The Methodology

This chapter provides a brief description of the methodology used in this book by the following chapters (i.e. “Brand Attachment” [Chapter 3] and “Product Attachment” [Chapter 4]). Applied to address the criticism that literature reviews are naturally liable to subjective choices by the author(s), systematic reviews are based on a methodological protocol intended to minimize subjective biases, while increasing transparency and replicability. After reporting the principles of systematic literature review, the chapter presents how the method has been applied in the research presented throughput the pages of this book.

Brand Attachment

Among the myriad brand constructs established in the literature, brand attachment is attracting increasing attention among marketing scholars. Initially a loosely defined construct, the definition of brand attachment has improved significantly, and so too has its operationalization. The chapter provides extensive details of the results of a systematic literature review conducted on 102 academic papers published in scientific journals focused on brand attachment or including the construct of brand attachment in the empirical design. First, an updated picture of research on brand attachment is provided. This is followed by a compelling analysis of the concept and of the available measures of brand attachment construct, of its antecedents, and of its outcomes. Finally, a research agenda is provided. The analysis reveals that research on brand attachment—although it has begun in relatively recent times—is gaining momentum in current studies. This is the first systematic literature review on the construct of product attachment published to date.

Emerging Trends in Attachment Studies

This chapter reports some of the most recent developments in attachment studies that are gaining interest in the current literature. In particular, it introduces two concepts attracting the attention of marketing scholars: “brand love” and “brand hate.” Although the concepts can be considered as the extremes of an emotional continuum, they cannot be considered the opposites of each other because of their different genesis. After stating what is meant by “brand love” and “brand hate,” the chapter reports the main measurement scales used in extant studies and critically evaluates them. The discussion is then completed with a brief introduction to two additional concepts of attachment that relate to attachment to digital artefacts (i.e., social media) and attachment to service firms.

Product Attachment

Although the study of emotional feelings that consumers' nurture toward products (or material possessions) has largely attracted the interest of marketing and consumer behavior scholars, research dealing with product attachment is still at its nascent stage. This statement is confirmed by the result of a systematic literature review on product attachment that is reported throughout this chapter. After providing an updated picture of the state of the art of research on product attachment published to date, the chapter reports multiple conceptualizations and operationalizations of the product attachment construct. This is followed by thorough analysis of the antecedents and consequences of product attachment included in published empirical research. The analysis concludes by suggesting possible issues that might be of interest to those doing or planning to do research on product attachment. This is the first systematic literature review on the construct of product attachment published to date.

The Theory of Attachment

Since the core topic of the book is consumers' attachment to products and brands, a brief but compelling review of attachment theory is needed to give the readers the theoretical tools necessary to properly understand how the theory has been applied in marketing studies. The chapter strongly relies on the “classics” of attachment theory, from the pioneering contribution by John Bowlby (1969) onwards. After a presentation of the main theoretical premises of attachment theory, the chapter specifies the concept of attachment style with specific regard to attachment in adulthood and reviews the main measurement scales and other methodologies used in the field of psychology to assess individuals' attachment and attachment style.