There´s No Passion; I Need Passion: Why Some Brands Excite Consumers So Much

Abstract

Not all brands have the potential to develop into meaningful objects for consumers. They need to serve certain psychological and symbolic functions in order to qualify as passion brands. They need to help consumers define and express their personality, combine potentially conflicting social roles or experiment with new roles. Brand passion is lived in very different ways. Some fans invest a lot of time and money in their beloved objects; others join brand communities to collectively enjoy the brand. Others yet act as missionaries on behalf of the brand or develop their own rituals in dealing with it. Companies can encourage customers' relationships with their brands by helping consumers care for the brand and enhance or maintain it. True passion, however, also needs a pinch of magic in extraordinary and unique experiences and transformations. Creating such magical moments is the true challenge for brand management.