This study employed the social comparison theory, brand signally theory and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) to examine the extent to which attributes of a celebrity endorsing a brand and brand values impact on young adults’ cosmetics brand attitude and purchase intention. Data was collected from 301 young adult South Africans. Structural equation modelling results revealed that cosmetics brand attitude was influenced by celebrity attractiveness, credibility, celebrity product expertise and the symbolic brand value enjoyed from the brand. The brand attitude in turn predicted purchase intention.

When purchasing products or services, consumers tend to purchase multiple value attributes through the acquisition of a product rather than physical characteristics. This study empirically analyzed the relations between consumption value, brand attitude, and purchase intention of customers purchasing fair-trade coffee, by dividing consumption values that would have significant effects on consumers’ actual purchase behavior into five levels. Among the consumption value factors of customers purchasing fair-trade coffee, the functional value, social value, emotional value, and rare value all had significant effects on brand attitude and purchase intention while the influence of situational value on brand attitude and purchase intention was not verified. These finding are partially concordant with those of preceding studies, and the consumption value of consumers purchasing fair-trade coffee has positive effects on purchase behavior; therefore, it would be necessary for companies selling fair-trade products to understand consumers’ specific values. Moreover, analysis of the influence of brand attitude on purchase intention of customers purchasing fair-trade coffee revealed that purchase intention increased when brand attitude was higher. These finding indicate that it is necessary to identify measures to increase purchase intention by targeting consumer groups with high brand attitude with intensive promotions.

The Salvatore Ferragamo Company, founded in 1938 by Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence, is very well known for creation and production of ladies shoes but has a leading role in the whole international luxury market. The company history is ancient and started before 1927, when Salvatore Ferragamo, leaving California, came back to Italy and got to Florence. At that time, Salvatore Ferragamo was already famous in the United States for having created the craftmade footwear for the American actresses. Called ‘The shoemaker of the stars’, Salvatore Ferragamo, very well known at that time, decided to come back to Italy to live and work in Florence , because of its great artistic and handicraft tradition. Since the beginning, the founder was significantly inspired in his work by the local culture. Palazzo Spini-Feroni, which is the company headquarters, is also a symbol of the city history and of the Italian traditional lifestyle. Since the founder’s death in 1960, Salvatore Ferragamo’s wife, Wanda Miletti Ferragamo, and their six children, headed the company. They have extended the Company business getting to complete collections lines either for men and women from “head to toe”, enhancing the distribution in more than 90 countries. The Company is nowadays one of the most important luxury group in the world, resulting from a perfect combination of tradition and innovation, of territorial anchorage and global projection, of handmade craftsmanship and ability to communicate and market-making, of technology and entrepreneurship. The values the founder believed in and the Company heritage, testified by the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo activities, further of being very important at intellectual and social level for Italian culture, represent an important asset of the brand identity. This is the ground on which it has worth to establish the brand’s challenges since the past and it is possible going onwards. This is a perfect example of a “Renaissance” case in fashion and marketing field.

Fast fashion brand marketers should develop marketing strategies that effectively satisfy the values consumers seek when purchasing fast fashion brands. This study aimed to identify the consumption value factors of fast fashion brands and to reveal the value factors that influence attitudes toward purchasing fast fashion brands. Data were gathered by surveying university students in the Seoul metropolitan area using convenience sampling. Three hundred and five questionnaires were used in the statistical analysis, which consisted of exploratory factor analysis using SPSS and confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis using AMOS. The factor analysis revealed the following six value factors: Emotional value, social value, price/value for money, durability value, eco-value, and consistency value. The fit statistic for the six-factor model was quite acceptable. Two of the six value factors, emotional value and price/value for money, positively influenced attitudes toward purchasing fast fashion brands. The overall fits of the revealed model suggested that the model fit the data well. The results suggested that fast fashion marketers need to understand the value factors that motivate consumers to purchase fast fashion brands. In addition, marketers should focus their efforts on satisfying emotional value and price/value for money in order to establish their brands in the increasingly competitive fast fashion industry.

제품 디자인은 기업에게 경쟁적 이점을 제공해주는 중요한 요인으로 고려되고 있다. 본 연구는 소비자 관점에서의 디자인 평가 요소가 디자인 가치를 통해 브랜드 충성도에 미치는 영향을 구조적으로 탐색하였다. 연구결과 대부분의 디자인 평가요소들이 세 가지 유형의 디자인 가치에 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 먼저 소비자들의 디자인 평가요소 중 심미성, 여성성, 고귀성, 효율성 등이 이성적 디자인 가치와 사용감각적 디자인 가치, 감성적 가치에 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 독특성의 경우에는 이성적 디자인 가치와 사용감각적 디자인 가치에는 유의한 영향을 미치지 못하였으나 감성적 디자인 가치에는 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 디자인이 전달하는 가치와 브랜드 충성도 간의 관계에 대한 검증에서는 이성적 디자인 가치, 사용감각적 디자인 가치, 감성적 디자인 가치가 태도적 브랜드 충성도에 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 또한 이성적 디자인 가치와 사용감각적 디자인 가치는 행동적 브랜드 충성도에도 직접적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으나 감성적 디자인 가치는 행동적 브랜드 충성도에는 직접적인 영향을 미치지 못하고 태도적 브랜드 충성도를 통해 행동적 브랜드 충성도에 간접적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 마지막으로 태도적 브랜드 충성도는 행동적 브랜드 충성도에 강한 긍정적 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다.

The current higher education in Vietnam demonstrates the intense competition among local universities. Undoubtedly, the issue of enhancing the brand value to attract students is now placed at the top to Vietnamese universities. The research aims to identify the objective and subjective factors affecting the brand value of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam as mediated by students’ perceptions. This paper employs the mixed research methods and data were then analyzed by measuring Cronbach's Alpha coefficient for reliability, analyzing EFA, and using PATH model to test the experiment on the research model affecting HUTECH’s brand value. Probability sampling used is Stratified sampling and 500 students of 8 faculties of HUTECH surveyed by convenience sampling. Additionally, this paper also proposes some managerial implications on enhancing the brand value of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City. The results indicate that the new factor, namely geographic location is the most influential factor to enhance the brand value of private universities in general and HUTECH in particular. Brand still plays a determinant role in students' trust when choosing a university. Finally, some implications proposed to enhance the brand value of private universities in Ho Chi Minh City in the context of fierce competition in attracting students.