The Brand Relationship of Cult-Like Following: Developing Scales of Measurement in Apple and Catholic Devotees

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/emaj.2019.185

Keywords:

Seven Dimensions of Religion, Devotees, Indifferents, Apple, Catholicism

Abstract

The purpose of this research aims to fill in the gap in the religion-brand relationship, and explores what constitutes a cult-like allegiance to a brand, by examining subjects’ relationship to the Apple brand, comparing survey response by subjects who were “devotees” versus “indifferents” to Catholicism and to Apple. This paper uses Ninian Smart’s (1989) “Seven Dimensions of Religion” as a theoretical framework to develop scales of measurement among Apple and Catholic devotees. The contribution of this research is the development of Catholic and Apple scales. The Catholic scale extracted three factors and the Apple scale generated four factors in CFA. 

Author Biographies

Yi-Chia Wu, Tarleton State University - Texas A&M System

Yi-Chia Wu earned her Ph.D. in Business Administration with an emphasis on marketing at The University of Texas–Pan American (currently The University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley). She has published in the IVEY Business Journal, International Journal of Security, Atlantic Marketing Journal, International Journal of Sales, Retailing and Marketing, and a book chapter in Consumer Social Values. She has presented at the American Marketing Association, the Academy of Marketing Science, the Association for Consumer Research, the Atlantic Marketing Association, the Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators, the Southwest Decision Sciences Institute and the Interdisciplinary Symposium on Decision Neuroscience conferences. Dr. Wu is currently an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Tarleton State University, a member of the Texas A&M University System.

Michael S. Minor, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Professor of Marketing, Department of Marketing, Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship

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Published

2020-07-06

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 2 (2019)

Section

Articles

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