A comparison of perceptions of luxury : the case of Finland and the UK

Vigneron and Johnson (2004) developed a Brand Luxury Index (BLI) scale using data collected from students in Australia. In theory, the BLI makes it possible to compare the perceptions of luxury brands between different nationalities. This paper attempts to compare the perceptions of four different luxury brands in Finland and the UK. The results of the study found that there were significant differences in terms of the perception of luxury brands between the Finnish and British samples. We conclude that the BLI scale needs to undergo evaluation in different contexts. Further, cultural factors may play an underestimated and important role in the influence of consumers’ perceptions of luxury brands. Further research might investigate the validity and reliability of the BLI framework and the possibility of developing country and product specific BLI style scales.