Footprints in the Sands of Time: A Comparative Analysis of the Effectiveness of Customer Satisfaction and Customer–Company Identification over Time

Abstract

Previous research has identified customer satisfaction and customer-company identification as two of the most important concepts in relationship marketing. Yet despite their proclaimed importance, research on their long-term effectiveness is surprisingly scarce. Furthermore, comparative research acknowledging the concepts' different theoretical roots and illuminating the differences in their long-term effectiveness is lacking. In addition, little is known about how competitive actions affect the long-term effectiveness of both concepts. This study makes a first attempt to address these research gaps and offers a comparative analysis of the effectiveness of customer satisfaction and customer-company identification in driving important customer outcomes over time. Latent growth analyses of rich longitudinal data from customers over nine measurement points spanning 43 weeks (n = 6,930) show that customer satisfaction and customer-company identification have positive initial effects on customers' loyalty and willingness to pay but differ in their ability to maintain these positive effects over time. Whereas the positive effects of customer satisfaction decrease more rapidly, the effects of customer-company identification are significantly more persistent. Analysis of the moderating effects of relative competitive advertising suggests that customer-company identification is more effective at immunizing customers against competitive actions.

Consumer–brand identification revisited: An integrative framework of brand identification, customer satisfaction, and price image and their role for brand loyalty and word of mouth

“…Together with previous research in the field of marketing, our findings may help practitioners find a better mix between these elements to ensure long-term success. For instance, Haumann et al (2014) recently studied the long-term effectiveness of customer satisfaction and customer-company identification on customer loyalty and willingness to pay, thereby demonstrating that the effects of identification were more persistent than the effects of customer satisfaction.…”

“…Moreover, brand loyalty refers to the behavioral perspective and has a more action-oriented focus. Therefore, both constructs have been established as separate latent variables and received a great deal of attention among marketing scholars (Haumann et al, 2014).…”

“…In addition, the antecedent role of identification is justified by the notion that brand identification regularly occurs even before people become customers (He et al, 2012;Bhattacharya and Sen, 2003). Identification is also a long-term disposition of the customer and is directed toward a relationship (Haumann et al, 2014), and thus influences each transaction and satisfaction as transaction-oriented construct. Therefore, we follow these convincing arguments and assume that consumer-brand identification is an antecedent of customer satisfaction, rather than the other way around.…”

Relationship building through Facebook brand pages: the multifaceted roles of identification, satisfaction, and perceived relationship investment

“…Given the sustained, long-term impact researchers attribute to consumer-brand identification (Haumann, Quaiser, Wieseke, & Rese, 2014), especially the effect of consumer-FBP identification seems to be of importance for sustained Third, an additional contribution of note is via the inclusion of perceived relationship investment as a direct and a moderating influence. This construct has typically been utilized in business-to-business contexts, but our research demonstrates its utility in the e-marketing context.…”

Indirect Effect on Trust on Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty Relationship in Malaysian Airline Industry

“…The marketing concept suggests that when the buyers are satisfied would arouse their behavior and intention of repurchase, which concern that maintaining customer satisfaction is the most important long-term objectives of firms. According to Haumann (2014) in their study revealed that it usually costs more to serve new customers than repeat buyers, which means that repeat customers are more benefit to organizational cost structure. To be an organization, a primary strategic objective is to maximize customer intention rates to buy which emphasis on customer relationship management.…”