-Davidson stores are authorized. There are unauthorized stores throughout Japan. The advertisements made by unauthorized distribution channels sometimes emphasize brand elements that are clearly not endorsed by Harley-Davidson. Some of these dealers are even critical of Harley-Davidson’s own marketing activities. All this raises the following questions: How did they manage to interact with consumers and increase sales in Japan, home of well-known motorcycle manufacturers? More specifically, what obstacles did they encounter and how did they overcome these obstacles as they sought to expand sales? To answer these questions, this study focuses on the concept of brand authenticity. In a field of research known as Consumer Research, or more specifically Consumer Culture Theory (Arnould & Thompson, 2005), there is a theoretical viewpoint that consumers have a hand in creating brands, which are understood to be social constructs. Among various concepts that exist, brand authenticity is particularly relevant to, and is thus the focus of, this study. Authenticity as used herein is related to the concept of something being genuine, real, and true (Belk & Costa, 1998). Authenticity is a socially constructed interpretation of the essence of what is observed and a set of expectations regarding how such a thing ought to look and feel (Beverland & Farrelly, 2010). These kinds of beliefs regarding brands are closely tied to the formation of identity (Thompson, Rindfleisch, & Arsel, 2006). For example, sometimes there is a conflict in the brand community between those who seek to pursue profits through an expansion of the brand’s market share and those who seek to protect the authenticity of the brand (Muñiz & Schau, 2005). Companies that provide products and services must consider this tension when building brand authenticity. This is because the excessive use of brand traditions and stories around those traditions can lead to a loss of authenticity as consumers view such actions as exploitative (Brown, Kozinets, & Sherry, 2003) This study uses qualitative research methods, specifically participant observation, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and documents. I performed a comparative analysis on this data based on individuals and organizations that deal with Harley-Davidson. Data compiled through continuous observation was particularly valuable. The sites surveyed were authorized dealers, non-authorized dealers, various events, and motorcycle parts shops. The following two points were found in this case study. First, many owners classify the Harley-Davidson brand in two ways: authentic and unauthentic. Certain owners are actively expressing their opinions as to which brand is authentic. Harley-Davidson Japan, which was established in 1989, has expanded the number of authorized dealers that help operate the group. Harley-Davidson motorcycles that had been sold before the manufacturer strengthened its marketing activities are commonly called “vintage,” while those that were sold thereafter are known as “current.” Some owners seek authenticity in “vintage” Harleys. These owners believe that brand authenticity belongs to products that are sold in small shops. The existence of fan clubs at the grassroots level is also important to them. “Vintage” Harleys have those. In other words, whether a motorcycle has authenticity is not necessarily determined by its physical characteristics. Given these circumstances, Harley-Davidson Japan and its authorized dealers make efforts to emphasis their continuity with the past and convey the tradition to owners by holding various events to introduce the brand’s history. “Vintage” Harleys are also on display at such events. In Japan, authenticity among owners is not necessarily a matter of perspective based on one’s identification with an outlaw versus an enthusiast perspective (cf Schouten & McAlexander, 1995). “Vintage” Harley owners are not necessarily “outlaw bikers”. Most of them regard outlaw bikers as unauthentic. The lack of modern marketing is valued among them. Second, certain unauthorized dealers selling “vintage” motorcycles differentiate themselves from competitors and build their businesses by reinterpreting and strengthening the brand classification. These dealers were critical of Harley-Davidson Japan’s marketing activities, and viewed themselves as the proper flag bearers of the Harley brand. One reason for this was that they felt that the quintessential nature of Harley-Davidson - the individuality of the dealers - was lost in the expansion of authorized dealers and the resulting homogeneity. Thus, these dealers don’t seek to become authorized, but rather to propagate the Harley image to the next generation and maintain their shops as in the past. They focus on sales and repair of models not handled by authorized dealers. Against this background, Harley-Davidson Japan and the authorized dealers set up booths at events where many distributors and owners that provide authenticity to “vintage” models participate, and expanded their contact with the diverse group of owners and potential customers. In addition, they make an effort to expand the use of authorized parts made to legal standards, and sponsor traffic safety activities in an effort to expand their customer base and rid themselves of the negative image caused by illegal modifications and noise pollution. As noted above, while there is some conflict around brand authenticity, the efforts of Harley-Davidson Japan, authorized dealers, and unauthorized dealers to differentiate from competing dealers and other motorcycle manufacturers have contributed to t

THE DYNAMICS OF BRAND AUTHENTICITY

Mitsutoshi Otake 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2014 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2014 No.7

The purpose of this study is to discuss the concept of brand authenticity by examining how Harley-Davidson motorcycles became popular in the Japanese market. My particular focus will be on interactions among consumers, corporations, and distributors regarding brand authenticity. Not all Harley-Davidson stores are authorized. There are unauthorized stores throughout Japan. The advertisements made by unauthorized distribution channels sometimes emphasize brand elements that are clearly not endorsed by Harley-Davidson. Some of these dealers are even critical of Harley-Davidson’s own marketing activities. All this raises the following questions: How did they manage to interact with consumers and increase sales in Japan, home of well-known motorcycle manufacturers? More specifically, what obstacles did they encounter and how did they overcome these obstacles as they sought to expand sales? To answer these questions, this study focuses on the concept of brand authenticity. In a field of research known as Consumer Research, or more specifically Consumer Culture Theory (Arnould & Thompson, 2005), there is a theoretical viewpoint that consumers have a hand in creating brands, which are understood to be social constructs. Among various concepts that exist, brand authenticity is particularly relevant to, and is thus the focus of, this study. Authenticity as used herein is related to the concept of something being genuine, real, and true (Belk & Costa, 1998). Authenticity is a socially constructed interpretation of the essence of what is observed and a set of expectations regarding how such a thing ought to look and feel (Beverland & Farrelly, 2010). These kinds of beliefs regarding brands are closely tied to the formation of identity (Thompson, Rindfleisch, & Arsel, 2006). For example, sometimes there is a conflict in the brand community between those who seek to pursue profits through an expansion of the brand’s market share and those who seek to protect the authenticity of the brand (Mu?iz & Schau, 2005). Companies that provide products and services must consider this tension when building brand authenticity. This is because the excessive use of brand traditions and stories around those traditions can lead to a loss of authenticity as consumers view such actions as exploitative (Brown, Kozinets, & Sherry, 2003) This study uses qualitative research methods, specifically participant observation, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and documents. I performed a comparative analysis on this data based on individuals and organizations that deal with Harley-Davidson. Data compiled through continuous observation was particularly valuable. The sites surveyed were authorized dealers, non-authorized dealers, various events, and motorcycle parts shops. The following two points were found in this case study. First, many owners classify the Harley-Davidson brand in two ways: authentic and unauthentic. Certain owners are actively expressing their opinions as to which brand is authentic. Harley-Davidson Japan, which was established in 1989, has expanded the number of authorized dealers that help operate the group. Harley-Davidson motorcycles that had been sold before the manufacturer strengthened its marketing activities are commonly called “vintage,” while those that were sold thereafter are known as “current.” Some owners seek authenticity in “vintage” Harleys. These owners believe that brand authenticity belongs to products that are sold in small shops. The existence of fan clubs at the grassroots level is also important to them. “Vintage” Harleys have those. In other words, whether a motorcycle has authenticity is not necessarily determined by its physical characteristics. Given these circumstances, Harley-Davidson Japan and its authorized dealers make efforts to emphasis their continuity with the past and convey the tradition to owners by holding various events to introduce the brand’s history. “Vintage” Harleys are also on display at such events. In Japan, authenticity among owners is not necessarily a matter of perspective based on one’s identification with an outlaw versus an enthusiast perspective (cf Schouten & McAlexander, 1995). “Vintage” Harley owners are not necessarily “outlaw bikers”. Most of them regard outlaw bikers as unauthentic. The lack of modern marketing is valued among them. Second, certain unauthorized dealers selling “vintage” motorcycles differentiate themselves from competitors and build their businesses by reinterpreting and strengthening the brand classification. These dealers were critical of Harley-Davidson Japan’s marketing activities, and viewed themselves as the proper flag bearers of the Harley brand. One reason for this was that they felt that the quintessential nature of Harley-Davidson — the individuality of the dealers — was lost in the expansion of authorized dealers and the resulting homogeneity. Thus, these dealers don’t seek to become authorized, but rather to propagate the Harley image to the next generation and maintain their shops as in the past. They focus on sales and repair of models not handled by authorized dealers. Against this background, Harley-Davidson Japan and the authorized dealers set up booths at events where many distributors and owners that provide authenticity to “vintage” models participate, and expanded their contact with the diverse group of owners and potential customers. In addition, they make an effort to expand the use of authorized parts made to legal standards, and sponsor traffic safety activities in an effort to expand their customer base and rid themselves of the negative image caused by illegal modifications and noise pollution. As noted above, while there is some conflict around brand authenticity, the efforts of Harley-Davidson Japan, authorized dealers, and unauthorized dealers to differentiate from competing dealers and other motorcycle manufacturers have contributed to the expansion and maintenance of their customer base. This study showed that brand authenticity is a shared set of beliefs about the nature of things we value in the world.

‘진정성(authenticity)’의 최초 조건

최도빈 서강대학교 인문과학연구소 2017 서강인문논총 Vol.0 No.50

In this paper, I aim to seek the minimal condition for an object to acquire the value of authenticity. Our common sense tends to regard authenticity as an aesthetic value, applicable to existing original objects that have endured a substantial length of time. I believe, however, that the presence of the original and the duration of its existence cannot thoroughly explain what authenticity really is. Broadening the conceptual range of authenticity, we discover that this term is ordinarily used in such cases as musical pieces, in which the boundaries of both the original and its duration are too vague to be clearly demarcated. I argue that what matters in understanding authenticity is not the original that is supposed to possess authenticity, but its reproduction. In other words, the presence of a reproduction endows the original object with the value of authenticity. Furthermore, as a reproduction presupposes an agent’s judgment for the worthiness of reproducing its original, I argue that the minimal condition of authenticity is an agent’s perceiving the worthiness of reproduction from an object. Viewing authenticity within this agent-dependent perspective allows us to conceptually distinguish originality from authenticity, as well as to comprehend the significance of authenticity in the contemporary society. 본고는 “어떤 대상에 ‘진정성(진품성, authenticity)’이 있다”고 진술하기 위한 최소 조건의 탐구를 목표로 한다. 우리가 사용하는 ‘authenticity’ 개념의 일상적 용례를 떠올려 보면, 이 개념은 미적 가치뿐만 아니라 그보다 넓은 평가적 가치를 지닌 것으로 이해된다. 이 가치는 상당 시간을 지속한 원본 대상들에 있는 것으로 이해할 수 있지만, 광의의 진정성 개념은 ‘원본의 현존’, ‘대상의 지속 시간’ 등의 조건만으로 완전히 설명되기 어렵다. 왜냐하면 진정성 개념은 원본 경계가 불분명하거나, 작품의 시간 경과가 불명확한 음악작품 등에도 널리 사용되기 때문이다. 본고에서는 ‘authenticity’ 개념은 근본적으로 원본의 관점이 아니라 복제품의 시점을 통해 규정됨을 제안할 것이다. ‘진정성’은 원본의 복제품이 존재하거나, 누군가가 원본에서 복제할만한 가치를 찾을 때 원본에 투사되는 가치가 된다. 복제품의 존재가 원본의 진정성을 확증한다면, 이는 논리적으로 어떤 이가 원본에서 복제할 만한 가치를 포착하는 단계를 함축한다. 그렇다면 진정성 보유의 최소 조건은 지각자가 찾은 ‘복제할 만한 가치’가 될 것이다. 곧 진정성은 원본 자체의 객관적 속성에 의존하지만, 지각자의 가치 판단에 의해 반응적으로 규정되는 속성이다. 이 복제 기반 진정성 이해는 혼용되곤 하는 ‘원본성’과 ‘진정성’ 개념을 구별하는 장점이 있다. “어떤 원본 대상은 원본성을 지닌다”는 진술은 언제나 참이지만, 하지만 “원본 대상이 진정성을 지닌다”는 진술은 복제품의 실재나 주관의 복제 가치 판단 없이는 참이 되기 어렵다.

Effects of Celebrity Athlete Authenticity on Brand Authenticity and Sports Consumer Behaviors

( Myungwoo Lee ) 한국체육학회 2020 International journal of human movement science Vol.14 No.2

Consumer interest and attention are drawn to the brand through advertisements that feature the celebrity endorser, resulting in heightened brand awareness, increased sales, more favorable brand attachment, and increased consumer intention to purchase the endorsed brand. The effectiveness of a celebrity endorsement depends on the endorser’s inherent meaning, including the authentic lifestyle, personality, and social status that a particular celebrity brings to the brands they endorse. Authenticity provides a brand with a unique identity and a strong association for consumers. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between consumer perceptions of athlete authenticity, endorsed brand authenticity, brand attachment and purchase intention. Data were collected from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and a total of 372 were deemed usable data. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to examine the hypotheses. This study reveals that consumers’ perceptions of the athlete endorser’s authenticity positively influenced their perceptions of brand authenticity, which then led to attachment to the brand and a favorable intention to purchase it. Athlete endorser authenticity, however, does not have an influence on brand attachment but rather first needs to be inserted into the brand authenticity. The current study expands on the knowledge of brand attachment literature to show that authentic brands elicit strong attachments in consumers.

IS THIS AN AUTHENTIC PLACE? THE INFLUENCE OF AUTHENTICITY IN THE TOURIST´S DESTINATION SELECTION

Jeanne Rosalina Botelho Maciel,Eliane Cristine Francisco Maffezzolli 글로벌지식마케팅경영학회 2016 Global Marketing Conference Vol.2016 No.7

The search for authenticity is a subject that has become very common in different areas of social knowledge in recent years. The key point is to recognize what makes something authentic and which factors could influence this perception. Although the academia not yet been able to reach a consensus on the definition of what makes something authentic, some authors propose this concept in the marketing of goods and services (Beverland 2005, 2006; Beverland, Lindgreen & Vink, 2008; Alexander, 2009; Molleda, 2009; Kadirov, 2010). We propose to extend this concept to the place branding context. Destinations can be authentic when they offer tourists unique experiences. These could be interesting to be branded in order to increase tourism demand. Tourism is a sector that, despite of the uncertainties of the global economic scenario, continues to grow. According to the World Tourism Organization, in 2014 there was an increase of 4.3% in the number of tourists who traveled the world, compared to the previous year. This represents 46 million more people that revisited a destination or traveled to new places. In financial terms, the global move rose to US$ 1.5 trillion in 2014 (UNWTO, 2015). The economy of many countries depends on tourism, both in terms of GDP and employment. For instance, Seychelles, Cape Verde and Malta have respectively 21%, 16% and 13% of their GDPs coming from tourism. The same source also reveals the list of the most competitive countries in the world in terms of tourism. The top four countries are Spain, France, USA and England (WEF, 2015). Currently, considering the competitiveness in the tourism sector, it is increasingly critical the need for destinations which present a singular identity and positioning. Offering excellent options of accommodation, good attractions and historic buildings are no longer differentials. Thus, place branding can be a powerful tool to face the competitive tourism scenario (Gilmore & Pine II, 2007). This study aims to promote a measurement scale for place authenticity and verify the influence of this concept for the tourist’s destination selection. In modern societies, individuals search for their uniqueness. Taylor (2003) points out that one of the decisive aspects to be an authentic positioning is the definition of their own identity, that is, the set of attributes such as personality, physical characteristics and perception of themselves. The dilemma of authenticity and inauthenticity is already considered one of the key points of western society (Grayson & Martinec, 2004). Considering the universe of brands, an authentic brand is associated to the consistency between brand identity and brand personality. It is related to the elements and/or characteristics, which are unique. Previous published studies (Beverland, 2006; Barreto, 2008; Molleda, 2009; Kadirov, 2010; Napoli et al. 2014) proposed some dimensions to define the composing elements for authenticity perception; however, they were more focused on product authenticity. Some dimensions include product tradition, manufacturing process, product design, certifications and guarantees, price positioning, product originality, cultural symbolism, product quality, nostalgic perception and brand credibility, among others. These dimensions are not directly applicable to touristic destinations. Considering this literature gap, we decided to propose a new measurement scale specifically for places (touristic destinations). In the case of tourists, Gilmore and Pine II (2007) state that this kind of consumers search to live unique and authentic experiences. These authors emphasize that the choice of a place to visit can be considered personal reaffirmation, in the sense of having a certain personality or belonging to a particular group. The proposed model for this study states that place authenticity is guided by place tradition and place legitimacy and plays a mediating effect from place image to destination selection. For place image, we considered the natural characteristics of a touristic destination, the quality of services and the original manufacturing production of that place. These dimensions also came from the qualitative steps of this research. Previous studies (Selby & Morgan, 1996; Govers & Go, 2009) emphasize the positive impact of place image to increase consumer’s visiting desire. Before access destination selection, place image plays an important role for place authenticity perception, being that the core evaluation about a place. The first three hypothesis are: H1: The greater the perception about natural characteristics of a place, the greater the perception about place authenticity. H2: The greater the perception about the quality of services, the greater the perception about place authenticity. H3: The greater the perception about original manufacturing production, the greater the perception about place authenticity. Destination selection for vacation is related to consumer’s choice about the next place to go during his/her free time. Literature reveals that consumers’ perception about a place can be decisive for choosing or not a place for vacation (Gilmore & Pine II, 2007). Hypothesis 4 assumes that: H4: Place authenticity has a positive and significant impact on consumer’s destination selection. This study is organized in two main research stages. The first was dedicated to the developing a place authenticity measurement scale. We followed Netemeyer, Bearden and Sharma (2003) steps that include literature review, qualitative and quantitative steps. After the literature review we ran two qualitative studies with four in-depth interviews with tourism managers and eight in-depth interviews with consumers. Managers’ criteria selection was strategic public and private functions. Consumers’ criteria considered: age, gender and personal finance responsibility. The main objective of these steps was to collect more information about “what makes a place authentic” and “how we can define place image”. Initially 32 items were proposed, being 12 for place authenticity and 20 for place image. The first survey with 152 respondents was used to test the proposed scales. The second stage was defined by another survey with 152 valid respondents. We adapted from Napoli, Dickinson, Beverland, and Farrelly (2014) a 3-item scale for destination selection. The main objective of this last step was to retest the measurement scale with a new sample and test the proposed model using structural modeling equation. We used a 10-point agreement scale for all constructs. Qualtrics solutions to collect data were used in both surveys. The qualitative approach and the literature review were relevant to propose some items to measure place image and place authenticity. Previous studies emphasized the power of place image for tourism managers in order to increase destination desire for potential consumers (Selby & Morgan, 1996; Govers & Go, 2009). Echtner and Ritchie (1993) written one of the first manuscripts to promote a measurement scale to place image. It was a very robust proposition that included attribute-based images, holistic impressions, and functional, psychological, unique and common characteristics, considering a combination of structured and unstructured methodologies. Although it is a very complex scale. We proposed a new scale by listening to managers and potential tourists (consumers) about what defines the main aspects of place image. Considering place authenticity, the main characteristics that define this concept are related to place tradition and history, which are related to culture, socio-economic history and how people recognize the uniqueness of its tradition. Place legitimacy is related to the originality of place characteristics and what makes this place unique. In the first survey group, we had 152 valid responses, 64% women. Age range was from 26 to 37 years old. Main income rate (61%) was US$1600. Respondents should be the main responsible for the last destination choice. After a descriptive analysis, we ran an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with varimax rotation and principal components as extraction method. Results showed the adequacy of the proposed scale (KMO=0.886, Bartlett's 4807.951, p<0.000). Four items were deleted considering the communalities verification (under 0.50). Three dimensions were defined: place image, which means the natural characteristics of a place (6 items, α=0.938), the quality of services (7 items, α=0.914) like infrastructure and the original manufacturing production of that place (4 items, α=0.807). Two dimensions defined place authenticity: place tradition (7 items, α=0.938) and place legitimacy (5 items, α=0.934). In the second survey group, we had 152 valid responses, 62% women. Age range was from 26 to 37 years old. Main income rate (61%) was between US$1600 and US$2500. Respondents should be the main responsible for the last destination choice. The second stage included a new survey to confirm the measurement scales and test the proposed model. After descriptive analysis, we ran a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results demonstrated the adequacy of the measurement model with tolerable goodness of fit (CMIN 403.114, DF = 142, CMIN/DF= 2.839, IFI=0.916, CFI=0.915, TLI=0.886, NFI=0.876, NFI=0.835, RMSEA=0.110). Probably sample size influenced the goodness of fit. We refined the measurement scale holding the essential items for each scale, considering CFA analysis (appendix 1). The final measurement proposed is defined for the natural characteristics of a place (4 items, AVE=0.80, CONF=0.93), the quality of services (4 items, AVE=0.84, CONF=0.95), the original manufacturing production of that place (3 items, AVE=0.76, CONF=0.90). Place authenticity: place tradition (4 items, AVE=0.77, CONF=0.93) and place legitimacy (4 items, α= AVE=076, CONF=0.93). The proposed model was tested using the structural modeling equation. Results demonstrated to be suitable, with an acceptable goodness of fit (CMIN 310.219, DF = 97; CMIN/DF= 3.198; IFI=0.907, CFI=0.905, TLI=0.867, NFI=0.876, RFI=0.817, RMSEA=0.121). All hypotheses were confirmed. There is a positive impact from natural characteristics (β=0.371, p<0.000), quality of services (β=0.236, p<0.000) and original manufacturing production (β=0.597, p<0.000) on place authenticity (R²=92%). There is also a positive impact from place authenticity to destination selection (β=0.427, p<0.000, R²=18.2%). Three major results emphasize the literature contribution of this research. First, the two-dimension place authenticity measurement scale. Place tradition and place legitimacy are the core concepts to measure place authenticity. Second, the influence of place image on place authenticity. This is useful for tourism managers since place image can be treated by marketing campaigns. The better the place image the greater the place authenticity perception. This relation explains 92% of the place authenticity construct. Thirdly, the relevance of place authenticity on destination selection. Public and private investments for some touristic place can be reinforced by marketing efforts in order to increase positive aspects for place image and place authenticity. Therefore, promoting increase in the percentage of destination selection. People are looking for unique experiences in unique places.

항공사 브랜드 진정성이 소비자 태도에 미치는 영향 : LCC와 FSC의 차이를 중심으로

Sang-Yeon Song 한국유통과학회 2016 유통과학연구 Vol.14 No.5

Purpose – Nowadays the competition between companies has been intensified in the aviation industry. It is hard to maintain successful market share in challenging managerial environment. Not long ago, a Korean major aviation company had faced social condemnation cause of managerial staff's immoral behaviors. That company suffers great losses in company brand value in terms of authenticity as an aviation company. This research tried to show the effect of brand authenticity in the aviation industry. First of all, this research tried to define the dimensions of the brand authenticities based on the former researches. This research suggested the airline brand authenticities as three kinds of dimensions. The dimensions of authenticities consist of performance aspects, symbolic aspects and moral aspects. And this research also tried to show the relationships between brand authenticities and consumers attitudes. Research design, data and methodology – The empirical research design is based on the experiments with six types of advertisement prototypes. The advertisement prototypes were based on three types of authenticities' characteristics. The prototypes were made of core statements about each authenticity. And the advertisement prototypes also were based on the aviation company types. The types of aviation companies could be divided into FSC(full service carrier)and LCC(low cost carrier). So the whole experiments were performed with six kinds of advertisement prototypes(3 brand authenticities X 2 aviation company types). The age of participants were from 20s to 40s. The proportion of participants' demographics are as follow. Age proportion is 50% of 20s and 50% of 30s and 40s. Gender proportion is 46% males and 54% females. The experiments performed through mobile devices. Advertisement prototypes were exposed to the participants through their mobile devices, and they answered the questionnaires. All the process of experiments were performed by a professional research firm to maintain the quality of data. Results – This research suggested some important outcomes as follow. First, brand authenticity had an important role to make a positive consumer attitude on the aviation company. All the three types advertisement of authenticities had a positive impact on the consumer attitude for the aviation company. Second, the three types of brand authenticities in the performance aspects, symbolic aspects, and moral aspects had a major impact on the consumers attitudes. The performance authenticity had the biggest effect on the consumer attitudes. Third, the types of aviation companies like FSC and LCC had a different correlation with types of authenticities. All the types of authenticities affected on the consumers attitudes in the FSC case. The symbolic authenticity had the biggest effect in the FSC case. But the performance authenticity showed the most striking effect in the LCC case. Conclusion – From this research, we can get a conclusion. The brand authenticity of aviation company should be managed carefully to maintain a positive brand image and consumers attitudes. And airline brand authenticities can be consist of three type dimensions. All the types of authenticities affects on the consumers attitudes positively. The symbolic authenticity affects more in the FSC case, and the performance authenticity influences more in the LCC case.