This research provides insight into how touch effects differ by brand familiarity and brand status. Using schema theory and contagion theory, hypotheses were tested in two between subject experiments. A sweater and pillowcase served as product stimuli and consumers were exposed to a known and unknown brand for the brand stimuli. Findings provide support for a brand contagion effect where a luxury branded product is concerned and suggest that this effect is activated through product touch. Interestingly, brand familiarity did not seem to influence the relationship between touch and product evaluation. This paper finds brand status to be a moderator of touch effects on product evaluation while brand familiarity is not. Additionally, a brand contagion effect activated through product touch is shown. The results of this paper provide insight for marketers and retailers regarding marketing strategies for different levels of the product life cycle (where familiarity differs), brand extension strategies (where familiarity and brand status may differ) and, most crucially, design of in-store layout and product displays. It advances knowledge in the field of sensory marketing by integrating and conceptualizing previously unexplored relationships between three key areas of literature, namely product touch, brand familiarity, and brand status.

中文翻译：

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触觉与品牌：触摸对品牌产品产品评价的影响

这项研究深入了解了触摸效果如何因品牌熟悉度和品牌状态而异。使用图式理论和传染理论，假设在两个主题实验之间进行了测试。毛衣和枕套作为产品刺激物，消费者因品牌刺激物而接触到一个已知和未知的品牌。调查结果支持奢侈品牌产品的品牌传染效应，并表明这种效应是通过产品接触激活的。有趣的是，品牌熟悉度似乎并没有影响触觉和产品评价之间的关系。本文发现品牌地位是影响产品评价的触觉效应的调节器，而品牌熟悉度则不是。此外，还展示了通过产品接触激活的品牌传染效应。本文的结果为营销人员和零售商提供了有关产品生命周期不同级别（熟悉程度不同）、品牌延伸策略（熟悉程度和品牌状态可能不同）以及最重要的店内设计的营销策略的见解布局和产品展示。它通过整合和概念化三个关键文献领域（即产品触感、品牌熟悉度和品牌地位）之间先前未探索的关系来推进感官营销领域的知识。