Användandet av sociala medier, som från början handlade om utbyte av information, har mynnat ut i en social närvaro. En social närvaro där man genom bilder, text och videos presenterar sig själv. Konsumenter kan numera obehindrat dela varumärkesrelaterat innehåll genom att till exempel visa nya inköp eller andra händelser av sitt liv. Idag skapar konsumenter många av sina associationer och uppfattningar om varumärken genom detta innehåll av privatpersoner på sociala medier. Det skapar en möjlighet för lyxvarumärkena att bli top-of-mind hos konsumenterna. Samtidigt blir det svårt för lyxvarumärken att kontrollera privatpersoners innehåll. Varumärken inom lyxsegmentet måste dessutom förvalta sitt arv och sin exklusivitet för att bibehålla sitt starka varumärke. Denna balansgång belyser lyxens paradox. Syftet med denna studie är att få fram eventuella effekter när lyxvarumärken inom modebranschen exponeras, både ofrivilligt och frivilligt, på sociala medier. Forskarna undersöker från ett konsumentperspektiv i syfte att ta reda på hur konsumenternas varumärkesimage och köplust ändras när lyxvarumärken exponeras på detta sätt. Detta har forskarna undersökt med hjälp av en kvalitativ studie i form av semi-strukturerade intervjuer. Respondenterna valdes ut baserat på deras intresse för mode och att de själva har konsumerat lyxprodukter inom mode. Denna studie visar att ett lyxvarumärkens image förändras när lyxvarumärken exponeras på sociala medier. Om det är en positiv eller negativt förändring är kopplat till de associationer och personer som konsumenterna kopplar varumärket till. Om konsumenterna kopplar varumärkesimagen till en person eller grupp som de vill identifiera sig med ökar deras köplust. Om de istället associerar varumärket till en grupp eller personer som de inte vill identifiera sig med, minskar istället deras köplust. Konsumenters köplust minskar dessutom när produkter, genom exponering på sociala medier upplevs mer tillgängliga och exklusiviteten i varumärket tynar bort. / The use of social media, which from the beginning was about exchange of information, has now resulted in a social presence. A social presence where you present yourself through pictures, text and videos. Consumers can now freely share brand-related content by, for example, showing new purchases or other events of their lives. Today, consumers create a lot of their associations and perceptions about brands through this content from individuals on social media. It creates an opportunity for luxury brands to become top-of-mind amongst consumers. At the same time, it becomes difficult for luxury brands to control this content from individuals. Brands in the luxury segment need to manage their heritage and exclusivity in order to maintain their strong brand. This balancing act sheds light on the paradox of luxury. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects when luxury brands in the fashion industry are exposed on social media. The researchers examine from a consumer perspective in order to find out how consumers' brand image and desire to purchase change when luxury brands are exposed in this way. The researchers investigated this with the help of a qualitative study in the form of semi-structured interviews. The respondents were selected because of their interest in fashion and that they have consumed luxury products in fashion. This study shows that consumers' brand image changes when luxury brands are exposed on social media. Whether it is a positive or negative change it is linked to the associations and persons which consumers link the brand to. If consumers associate the brand image with a person or a group that they want to be identified with, their desire to buy increases. If they instead associate the brand with a group or people they do not want to be identified with, their purchase desire decreases. Additionally, consumers' purchase desire decreases when products, through exposure on social media, are perceived as more accessible and the exclusivity in the brand fades away.

Counterfeiting is an illegal activity that continues to boom in the 21st century. Many research studies regarding counterfeiting undertaken in the past have had a strong focus on the supply side of the industry, whereas few studies look to consumer demand and even fewer towards consumer demand for counterfeit products in an emerging African market. The aim of this research study, therefore, was to provide a descriptive analysis of the South African consumers‟ intention to purchase authentic luxury fashion brands versus counterfeit products and secondly, to examine if various demographic groupings differ in their purchase intentions. In order to achieve the research objective, an extensive literary review was conducted on the global counterfeit problem with specific focus on the South African counterfeit industry. The concept and value of branding was highlighted, followed by a discussion on consumer behaviour in conjunction with the decision-making process and the consumers‟ intention to purchase. An empirical study was conducted with UNISA students residing within the areas of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape through a mixed method approach. Qualitative research formed the first leg of the study and assisted in identifying past purchase behaviour of authentic and counterfeit luxury fashion brands. Once identified, these brands were then utilised in a quantitative survey to satisfy the research objectives. The results of this research study indicate that South African consumers‟ have a high intention to purchase authentic luxury fashion brands versus a low intention to purchase counterfeit products. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

<p> </p><p>The luxury market has steadily grown from the industrial revolution and onwards. Changes in society, trends and the increased living standards has enabled more people to consume luxury goods.</p><p>The world is going through a major economic crisis at the moment. Studies shows that companies that have focused on added value rather than lowering prices has survived past financial crisis. It is also obvious that companies act very different during times of crisis. Adding to the problem is trends that point to a more careful consumption and environmental awareness. Different source suggest different opinions on the situation and future for the luxury market.</p><p>The purpose of the study is to answer what strategies are important for luxury brands during a financial crisis.</p><p>To answer this a qualitative study is performed on Swedish luxury brands to analyse what their strategies are during the current economic crisis and compare that to how ”exclusive” or ”luxurious” they are considered. This to investigate if there is a relationship between a brands exclusiveness and chosen strategy.</p><p> </p>

Counterfeiting is an illegal activity that continues to boom in the 21st century. Many research studies regarding counterfeiting undertaken in the past have had a strong focus on the supply side of the industry, whereas few studies look to consumer demand and even fewer towards consumer demand for counterfeit products in an emerging African market. The aim of this research study, therefore, was to provide a descriptive analysis of the South African consumers‟ intention to purchase authentic luxury fashion brands versus counterfeit products and secondly, to examine if various demographic groupings differ in their purchase intentions. In order to achieve the research objective, an extensive literary review was conducted on the global counterfeit problem with specific focus on the South African counterfeit industry. The concept and value of branding was highlighted, followed by a discussion on consumer behaviour in conjunction with the decision-making process and the consumers‟ intention to purchase. An empirical study was conducted with UNISA students residing within the areas of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape through a mixed method approach. Qualitative research formed the first leg of the study and assisted in identifying past purchase behaviour of authentic and counterfeit luxury fashion brands. Once identified, these brands were then utilised in a quantitative survey to satisfy the research objectives. The results of this research study indicate that South African consumers‟ have a high intention to purchase authentic luxury fashion brands versus a low intention to purchase counterfeit products. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Un nombre croissant de recherches indique que les consommateurs utilisent les produits de marque comme outils pour construire et communiquer leur propre identité. Les produits de marque servent de marqueurs de statut et de symboles d’appartenance à un groupe et permettent aux consommateurs de se différencier des autres et d’exprimer leur individualité. Pour créer des marques qui peuvent servir à construire des identités personnelles et pour renforcer le lien entre la marque et le consommateur, il est important que les consommateurs puissent participer au processus de création (co-création). La personnalisation des produits à grande échelle est un outil particulièrement utile pour impliquer les consommateurs dans ce processus qui contribue à augmenter la satisfaction des clients et leur consentement à payer. Cependant, les théories actuelles sur l’utilisation des marques comme marqueurs d’identités personnelles et les théories sur les stratégies visant à renforcer la relation entre la marque et le consommateur ont été élaborées principalement dans un contexte occidental. Le but de cette recherche est donc d’étudier dans quelle mesure les consommateurs d’Asie de l’Est diffèrent, dans leur utilisation des marques comme marqueurs d’identité personnelle, des consommateurs occidentaux. Elle explore également les implications potentielles des différences interculturelles dans la communication des identités personnelles pour la personnalisation des produits et pour la relation entre les marques et les consommateurs. Suite à des études antérieures indiquant que les vêtements et les accessoires de mode sont fréquemment utilisés par les consommateurs pour communiquer leur identité, la présente recherche se concentre sur les produits de mode de marques de luxe et les produits de marques grand public. Conformément à la tradition de la psychologie culturelle, cette thèse part de l’hypothèse que les variations culturelles dans la conception de soi et dans les relations entre l’individu et les autres permettent d’expliquer des différences dans le comportement des consommateurs. Une approche mixte est utilisée pour étudier les différences interculturelles entre des échantillons représentant une culture collectiviste de l’Asie de l’Est (Corée du Sud) et des échantillons représentant une culture individualiste occidentale (Allemagne). Les données quantitatives recueillies au moyen de questionnaires (études 1A et 1B) sont combinées avec les données qualitatives recueillies au moyen d’entretiens semi-structurés en profondeur (études 2A et 2B). Cette recherche apporte de nouveaux éléments concernant les différences interculturelles et permet d'enrichir les théories sur la relation entre la marque et le consommateur et sur l’utilisation des marques comme marqueurs d’identité personnelle. Elle contribue également au courant de recherche émergent sur la personnalisation des produits. / A growing body of research indicates that consumers use branded products as tools to construct their self-identity and to communicate their self-identities to others. Besides acting as markers of status and symbols of group membership, branded products allow consumers to differentiate themselves from others and to express individuality. Key to generating identity related brand meaning and to strengthening self-brand connections, is the involvement of the consumer in a co-creation process. Product design customization on a large scale has emerged as a particularly useful tool to involve consumers in the creation process of the brand and to increase their satisfaction and willingness to pay. However, existing theories on the use of brands to signal self-identities as well as strategies for strengthening self-brand connections, such as product design customization, are bound to Western individualistic thinking. The aim of this research is to investigate the extent to which East Asian consumers differ in their use of brands to signal self identities from Western individualistic consumers. In addition, it explores potential implications of cross-cultural differences in the signaling of self-identities for product design customization and self-brand connections. Following prior studies indicating that clothing and fashion accessories are particularly likely to be used by consumers to communicate self-identities, the focus of the present research is laid on fashion products of both luxury brands and high street brands. In line with the tradition of cultural psychology, this thesis draws on the assumption that cultural variations in self construal and in self-other relationships lead to differences in consumer behavior. A mixed methods approach is taken to investigate cross-cultural differences between samples representing an East Asian collectivistic culture (South Korea) and samples representing a Western individualistic culture (Germany). Specifically, quantitative data collected through surveys (studies1A and 1B) are combined with qualitative data collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews (studies 2A and 2B). This research provides novel, cross-cultural insights relevant to existing the orizing on consumer-brand relationships and on consumers’ use of brands as signals of self-identities. It also contributes to the emerging stream of research on product design.

The luxury market has steadily grown from the industrial revolution and onwards. Changes in society, trends and the increased living standards has enabled more people to consume luxury goods. The world is going through a major economic crisis at the moment. Studies shows that companies that have focused on added value rather than lowering prices has survived past financial crisis. It is also obvious that companies act very different during times of crisis. Adding to the problem is trends that point to a more careful consumption and environmental awareness. Different source suggest different opinions on the situation and future for the luxury market. The purpose of the study is to answer what strategies are important for luxury brands during a financial crisis. To answer this a qualitative study is performed on Swedish luxury brands to analyse what their strategies are during the current economic crisis and compare that to how ”exclusive” or ”luxurious” they are considered. This to investigate if there is a relationship between a brands exclusiveness and chosen strategy.

This research's purpose is to examine how luxury brands uses provocation as a tool in their campaigns to attract attention and costumers. The luxury brand that is being analysed is Balenciaga, and their campaign gift collection. This is done by a qualitative, semiotic pictureanalysis. The theoretical framework that is being used has its base in Pierre Bourdieus theory about class and taste, as well as Stuart Halls theory about representation. Other theories that are being used are branding, commodityfetischism and provocation. The finds that were made shows that luxury brands tend to use provocation to stand out among other brands, but when they do so they also risk getting boycotted by consumers. The discussion raises the question on whether or not losing customers is worth this risk.   My mediaproduction is based of the problemarea that people with different disabilities are not represented in commercial advertising. I've made an short fictional commercial for the sporting goods-brand stadium, portraying a blind woman, to encourage representation of blind people in advertisment. / Denna undersöknings syfte är att undersöka hur lyxvarumärken använder sig av provokation som ett verktyg för att dra till sig uppmärksamhet och kunder. Lyxvarumärket som undersöks är Balenciaga och deras kampanj gift collection. Detta görs med hjälp av en kvalitativ, semiotisk bildanalys. Det teoretiska ramverk som används har sin grund i Pierre Bourdieus teori om klass och smak, såväl som Stuart Halls teori om representation. Andra teorier som används är varumärkesidentitet, kommoditetsfetischism och provokation. De fynd som gjordes visar på att lyxvarumärken tenderar att använda provokation för att stå ut bland andra varumärken, men när de gör det så gör de det med risken att bli bojkottad av konsumenter. Diskussionen ställer frågan kring huruvida denna risk är värd att förlora kunder för.  Min mediaproduktion är baserad kring problemområdet att folk med diverse funktionsnedsättningar sällan blir representerade i kommersiell reklam. Jag har gjort en kort fiktiv reklam för sportklädesmärket Stadium där jag porträtterar en blind kvinna, för att uppmuntra represenation av blinda personer i reklam.

Le travail présenté ici se veut être une analyse du comportement d'un consommateur bien précis : l'acheteur de produits de luxe, issu de la classe moyenne supérieure libanaise. En nous basant sur ses pratiques mais aussi ses contraintes face à l'acte d'achat, nous tenterons de dresser la liste des facteurs sociaux qui régissent ses actions face aux produits de luxe. Quels sont les interdits ? Qu'est ce qui, au contraire, le pousse à acheter ce type de marchandises ? Cette étude veut comprendre le comportement des acheteurs dans un espace précis - le Liban - qui se révèle instable tant sur le plan géopolitique, social qu'économique. Après de nombreuses guerres civiles et des tensions permanentes entre religions, le pays se trouve face à une problématique délicate. Ainsi, par exemple, un consommateur qui va dans une boutique appartenant à un groupe religieux différent du sien sera considéré comme un traître par son propre groupe. Les conflits religieux et la montée des extrémismes est au cœur de cette problématique. Les groupes extrémistes font appel à leurs fidèles pour boycotter les produits provenant de nombreux pays européens. Le consommateur, quant à lui, se trouve au cœur de tensions issues de plusieurs contraintes. Cela fait aujourd'hui plus d'un an que le Liban se trouve sans président. Les partis politiques, tout comme les milices, sont à la tête d'un système politique privilégiant le clientélisme. Ce système s'est installé suite à la disparition du pouvoir de l'État et met en avant l'échange de produits de luxe contre des services en tout genre et une amélioration du statut social. Notre travail veut montrer comment ces « cadeaux » en général et principalement les produits de luxe ont participé à la cohésion et à la mise en place d'une identité d'un groupe spécifique de Libanais. Chaque individu essaye de construire - ou reconstruire - son identité sociale, essaye également de sécuriser cette identité dans un environnement totalement instable comme c'est le cas dans ce pays sans gouvernement et parlement légaux, et qui ne peuvent plus garantir cette stabilité. L'acteur social tente de trouver de nouvelles stratégies afin de s'assurer une certaine paix au quotidien. Les individus du milieu social concerné se sentent menacés par leur propre environnement mais aussi par les autres environnements socio-religieuses : Maronites, les Chiites, les Sunnites, etc. Ils ont peur pour leurs enfants, leurs proches mais aussi leurs biens : commerces, logements ... Ils doivent donc trouver une manière de s'assurer une certaine sécurité face aux différentes menaces. C'est dans ce cadre que les cadeaux de luxe interviennent et réduisent l'incertitude à la fois face à l'insécurité et aux différentes menaces. / This study explores and analyses the factors involved in the act of consumption of luxury goods of the upper middle-class consumers through a case study on Lebanon. Based on the consumer's behaviour as well as the economic and social constraints he faces, we will try to define the social determinants of luxury goods consumption. What are the banners? What are the factors pushing the upper-middle class to buy such goods? This study aims to understand the behavior of buyers in a specific area - Lebanon - which is geopolitically, economically and socially unstable. After many civil wars and constant tensions between different religious groups, the country is facing a delicate problem. For example, due to social pressure executed by the society of his religious group, the consumer finds himself obligated to buy from shops owned by people of his religious group. If not, he will be considered as a traitor. Religious conflicts and the rise of extremism are at the heart of this problem. Extremist groups call on their followers to boycott products from many European countries. Consumers, meanwhile, are at the heart of tensions from several constraints It has been for more than a year now that Lebanon is without a president. Political parties, like the militias, are at the head of the political system that favors cronyism. This system was installed due to the disappearance of the state power and highlights the role of luxury goods as "gifts" in exchange of all kinds of services and improved social status. The objective of this study is to show how these "gifts" in general, and mainly luxury goods, were involved in the cohesion and the establishment of an identity of a specific group of the Lebanese population. Each individual trying to build - or rebuild - their social identity, is also trying to secure this identity in a totally unstable environment, especially when the legal government and the parliament are unable to guarantee this stability. Therefore, the social actor is trying to find new strategies to ensure some peace everyday. Individuals of a certain social environment feel threatened by their environment but also by other socio-religious environments: Maronites, Shiites, Sunnis, etc. They are afraid for their children, their relatives but also their material properties: retail, housing ... They must find a way to provide certainty about the various threats. It is in this context that luxury gifts intervene and reduce uncertainty both to insecurity and the various threats.

「奢侈平民化」帶動奢侈品牌年年高成長的業績，卻迫使品牌必須面對截然不同的消費者態度與品味。品牌欲持續保有強勢地位，必須了解奢侈在消費者心目中的意義以及消費者如何評估奢侈品牌。因此，本研究欲探討台灣精品消費者認知中構成品牌奢侈的因素，建構衡量品牌奢侈之量表，並以量表探討消費者購買經驗對奢侈認知之影響，及分析個別品牌的現況及優劣勢，研擬具體的競爭策略方向。 本研究選取五個奢侈品牌作為分析標的，進行實證研究，期望達到下列研究目的： (1)驗證品牌奢侈量表，建立評估奢侈品牌的管理工具； (2)探討不同奢侈品牌購買經驗之消費者對各品牌奢侈認知的差異性； (3)探討各奢侈品牌在消費者心目中的知覺定位，擬定未來的策略方向。 依本研究之目的，擬定研究架構及確立抽樣設計，並發放問卷收集消費者資訊。之後以二階驗證性因素分析檢驗品牌奢侈量表模式品質；再利用量表探討不同購買經驗對奢侈認知的影響；最後則以多元尺度分析進行知覺定位分析，經實證分析得到以下研究發現： (1)品牌奢侈包含知覺炫耀性、知覺獨特性、知覺品質、知覺享樂價值與知覺延伸自我等五個構面，其影響力依序排列為知覺享樂價值>知覺延伸自我>知覺獨特性>知覺炫耀性>知覺品質。 (2)台灣地區消費者於購買奢侈品牌之產品後，對品牌奢侈程度的認知無明顯地降低，對品牌的奢侈評價與無購買經驗者沒有顯著差異。 (3)各奢侈品牌的改善重點主要包括知覺品質、知覺享樂價值以及知覺獨特性等三項，其中知覺品質為市場最重要之關鍵因素。 根據實證分析之結果，衍生出許多的策略涵意，包括掌握關鍵因素、規劃競爭策略以及未來發展方向等，可以作為奢侈品牌改善或塑造奢侈形象及規劃策略方向的參考依據。 / “Luxury Democratization” brings great growth to the luxury goods market, but also forced these brands to confront consumers with different attitudes and tastes. As a result, it is critical for luxury brand managers to understand consumer’s perception of brand luxury in order to maintain the brands’ luxury image. This research focused on the confirmation of Brand Luxury Scale to understand Taiwanese cousumers’ perception of brand luxury. Based on the Scale, the influence of purchase experience to luxury perception was tested, and the competitive advantages of five luxury brands were analyzed. Competitive strategies of each brand were futher developed. Research was conducted by using five luxury brands and expected to achieve the following research purposes: (1)Confirm the Brand Luxury Scale to establish a managerial tool for brand luxuriousness evaluation; (2)Use the Brand Luxury Scale to evaluate the influence of purchase experience to luxury perception; (3)Use the Brand Luxury Scale to evaluate consumers’ perception of different brands, and seek to imply different competitive strategies for these brands base on the analysis. After the conduction of research framework, sampling design and data collection, Secondary Comfirmatory Factor Analysis was used to confirm the structure of Brand Luxury Scale. 1-Way ANOVA was used to test the influence of purchase experience to luxury perception. Finally, Multi-Dimensional Scaling Analysis was implied to analyze the perceptual position of each brand. The research findings are as below: (1)Brand Luxury is constructed by five dimensions: Perceived Conspicuousness, Perceived Uniqueness, Perceived Quality, Perceived Hedonic, and Perceived Extended-self. The order of dimensional influence is Perceived Hedonic> Perceived Extended -self> Perceived Uniqueness> Perceived Conspicuousness> Perceived Quality. (2)No difference in brand luxury perception between different purchasing experience consumers was found, showing that the perceptions of brand luxury of Taiwanese consumers’ remain unchanged after purchase. (3)Perceived Quality is the most important dimension of all, and the five luxury brands tested needs to improve in dimensions of Perceived Quality, Perceived Hedonic, and Perceived Uniqueness. According to the results, several managerial implications were derived, including key factors in marketing and competitive strategy of each brand. These strategies can be used in improving the performance of perceived luxuriousness of brand, enhancing brand luxury image, and planning the direction of luxury marketing and brand strategy.