Consumer-brand relationship in the context of Chinese culture: A theoretical construct and empirical study

Using the theory of indigenous interpersonal relationship and the metaphor of the brand-as-relationship-partner (BARP), this paper develops a theoretical construct of consumer-brand relationship in the Chinese context and proposes a brand relationship framework that consists of four basic types, namely "family member", "good friend", "cooperation partner", and "acquaintance". This paper also reports the findings of two studies that test the acceptability of the theoretical construct. Study 1 proves that the relationship metaphor is suitable for the appraisal of consumer-brand relationship in the Chinese context. Study 2 confirms that the brand relationship types and brand relationship quality have satisfactory concurrent validity.