Recently, a decrease in the technological gap between companies has been intensifying competition. Companies’ emphasis on the merits of their own brands, the unstable environment of market, rapid changes in consumer trends, and the emergence of similar brands will make consumers’ purchase decision increasingly difficult. Consequently, consumers will turn to trust and interest in ‘brands and their authenticity’ more as decision-making strategies for selection. Thus, it may be said that in the contemporary society, a company’s brand authenticity is not concerned merely with profit seeking, but is connected with the existence of a company’s goals, mission, and practice for consumers and society. Therefore, building brand asset requires research on new brand authenticity that can accommodate the changes of the times and the value proposition of changed consumers. Hence, this study aims to identify factors that influence the brand authenticity of companies selling gochu-jang, a Korean traditional seasoning food, in the market and the effects of brand authenticity on brand image, brand trust, and brand loyalty.
For this study, consumers living in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, who had the experience of purchasing the brand products of gochu-jang (produced by Company D and Company C) in the market and using them, were sampled, and a questionnaire survey was conducted with them. Convenient sampling was used to select the sample, and the questionnaire survey was carried out from June 7, 2017 to September 10, 2017. In the direct survey, a total of 460 questionnaires were distributed, and 417 copies among them, excluding 43 copies of insincere response, were used for empirical analysis.
As for analysis methodology, reliability analysis and factor analysis were performed, and frequency analysis was conducted to investigate the characteristics of the sample. Further, multiple regression analysis and simple regression analysis were carried out to test the influence relationships among brand authenticity, brand image, brand trust, and brand loyalty, using IBM SPSS statistical package 20.0, and hierarchical regression analysis was carried out to test the moderating effect of product involvement.
The results of empirical analysis based on literature review and the questionnaire survey are as follows:
First, among measurement variables used for the brand authenticity of the commercial gochu-jang companies, 1 item was deleted from 4 items of brand consistency because its structural division was ambiguous, and then a total of 11 questions, which comprised 4 items of brand originality, 3 items of brand consistency, and 4 items of brand authenticity, were used in the analysis. And 5 items of brand image and 6 items of brand trust were used in the analysis. In addition, reliability test and validity test on 5 items of product involvement and 5 items of brand loyalty showed their high fitness. Second, the analysis showed that the brand authenticity (originality, consistency, and traditionality) of the commercial gochu-jang companies had positive (+) effects on brand image. Third, the analysis showed that the brand authenticity (originality, consistency, and traditionality) of the commercial gochu-jang companies had positive (+) effects on brand trust. Fourth, the analysis showed that the brand image of the commercial gochu-jang companies had positive (+) effects on brand trust.
Fifth, the analysis showed that the brand image of the commercial gochu-jang companies had positive (+) effects on brand loyalty. Sixth, the analysis showed that the brand trust of the commercial gochu-jang companies had positive (+) effects on brand loyalty. Seventh, as a result of testing the hypothesis that product involvement would moderate the relationship between the brand authenticity and brand image of commercial gochu-jang companies, it was found that product involvement moderated the relationship between brand originality and brand image. In addition, it was found that product involvement moderated the relationship between brand traditionality and brand image. Eighth, as a result of testing the hypothesis that product involvement would moderate the relationship between the brand authenticity and brand trust of commercial gochu-jang companies, it was found that product involvement moderated the relationship between brand traditionality and brand trust.
The findings of this study have theoretical value in that it was the first attempt that identified the moderating effect of product involvement on the relationship between brand authenticity and brand image, and also in that it was the first attempt that identified the moderating effect of product involvement on the relationship between brand authenticity and brand trust. That is, it may safely be said that this study represents a new theoretical approach that uses as a moderating variable the product involvement, which is a personal resource that improves brand image and brand trust through brand authenticity.
Given the findings of this study showing that brand traditionality, a sub-factor of brand authenticity, had a strong influence on the outcome variable, commercial gochu-jang companies will have to adopt brand strengthening strategies based on brand traditionality. For example, it is judged that it is the most important of all to build a differentiated system that maintains consistent product quality by developing traditional techniques differentiated from other brands in the process of gochu-jang manufacture.