Within the past decade, Harry Potter has become a multi-billion dollar brand with millions of fans all over the world. The fan base community has developed with the rise of the Internet and new means of interaction. They have had a real power of decision over the brand’s managers, and are a key element to the success of Harry Potter. This study will focus on people’s sense of community and on the existence of a relationship between this sense of community and people’s loyalty and purchase behaviors towards the Harry Potter brand.
The problematic to this study is “How does a person’s sense of community impact its attitudinal loyalty and purchase behavior regarding the Harry Potter brand?”.
Table of Contents
1. Literature Review
1.1. The Harry Potter Phenomenon
1.1.1. An Introduction to Harry Potter
1.1.2. Harry Potter as a Worldwide Brand
1.1.3. Reasons Behind the Success of Harry Potter
1.1.3.1. A Good Product
1.1.3.1.1. What Makes A Good Story?
1.1.3.1.2. The Secret Ingredient
1.1.3.2. The Story Behind the Author
1.1.3.2.1. A Rags-To-Riches Profile
1.1.3.2.2. J.K. Rowling As Brand Guardian
1.1.3.3. The Marketing Tools
1.1.3.3.1. Teasing And Scarcity
1.1.3.3.2. Word-Of-Mouth And Online Buzz
1.1.3.3.3. Brand Consistency
1.1.3.4. The Role of the Internet and Other Technologies
1.1.3.4.1. A Perfect Timing
1.1.3.4.2. Technology For Marketing Tools
1.1.3.4.3. Piracy And Other Limits
1.1.3.5. The Power of Fans
1.1.3.5.1. The Online Community
1.1.3.5.2. Other Pottermania Activities
1.1.3.5.3. Fans As Marketers, Influencers, Sellers And Buyers
1.1.4. Harry Potter Today
1.1.4.1. Pottermore
1.1.4.2. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
1.1.4.3. Other Continuations
1.2. Sense of Community
1.2.1. Early Studies
1.2.2. A Definition and Theory by McMillan and Chavis
1.2.2.1. Membership
1.2.2.2. Influence
1.2.2.3. Integration and Fulfillment of Needs
1.2.2.4. Shared Emotional Connection
1.2.3. Revisiting the Sense of Community Index (SCI-2)
1.2.4. Types of Communities
1.3. Attitudinal Loyalty
1.3.1. Brand Loyalty
1.3.2. Attitudinal Loyalty
1.3.2.1. Affect
1.3.2.2. Cognition
1.3.2.3. Behavior
1.4. Purchase
2. Conceptual Model
2.1. The Problematic
2.2. The Hypotheses
2.3. The Final Model
3. Methodology
3.1. Type of Research
3.2. A Quantitative Study
3.2.1. Sampling
3.2.2. The Questionnaire
3.2.2.1. The Different Themes and Variables
3.2.2.2. The Different Types of Questions and their Scales
3.2.2.3. The Method Chosen to Collect the Information
3.2.2.4. The Structure of the Questionnaire, its Length, and the Number of Items
3.2.2.5. The Language of the Questionnaire
3.2.2.6. The Limitations of the Questionnaire
3.2.3. Response Rate
3.3. Pretesting
3.3.1. After Pretesting
3.3.2. Limits to Pretesting
3.4. Data Analysis
3.4.1. Frequency Analysis
3.4.2. Reliability Analysis
3.4.3. Multiple Regressions Analysis
3.4.3.1. Regression Methods Used
3.4.3.2. Levels of Regression
4. Data Analysis
4.1. Demographics
4.2. Frequency Analysis
4.3. Reliability Analysis
4.3.1. Reliability of Sense of Community
4.3.2. Reliability of Attitudinal Loyalty
4.3.3. Reliability of Purchase
4.4. Multiple Regressions
4.4.1. At the Aggregate Level
4.4.1.1. Regression of Affect
4.4.1.2. Regression of Cognition
4.4.1.3. Regression of Behavior
4.4.1.4. Regression of Purchase
4.4.1.5. Analysis and Summary of the Aggregate Level Regressions
4.4.2. At the Group Level
4.4.2.1. Regression of Affect
4.4.2.2. Regression of Cognition
4.4.2.3. Regression of Behavior
4.4.2.4. Regression of Purchase
4.4.2.5. Analysis and Summary of the Group Level Regressions
5. Managerial Implications
6. Conclusion
7. Further Research
Research Objectives and Themes
This thesis aims to evaluate the impact of a person’s sense of community on their attitudinal loyalty and purchase behavior regarding the Harry Potter brand. The research seeks to determine whether shared emotional connections within a community drive specific dimensions of brand loyalty and subsequent purchase actions, utilizing a quantitative approach with a sample of 602 respondents.
- Evaluation of the relationship between Sense of Community and Attitudinal Loyalty.
- Analysis of the impact of Attitudinal Loyalty on consumer purchase behavior.
- Comparison of dynamics between fans and non-fans of the Harry Potter brand.
- Identification of significant dimensions (Affect, Cognition, Behavior) within the loyalty construct.
- Development of managerial recommendations based on community-driven branding.
Excerpt from the Book
1.1.3.1.1. WHAT MAKES A GOOD STORY?
According to Christopher Booker (2004), the 7 basic master plots that make any story successful, from gothic novels, grand opera, to video games, are: rags-to-riches, rebirth, the quest, overcoming the monster, tragedy, comedy, and voyage and return.
All of those plots have been depicted in the Harry Potter series with elements such as:
Rags-to-riches: the very story of the author, J.K. Rowling, as well as the fate of Harry Potter from living in a closet under the staircases to being rich and famous (Rowling, 1997).
Rebirth: Harry has to die in the last book in order for the villain to be weakened, and comes back to life to defeat him once and forever (Rowling, 2006).
The quest: Harry needs to find the seven “horcruxes” (powerful magical objects) in order to defeat the Dark Lord (Rowling, 2005).
Overcoming the monster: In each book, Harry and his friends fight all kinds of evil monsters.
Tragedy: a lot of lives are lost in the story, starting with Harry’s parents (Rowling, 1997).
Comedy: the books are written with pleasant British humor by J.K. Rowling and include humorous characters such as the Weasley twin brothers.
Voyage and return: in the last books, Harry and his friends must go find the horcruxes somewhere in the world, and return back to the School to fight the final battle (Rowling, 2006).
Summary of Chapters
1. Literature Review: This chapter establishes the theoretical foundations by exploring the Harry Potter phenomenon, branding strategies, the concept of sense of community, and the dimensions of attitudinal loyalty.
2. Conceptual Model: This chapter defines the research problem, formulates the hypotheses regarding the impact of community sense on loyalty, and presents the final conceptual model.
3. Methodology: This chapter details the quantitative research design, sampling strategies, the questionnaire structure, and the analytical methods including regression models.
4. Data Analysis: This chapter presents the empirical findings from the survey, including demographic breakdowns, reliability testing, and the results of multiple regressions at aggregate and group levels.
5. Managerial Implications: This chapter translates the research findings into actionable recommendations for marketers and managers looking to leverage community dynamics for brand success.
6. Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the study, confirming the critical role of shared emotional connection in driving attitudinal loyalty and purchase behavior.
7. Further Research: This chapter acknowledges the study's limitations and suggests future avenues for exploring external factors and extended research phases.
Keywords
Harry Potter, Sense of Community, Attitudinal Loyalty, Purchase Behavior, Brand Management, Shared Emotional Connection, Quantitative Research, Marketing Strategy, Fandom, Consumer Behavior, Regression Analysis, Membership, Influence, Integration, Brand Consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this master’s thesis?
The thesis investigates how an individual's sense of community impacts their attitudinal loyalty toward the Harry Potter brand and their subsequent purchase behavior.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The study covers brand marketing, community psychology (Sense of Community), attitudinal loyalty dimensions (Affect, Cognition, Behavior), and consumer purchase actions.
What is the main research question?
The primary research question is: "How does a person’s sense of community impact its attitudinal loyalty and purchase behavior regarding the Harry Potter brand?"
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The research adopts a quantitative method, using an online questionnaire and statistical analysis (SPSS) to evaluate correlations and causal relationships through multiple regressions.
What does the main body of the work address?
It addresses the theoretical framework behind branding and community, the development of the conceptual model, the rigorous methodology of data collection, and the comprehensive analysis of findings from 602 respondents.
Which keywords best describe this research?
Key terms include Harry Potter, Sense of Community, Attitudinal Loyalty, Purchase Behavior, Shared Emotional Connection, and Brand Loyalty.
How does "Shared Emotional Connection" affect the findings?
The data revealed that shared emotional connection is the most consistent and dominant dimension within the sense of community that positively impacts all aspects of attitudinal loyalty.
Do the findings differ between fans and non-fans?
Yes, the study shows that while fans are heavily driven by emotional connections, the influence of community variables on non-fans is more fragmented and less focused on emotional attachment.
Why is the "Harry Potter generation" significant in this study?
The "Harry Potter generation" refers to the long-term relationship readers developed with the characters as they grew up, which facilitated lifelong brand loyalty and emotional commitment.
- Citar trabajo
- Lily Marfisi (Autor), 2015, The "Harry Potter" Brand. Sense of Community, Attitudinal Loyalty, and Purchase Behavior, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/305295
