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The power of the Coke and Nike brands crosses borders and transcends cultures. People love them, buy them and believe in them. Why have people built emotional attachments to these brands over others? Dr. Felicia Miller, assistant professor of marketing, hopes to help product owners discover the secret.

After working at Proctor & Gamble for a decade, Miller came to academia eager to test the prevailing theory that consumers
form enduring relationships with preferred brands. Her research shows that consumers are less attached to most brands than product marketers would like to believe. Instead most consumers form unique relationships with a small number of the branded products they buy.

“I found the brand/consumer relationship is very idiosyncratic,” she says. “It appears that there are some common relationship types that consumers experience, but the brand partner in that relationship varies greatly.”

Miller’s research defines nine unique relationships consumers form with brands, ranging from adversarial to abusive to fling to communal partner.

For an example of the relationship phenomenon, Miller points to the airline industry. Some consumers feel they are in an abusive relationship with brands such as Delta and United that they perceive have failed to treat them as valued customers despite higher prices and fewer services. In contrast, other consumers have formed a communal partnership with brands like Midwest Airlines and Jet Blue that are consistently recognized for customer service and unique on-board experience.

In another stream of work, Miller examined the effect celebrity endorsements can have on a brand. She found that choosing the wrong celebrity could torpedo the consumer relationship altogether. She tested pairing Clinique, a well-respected brand of cosmetics, with celebrity endorsers Paris Hilton, Britney Spears or Jessica Simpson and found the firm could expect negative results. “The celebrity’s meaning was in conflict with what the brand Clinique means in the minds of consumers,” she explains.

BLAZING TRAILS

Armed with a new federal grant, Dr. Charles Wilkie heats up the field of fire retardancy.

ECO ENIGMA

Dr. Douglas Lobner researches environmental neurotoxins that could be the cause of devastating neurological diseases.

NAZI CHIC

Dr. Irene Guenther unravels the sinister relationship between fashion and fascism.

MECHANICAL WONDER

Dr. James Anderson’s curiosity about RNA molecules led to a landmark discovery about the building blocks of life.

LISTENING TO THE ANIMALS

Through the Dr. Dolittle Project, Dr. Michael Johnson reveals fascinating insights into animal vocalizations.

IDENTITY CRISIS

What does it mean to be an individual? Dr. John Davis examines the human side of economics.

RESEARCH IN BRIEF

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Quick Facts About Marquette

Identity:	Catholic, Jesuit, private
Established:	1881
Location:	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Undergraduate:	8,048
Postgraduate:	3,500
Campus:	Urban, 80 acres
Athletics:	14 NCAA Division I teams (Big East Conference)
Colors:	Blue and Gold

Oh favorite soda, how do I love thee?