The role of psychological needs and types of branding behaviors on brand identification by the customer (Case study: Zara brand customers)

Abstract Today, the brand, like capital, creates value for the organization and its products. Therefore, brand promotion has become the basis of strategy in many cases. Considering the role that the brand has in revealing the relative and absolute advantages of the producers of the products to the customers and creating financial and credit values for the companies, in order to use the brand based on the specific value of the product, the customer recognizes the component. Brand excellence, relative and absolute advantage points from the customers' point of view and providing solutions to recognize the role of quantitative and qualitative indicators in order to highlight the advantages, such research is necessary and important, as well as evaluating the success of manufacturers (service providers). Also provides customer convenience in comparison with competitors in the use of factors. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the role of psychological needs and types of branding behaviors on brand identification by Zara brand customers. In this study, research variables were evaluated by a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed among 385 people from the statistical population, which is all customers of Zara brand in Tehran. The research method was descriptive-correlational. To answer the questions and test the research hypotheses with Smart-PLS software, the method of structural equation analysis and path analysis by partial least squares (PLS) method was used. The results of this study indicate that belonging and self-confidence have a positive and significant effect on consumer behavior within a role in branding. The results of this study also confirm the positive and significant effect of self-confidence and individual independence on consumer role-playing behavior in branding. The results also show that in-role consumer behavior and extra-role consumer behavior in branding have a significant effect on brand recognition.

Keywords: psychological needs, in-role and extra-role behaviors, brand identification, Zara brand