A Consumer Behaviour Analysis of Hedonic Consumption As Related to the Harley-Davidson Brand

THE IMPACT OF EMOTIONS ON CONSUMER DECISION-MAKING: A CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR ANALYSIS OF HEDONIC CONSUMPTION AS RELATED TO THE HARLEY-DAVIDSON BRAND TARIO J. AHLERS A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy QUEEN MARGARET UNIVERSITY 2019 i Dedicated to my family for always supporting me A.S.N.F ii Abstract Consumer behaviour has varied aspects that allow for a more detailed understanding of why certain products are purchased. In this light the American firm of Harley- Davidson is utilised as an appropriate case study with a focus on men aged 40 to 60 from the area of Edinburgh. Harley-Davidson appears to be an under-studied phenomenon. Whilst some examples are present in which Harley-Davidson has an important role, these examples either focus on marketing from the perspective of the company or from the social environment the consumer enters after the purchase has been completed. This research considers factors that motivated consumers carry out the act of purchasing a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. A thorough literature review of current research establishes an academic understanding of the environment that consumers may enter and attempts to identify possible motivations for the consumer to act in this way. Various important motivating factors are established by the literature which contribute to the hedonic purchase intentions of middle-aged male consumers who may go through a midlife-crisis situation in which they attempt to distract from their aging character and counter it through a more lavish lifestyle. Other aspects considered are the manner in which money is handled under various circumstances. The primary research was conducted as a qualitative case study. This involved semi- structured interviews with volunteering participants at the local Harley-Davidson dealership in Edinburgh. In order to illustrate other ways in which money is spent and risks perceived, the research uses an additional cluster of non-motorcyclists from the same area, gender, and age group. Through the openness of the participants, aspects that had not previously been considered, such as participants’ description of depression and the positive impact of reduction of alcohol consumption. It has been established through the thematic data analysis that Harley-Davidson consumers do not struggle with a mid-life crisis but rather follow a progression under which a Harley-Davidson is the most comfortable option for them before retiring from motorcycling. Based on the thematic analysis it was discovered that the majority of Harley-Davidson owners have previously owned other brands and moved to Harley within the age limits set for this research. iii Keywords: Consumer behaviour, Hedonic Consumption, Harley-Davidson, Edinburgh, Progression of Consumption iv Acknowledgments I would like to take this opportunity to thank my parents and my sister for their support throughout the years I have been working on this thesis. The emotional support I have received from all of you was truly incredible. I would also like to thank my fiancée Katy for her incredible support and her ability to motivate me to keep giving it my best. It takes a very special person to do what you have done for the last years and I am truly grateful for it. My gratitude is also extended to my supervisors Prof Dr Claire Seaman, Rev Dr Rita Welsh, and Richard Bent who have guided and advised me through the whole process. Thank you very much for everything. A big thank you also needs to be extended to the Harley-Davidson Dealership in Edinburgh and also to the Grange family to help me with my data collection. Last but not least I would like to thank everyone who believed in me and would also like to thank everyone who did not, you have all equally motivated me to reach this dream of mine. Without all of the support I have received, this task would have been more challenging and would not have had the ending that it has today. v Abbreviations and explanation of Terminology used HD: Harley-Davidson HOG: Harley owner group HDC: Harley-Davidson cluster NMC: Non-motorcyclist cluster R1: Race bikes 1%ers: Outlaw motorcycle groups. Study identified only 1% of motorcyclists are part of such outlaw groups, these groups take pride in belonging to this 1% and indicate that with a badge on their vest. Outsiders: Anybody who is not part of the motorcycle environment as a non- motorcyclist vi Definitions of key concepts The following definitions are operational definitions and are used during this research. Consumer behaviour1: Consumer behaviour is definedby Perner (2018) as “The study of individuals, groups, or organisations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society.” (Perner, 2018). Solomon et al. (2006) outlined it as the process of decision making and the physical activitiy involved in acquiring, evaluating, using, and disposing of goods and services to satisfy needs and wants. Consumer behaviour combines a variety of aspects and outlines specific elements of psychology and sociology in regard to emotions, reasoning and the environment the consumer finds him or herself in. This combination of specific elements working together can explain purchase intentions. Consumer behaviour combines psychology and sociology whilst also adding to the level of information processing which may influence specific purchase intentions. Hedonic Consumption2: As stated by Hirschman and Holbrook (1982, p92) Hedonic consumption designates those facets of consumer behaviour that relate to the multisensory, fantasy and emotive aspects of one’s experience with products. A prototypically utilitarian product may possess hedonic characteristics, as when detergent is marketed based on its scent rather than its cleaning ability (Chaker, 2011; Alba & Williams, 2013, p2); a prototypically hedonic product such as chocolate could be consumed for its cardiovascular benefits; and a product initially consumed to achieve euphoria may subsequently be consumed to reduce the unpleasant cravings caused by addiction (Linden, 2011; Alba & Williams, 2013, p2). For hedonic products it is more about the consumer’s satisfaction rather than its functionality. Experiential Consumption3: Experiential consumption is related to many aspects of consumer behaviour, the first one is based on the nature of the product. Often experiential consumption is linked to services rather than material items and therefore is more about creating a pleasure of experience to meet or exceed expectations. 1 For further details see chapter 2.1.1. 2 For further details see chapters 1.1 & 2.1.2 3 For further details see chapters 1.1 & 2.1.3 vii Examples of experiential consumption can be found in a variety of services, such as holidays, theatre or restaurant vists but can also be identified in other areas of the entertainment industrey such as music. Experiences are intangible and are exist only in the consumers mind (Nicoloa et al., 2009; Alba & Williams, 2013) Material consumption4: Material consumpiton is linked to an object of consumption rather than a service as with experiential consumption. Experiential aspects can be present within the material object, for example a convertible vehicle offers both aspects as a material consumption object and simultaneously offering an experiential consumption. “Material possesion is static, and pleasure derived from it is subject to relatively rapid adaption” (Alba & Williams, 2013, p5). Middle-age5: A general definition of middle aged is “from about 45 to 65” (Oxford Dictionaries, 2018). Psychologist Erik Erikson (1950) introduced the eight stages of psychological development and set the age limits for middle aged, or as he described it as Middle Adulthood to 40-65 years. Due to the fact that it is an imprecise concept and no consensus was reached in regard to a precise definition of middle-age, it is decided to set the age as 40 to 60, keeping the age gap similar but adjusting it more accurately to Harley-Davidson’s mean consumer age to provide a more suitable representation. Mid-life crisis6: Elliott Jaques coined the term mid-life crisis in 1965 in which he stated, The paradox is that of entering the prime of life, the stage of fulfilment, but at the same time the prime and fulfilment are dated. Death lies beyond. [… It] is this fact of the entry upon the psychological scene of the reality and inevitability of one’s own eventual personal death that is the central and crucial feature of 4 For further details see chapters 1.1, 1.5, & 2.1.3 5 For further details see chapter 1.1 6 For further details see chapter 1.1 viii the mid-life phase — the feature which precipitates the critical nature of the period. (Jaques, 1965, p506; Setiya, 2014) The fear of getting older and ultimately death can often cause a response in which the consumer attempts to counter those fears by acting in a manner that results in a younger appearance on the outside and an avoidance of the fear of getting older internally. ix Chapter Overview Abstract .................................................................................................................. iii Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. v Abbreviations and explanation of Terminology used ......................................... vi Definitions of key concepts ................................................................................

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