An Empirical Study of Brand Concept Recall as a Predictor of Brand Loyalty for Dyson

Brand loyalty factors are generally explained by product/service features like design and usability. However, consumers may be attracted to superficial functionality and design, but easily switch brands when another company’s product/service with higher functionality and a more fashionable design appears. If a consumer remains loyal to a brand, it is because they understand, sympathize with, and value the brand’s concept. Accordingly, the present study hypothesized that consumers who recall a brand concept are more likely to exhibit loyalty than consumers who recall specific features, such as design. From the results of an online survey of consumers with Dyson vacuum cleaners in the Japanese market, the factors of brand loyalty were evaluated using structural equation modeling. As a result, no significant effect was confirmed for the design, which is generally claimed to be highly evaluated in this brand. In contrast, the brand concept claimed in this study was confirmed to have a significant positive effect. Companies should first reaffirm the importance of brand concepts. There are still many product/service brands that are equipped with functions and designs, while the brand concept remains ambiguous. Hence, the concept recall index should be emphasized in brand management.