Abstract
Brand management is an effective tool in today's market conditions. In some markets there are numerous brands that can be seen as domestic and foreign. Domestic brands are a broad category and they can represent brands which own domestic products, thus representing brands that are present on some part of the national market, or they may be national brands that are present throughout the entire national market. Successful brand management implies a necessary focus on the appropriate market segment of the consumer and that the brand has an appropriate exchange value (viewed through the functional, emotional and symbolic component of that value). The assumption of seeing what value brands have and what value consumers demand refers to the perception of consumer attitudes about it. This paper examines consumer attitudes by looking at brands through two generic groups (domestic and foreign brands) as well as covering two markets (Croatia and Serbia). Primary research which has been carried out on a sample of 555 consumers (n = 291 in Croatia, n = 264 in Serbia) shows that there are numerous similarities as well as some differences regarding consumer attitudes about domestic and foreign brands.
Highlights
Brands are a superior category of products and services since they involve establishing and maintaining emotional and symbolic values, while products and services are primarily focused on functionality or functional value
The results show that respondents in Serbia mostly agree with the claim ‘I usually communicate positive or negative brand impressions to my friends, colleagues and relatives’ (3.86), and with the assertion ‘I believe that large companies send goods of lower quality to the countries of Eastern Europe and the Balkans’ (3.82), while the least of those surveyed agree with the statement ‘For the same category of product, I would rather pay more for a foreign brand’ (2.57) (Figure 1)
The respondents in Croatia mostly agree with the claim ‘I believe that large companies send goods of lower quality to the countries of Eastern Europe and the Balkans’ (4.24) and with the statement ‘I usually communicate positive or negative brand impressions to my friends, colleagues and relatives’ (4.05), while the least of those surveyed agree with the statement ‘For the same category of product, I would rather pay more for a foreign brand’ (2.22) (Figure 2)
Summary
Brands are a superior category of products and services since they involve establishing and maintaining emotional and symbolic values, while products and services are primarily focused on functionality or functional value. It represents the difference between overall brand preference and multiattributed preference based on objectively measured attribute levels (Park & Srinivasan, 1994) and overall quality and customers’ choice intention (Angrawal & Rao, 1996). Keller (1993) defines customer-based brand equity as ‘the differential effect that brand knowledge about the consumer or how customers respond to the marketing of that brand’ and when customers respond more favourably to a product whose brand is identified. Significant differences between regions are the consequence of the differences in social customs and factors such as culture or religion (D- eri, Armenski, Tesanovic, Bradic, & Vukosav, 2013)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
