Impacts of country images on luxury fashion brand: facilitating with the brand resonance model

This paper aims to identify the dimensionality of country image (CI) for luxury fashion brand and examine the multi-faceted impacts of CI on brand awareness, perceived quality, and brand loyalty in accordance with the brand resonance model. By identifying the constructs and conceptualizing and comparing the luxury fashion-brand resonance model between countries, this study demonstrates the pertinent CI impacts on luxury fashion-brand resonance in addition to exposing the cultural discrepancies between the Korean and the US samples.

Based on three studies conducted in South Korea and the USA, the Luxury Fashion Brand Resonance scale was validated. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling revealed the 18 scales consisting of CI, brand awareness, perceived quality, and brand loyalty dimensions. Additionally, the country effect was controlled by comparing the composition of structural models between the Korean and US samples.

Analysis of online data (n=466) collected from the USA and Korea identifies the underlying dimensions of the CIs including cultural assets, fashion equity, and technology advancement. Findings also support all hypothesized relationships among CI, brand awareness, perceived quality, and brand loyalty. Upon a comparison of the country disparities, it is evident that technology advancement is the determinant of the increase in luxury fashion brand awareness for the Korean group, while cultural asset and fashion equity are pertinent to the enhancement of luxury fashion brand awareness for the US group.

The structural relationships among the six dimensions of brand resonance may vary when different countries and brands are compared. To improve the generalizability of empirical findings, varied consumer samples should be employed, and other control effects, such as price and product categories, should be considered.

To provide insight into the transition toward a global consumer market, this study provides a theoretical orientation to account for multi-dimensional CI effects on the luxury fashion-brand resonance model and an empirical validation of the theoretical orientation which is useful for developing competitive global luxury branding strategies.