Individual Brands Research Articles

Advertising and country-of-origin images as sources of brand equity and the moderating role of brand typicality

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore the influence of an individual’s attitude towards advertising and country-of-origin (COO) images (brand origin (BO) and country of manufacture (COM)) on brand equity creation; and second, to investigate how brand typicality moderates the effect of BO macro image on perceived quality.Design/methodology/approachThe data to test the hypotheses were elicited from a consumer survey in the Greater Lisbon area (305 Portuguese consumers). The product category of smartphones was selected for two main reasons: it has not been extensively analysed in previous studies on the subject of brand equity; it is a device well-known to Portuguese consumers (particularly in the Greater Lisbon area). Three criteria guided the selection of the brands. The first criterion is to select brands which are well-known to consumers. The second is to choose brands with a distinctive BO and a main COM. The third and final criterion is to consider brands in different positions in the brand ranking. In order to estimate structural path coefficients, R2, Q2, and bootstrap techniques, the current study employs the partial least squares approach.FindingsThe results show that individuals’ attitudes towards advertisements have a positive impact on brand equity creation, whereas those towards the COM do not significantly influence brand equity creation. Attitudes towards BO only have a partial influence. Brand typicality, however, exerts a significant direct effect on brand equity dimensions and, hence, does not have a significant moderating effect.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors suggest analysing the influence of COO on dimensions of brand equity considering consumer segmentation, types of industry and a range of brands, as well as different levels of consumer involvement with the product category. Several brands with the same COO should be analysed in order to understand whether the effects on brand equity depend on the product category. Although the current study is a first attempt to combine the potential effect of individuals’ attitudes towards advertisements and COO on creating brand equity, further research should examine additional potential antecedents of brand equity. Finally, cross-cultural studies are recommended.Practical implicationsRegarding managerial implications, three main aspects should be taken into consideration. First, creative, original and different advertising strategies are more effective than the COO in creating brand equity and, consequently, in building loyalty among smartphone consumers. Second, consumers do not tend to care about the place, country or region where the smartphone is produced, but the image of the country where the brand originated may be important. Finally, managers should be aware that, at least, in the smartphone sector, the way consumers create favourable associations with the brand and typicality, trust the company and consider it good value for money, are more effective in building brand loyalty than the perceived quality of the product/brand.Social implicationsRelating to the interrelationship between COO and brand equity, the results of the current study prove that the effects of COO are category specific. Therefore, more studies focussed on other contexts of products and brands are still needed to know in more detail how COO exerts an influence on brand equity dimensions. Even within a product category context, the results can depend on individual brands being analysed.Originality/valueTo the knowledge of the authors, this study is the first to investigate the dual (simultaneous) effect of individuals’ attitudes towards advertisements and COO images on brand equity dimensions. Adding to the originality of the paper, the category of smartphone with respect to brand equity has not been extensively analysed in previous studies.

Visualization of brand positioning based on consumer web search information

PurposeOnline web searches have played crucial roles in influencing consumers’ purchasing decisions. Web search traffic information enables researchers and practitioners to better understand consumers in terms of their preferences and interests, among other things. The purpose of this paper is to use web search traffic information provided by Google Trends to derive relationships among product brands as well as those between product brands and product attributes to propose a method to enhance the visibility of consumer brand positioning.Design/methodology/approachThis study builds upon the interesting observation that consumers’ behavior in performing simultaneous searches, or searches including two or more keywords, can be converted into data indicating relationships among brands as well as those between brands and their attributes. The study focuses on the cases of hybrid cars and tablet PCs, and applies a social network analysis method to identify these relationships. Time series information on web search traffic is used because it can track these two product groups from the early stages to the present. This step is completed to verify the changes in the status of each brand and in their relationships that occurred in consumers’ minds over time.FindingsResults show that consumers’ web search behaviors reveal the brand positioning and brand-attribute associations in their minds. Specifically, using consumers’ simultaneous search data, the authors derived relationships among brands (brand-brand network) from consumers’ behaviors of searching simultaneously for two brands and the relationships between brands and attributes (brand-product attributes network) from consumers’ behavior of searching simultaneously for a specific brand and certain product attributes.Originality/valueTheoretically, this study verifies that consumers’ web search traffic information can be used to microscopically identify the positions of individual brands and their relationships in the minds of consumers. Regarding practical applications, this study proposes a method that can be used by companies to track how consumers perceive their brands by performing a simple and cost-effective analysis using the free search traffic information provided by Google.

Broadening brand engagement within the service-centric perspective

PurposeWhile extant service-centric research has largely focussed on managerial advantages, few studies have addressed how brand engagement emerges in the broader context of consumer lives. The purpose of this paper is to develop a novel intersubjective hermeneutic framework that bridges the socially constructed as well as the individualised meanings of brand engagement in the context of service research.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper adopts a theory-building approach based on recent developments in the service-centric marketing literature.FindingsThe authors offer a novel theoretical perspective that recognises the intersubjective and phenomenological nature of individual and collective consumer brand experiences, and show how such experiences emerge from socially constructed brand engagement practices using the co-constituting lens of value-in-use.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed conceptual framework invites further empirical and contextual investigations of intersubjective brand engagement in both online and offline contexts.Originality/valueThe contribution of this framework is twofold. First, the authors draw on the intersubjective orientation and hermeneutic framework to provide conceptual clarity in relation to the nature of brand engagement practices, brand experiences, and value-in-use, and discuss their interrelationships. Second, the authors address the nature of meaning ascribed to engagement beyond customer-firm-brand relationships, and discuss why any given consumer’s experience of brand engagement reflects a complex dialectic between socially constructed and individualised brand meanings. In doing so, the integrative framework recognises the interplay between the intersubjective and phenomenological natures of consumer brand experiences, and offers insights as to how these experiences are framed by broader socially constructed engagement practices.

Validating fashion brand centrality scale amongst young adults

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a psychometrically reliable scale to measure centrality of brand (CoB) or brand centrality construct in the domain of fashion apparel brands. The scale quantitatively validates that brand relationship can be of equivalent importance to religious relationship in an individual fashion brand lover’s life.Design/methodology/approachBased on a previous literature review, brand centrality has been conceptualized. Following that, CoB scale has been validated in a step-by-step process following the scale validation methodology suggested by Churchill (1979).FindingsThe final outcome of the study is a psychometrically reliable CoB scale. The study results validate the relationships between CoB, and other important theoretical antecedents and consequences of brand centrality.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the existing body of fashion branding research by showing that a consumer-fashion brand relationship can be of importance akin to a religious relationship in an individual’s life.

A semiotic study of regional branding reflected in the slogans of Korean regions

ABSTRACTThe purpose of the present analyses of regional slogans is to provide a semiotic perspective for understanding the symbolic communication systems involved in the construction of Korean regional governments. This study attempts to evaluate the slogans in terms of the semantic and morphological aspects of the texts. Findings show an overuse of signs within the slogans of regional governments that weakened the delivery of information regarding local identity. A leading slogan for a large region may create a unique identity in relative terms, whereas second-tier regions tend to mimic the success of others. The present research illustrates that each region of Korea cannot be differentiated in terms of a semantic analysis of linguistic signs. The communication tendencies that influence the creation of slogans for Korean regions are morphologically complex but semantically simple, resulting in the failure of these regions to secure distinctiveness in their individual brand identities.

The Benefit of Collective Reputation

We study a model of collective reputation and use it to analyze the benefit of collective brands. Consumers form beliefs about the quality of an experience good that is produced by one firm that is part of a collective brand. Consumers’ limited ability to distinguish among firms in the collective and to monitor firms’ investment decisions creates incentives to free-ride on other firms’ investment efforts. Nevertheless, we show that collective brands induce stronger incentives to invest in quality than individual brands under two types of circumstances: if the main concern is with quality control and the baseline reputation of the collective is low, or if the main concern is with the acquisition of specialized knowledge and the baseline reputation of the collective is high. We also contrast the socially optimal information structure with the profit maximizing choice of branding if branding is endogenous. Our results can be applied to country-of-origin, agricultural appellation, and other collective brands.

Branding as a dynamic capability

A new theoretical framework is developed to scrutinize the strategic advantage for branding. The theoretical framework applies both at the firm level, for the marketing of individual brands and corporate brands, and also to branding where a marketing agent plays a facilitating role within a community or industry. The framework presents branding as a dynamic capability held by a marketing agent within a market network. Two interrelated processes are involved: (i) managing brand identity and (ii) facilitating integration with the social processes that co-create brand meanings for buyers, sellers, and other actors. The social complexity of this dynamic capability makes the brand difficult to imitate and so provides a strong strategic advantage for the marketing organization. An agenda for future research is developed and the article concludes with theoretical and managerial implications.

Brand Attitudes and Search Engine Queries

Search engines record the queries that users submit, including a large number of queries that include brand names. This data holds promise for assessing brand health. However, before adopting brand search volume as a brand metric, marketers should understand how brand search relates to traditional survey-based measures of brand attitudes, which have been shown to be predictive of sales. We investigate the relationship between brand attitudes and search engine queries using a unique micro-level data set collected from a panel of Google users who agreed to allow us to track their individual brand search behavior over eight weeks and link this search history to their responses to a brand attitude survey. Focusing on the smartphone and automotive markets, we find that users who are actively shopping in a category are more likely to search for any brand. Further, as users move from being aware of a brand to intending to purchase a brand, they are increasingly more likely to search for that brand, with the greatest gains as customers go from recognition to familiarity and from familiarity to consideration. Additionally, users that own and use a particular automotive or smartphone brand are much more likely to search for that brand, even when they are not in market suggesting that a substantial volume of brand search in these categories is not related to shopping or product search. We discuss the implications of these findings for assessing brand health from search data.

The effect of collective brand on advertising productivity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the advertising productivity of a collective brand strategy vs a non-collective brand strategy, as well as the moderating role of company characteristics (age of the company, individual brand reputation and degree of competition that the company faces). The main hypothesis is that a collective brand has a positive influence on the advertising productivity of its member companies, as it is a collective reputation indicator in experience goods.

Hospitality Cobranding: An Experimental Investigation of Enhancement and Erosion in Consumer-Based Brand Equity

ABSTRACTCobranding is suggested as a competitive strategy for the hospitality industry due to its potential benefits. Although implied, the potential impact of cobranding on consumer-based brand equity of partner brands and the composite brand has not been empirically investigated in the hospitality industry context. Therefore, a quasi-experimental study design with a structured survey was applied to general tourist population in Hong Kong to identify the potential influence of cobranding on the brand equity of individual brands as well as the hotel–restaurant composite brand versus the hotel–retail composite brand. Surprisingly, results revealed brand equity erosion rather than brand equity enhancement for even the presumably fit hotel, restaurant, and retail brands. Theoretical and managerial implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The role of consumers' attitude towards economic climate in their reaction to ‘PL-only’ assortments: Evidence from the United States and Spain

Retailers’ assortment rationalisation strategies have found an “ally” in the current global economic crisis. Indeed, retail boycotts of individual brands in economic recession contexts are not uncommon in the CPG industry. In fact, many of the consumers who began buying PLs during the economic recession are continuing their PL behaviour post-recession. So, what is the role of the economic climate in consumers’ reaction– in terms of store loyalty – to retailers’ NB delisting decisions? Is it so relevant? This paper examines how consumers’ attitude towards the economic climate influences his/her reaction to retailers’ strategy of offering ‘PL-only’ assortments in the context of an economic slump (Spain) compared to a context of economic recovery (U.S.). To do so, we have designed a controlled online experiment for two large consumer panels in the Spanish and the U.S. markets. Our results suggest that consumers’ acceptance of ‘PL-only’ assortments is a separate phenomenon rather than merely being a “consequence” of the current economic situation. Nevertheless, in an economic recovery, such ‘PL-only’ assortments do not appear to be the best strategy.

Migration of Inferior Vena Caval filter to the Right Atrium: Is any model free of this complication?

The use of inferior vena caval (IVC) filters has been an accepted method for preventing pulmonary embolism, especially in cases where there are contraindications to anticoagulation. However, these filters have numerous potential complications some of which could be life threatening like, thrombosis and migration of the filter. The "Antheor" filter was designed to prevent this complication. Unfortunately, we encountered one patient where it has been unsuccessful in this regard. We therefore, believe that there is no ideal filter and the selection of a filter requires thorough knowledge of the limitations of individual brand.

Design and Feasibility Testing of the truth FinishIt Tobacco Countermarketing Brand Equity Scale

The original truth campaign was a branded, national smoking prevention mass media effort focused on at-risk youth ages 12–17. Today the truth brand focuses on the goal of finishing tobacco (truth FinishIt). There have been significant changes in the tobacco control landscape, leading FinishIt to focus on 15- to 21-year-olds. The present article reports on formative research and media monitoring data collected to pilot test a new truth FinishIt brand equity scale. The goals of this study were to (a) content analyze truth FinishIt mass media ads, (b) assess truth’s social media and followers’ perceptions of truth’s digital brand identity, and (c) develop and feasibility test a new version of the truth FinishIt brand equity scale using data from an existing Truth Initiative media monitoring study. Through factor analysis, we identified a brand equity scale, as in previous research, consisting of 4 main constructs: brand loyalty, leadership/satisfaction, personality, and awareness. Targeted truth attitudes and beliefs about social perceptions, acceptability, and industry-related beliefs were regressed on the higher order factor and each of the 4 individual brand equity factors. Ordinary least squares regression models generally showed associations in the expected directions (positive for anti-tobacco and negative for pro-tobacco) between targeted attitudes/beliefs and truth FinishIt brand equity. This study succeeded in developing and validating a new truth FinishIt brand equity scale. The scale may be a valuable metric for future campaign evaluation. Future studies should examine the effects of truth FinishIt brand equity on tobacco use behavioral outcomes over time.

It goes with the territory: Communal leverage as a marketing resource

This study explores mechanisms that lead to the creation of durable competitive territorial brands. An examination of research on origin-specific firms, umbrella branding, resource-based theory and co-opetition theory leads to questions regarding how firms that have strategically attached themselves to a place of origin add value to their own brands and obtain advantages for their firm. How can a co-created, non-proprietary territorial brand become a valuable marketing resource? Eight wine brands in the Champagne area of France are studied and the results show how ‘communal leverage’ occurs: a firm and its local co-opetitors engage in the ‘give and take’ of valuable marketing resources. Through communal leverage, multiple individual brands interact with an overarching territorial brand in order to sustain both territorial and individual brands. The research reveals a territorial brand to be a form of regional umbrella branding that is underpinned not by a top-down process as previous research would suggest but a bottom-up process. A territory's physical resources and capabilities are precursors of symbiotic marketing relationships for origin-specific firms.

Childhood brand nostalgia: A new conceptualization and scale development

AbstractThis research seeks to expand the current understanding of nostalgia towards childhood as it relates to consumer brand relationships and provide a framework for better understanding the phenomenon as it appears in both academic and real‐world settings. In this paper, the authors use existing literature on nostalgia and consumer interviews to define childhood brand nostalgia as a positively valenced emotional attachment to a brand because of the brand's association with fond memories of the individual's non‐recent lived past. A scale to measure an individual's childhood brand nostalgia is developed and tested to ensure convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity. The scale is found to capture individual differences in nostalgic feelings towards a single brand, and individuals are found to have varying levels of nostalgic feelings for multiple brands across multiple product categories. This demonstrates the usefulness of this scale in determining a consumer's nostalgia towards a particular brand from their childhood. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Intrapreneurial Informants

As newspapers continue to wrestle with diminishing resources, they have, in part, turned to freelance journalists to help fill holes in content production. In light of this amplified reliance on freelancers, some media scholars have examined the ways in which they fit into the news process, arguing that they have the potential to override traditional journalistic norms in ways that can enhance news work and audience engagement while possibly breathing new life into news organization business models. Semi-structured interviews with 19 freelance journalists and nine newspaper editors in the United States help reveal that freelancers are harnessing social media to engage with and build audiences and individual brands. Freelancers frequently immerse themselves in social media experimentation that editors monitor and often incorporate into organizational strategies that may help inform newsroom practices and audience engagement. This hints at a shift for freelance journalists from the timeworn role of newsroom outsider to one of “intrapreneurial informant.”

Influence of consumer personality, brand personality, and corporate personality on brand preference: an empirical investigation of interaction effect

Purpose – The relationship between brand personality and consumer personality has become a researched issue in recent years. It is viewed that marketers start the dialogue with consumers through personality route by building brand personality in line with consumers’ own personality traits. Moreover, in the midst of stiff competition, role of corporate personality, as a component of corporate identity, has been considered instrumental behind the success of the organization. As a result, there might be a possibility that other than his/her own personality traits, a consumer’s brand preference may be influenced by both brand personality and corporate personality of the said brand marketer. So, the predictive roles of individual personality, brand personality, and corporate personality on consumer-brand preference formation need to be empirically investigated so that the same may be addressed strategically. However, as per knowledge of the researcher, no empirical study has been made to investigate the predic...

Validating and extending the sport brand personality scale

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to validate Tsiotsou’s (2012) sport team brand personality scale in a new country (Australia) and segment (Generation Y) and extend its use from sport teams to individual athletes. This paper also explores the scale’s predictive power in an athlete’s role model influence. Design/methodology/approach – An online panel survey with 560 responses from Australian Generation Y consumers was obtained. Structural equation modelling was used to test and validate the scale. Findings – This paper confirmed the sport team brand personality scale can be applied to an individual athlete. Three dimensions of the scale, namely, competitiveness, morality and authenticity, were found to have predictive power in an athlete’s role model influence. Authenticity was the strongest predictor, followed by morality and competitiveness. Practical implications – Individual athlete brand personality is powerful in influencing how Australian Generation Y consumers identify with their favourite athlete as a role model. These insights assist brand and marketing managers to use athletes as part of their communication strategies regarding brand and product endorsements. Originality/value – This research addresses Tsiotsou’s (2012) call to test the robustness and external validity of the sport team brand personality scale and to empirically test how the scale can predict outcomes. The authors succeeded in validating and extending the sport brand personality scale to an individual athlete level in a new country and consumer segment. The scale was found to have predictive power in an athlete’s role model influence.

Higher education brand alliances: Investigating consumers' dual-degree purchase intentions

Extant research lacks insight into the nature, dynamics, and outcomes characterizing brand alliances in higher education. This research aims to bridge this gap by examining prospective students' purchase intention for dual degrees – a particular brand alliance type deployed in higher education. Findings indicate that prospective students' attitude toward the alliance (H1), their level of familiarity with the individual constituent brands (H2), brand trust (H3a), the interaction between brand familiarity and trust (H3b), as well as perceived fit between the constituent brands (H4) positively and significantly influence consumer purchase intention for particular dual-degree offerings. Overall, these findings extend scholarly insights in brand alliancing research, with a particular focus on higher education dual-degree offerings.

Trends in direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription contraceptives

ObjectiveDespite much speculation about the role of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) in increasing demand for prescription contraceptives in the United States, there is little published research on this topic. We sought to quantify the prevalence and magnitude of DTCA for prescription contraceptives over the last decade. Study designUsing cross-sectional data from January 2005 through December 2014, we performed descriptive analyses on trends in DTCA expenditure for prescription contraceptives. We also quantified the amount of DTCA according to contraceptive method category and individual brand. ResultsDuring the study period, pharmaceutical companies spent a total of US$1.57 billion in the United States on DTCA of prescription contraceptives. Annual expenditure for contraceptive DTCA reached a peak value of US$260 million in 2008, with a progressive decline to a nadir of US$69 million by 2013. Of the contraceptive methods, oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) have been the most heavily promoted, with Yaz (drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol) — the most advertised brand — accounting for US$347 million of cumulative DTCA expenditure. However, DTCA spending on OCPs peaked in 2007 and was overtaken in 2012 by the DTCA of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), the contraceptive method now receiving the largest amount of DTCA promotion. ConclusionsDTCA is a major form of promotion for prescription contraceptives. Recent trends in DTCA expenditure indicate a shift from promotion of the OCPs to the LARCs. DTCA's effect on provider and patient utilization of various contraceptive methods has yet to be determined. ImplicationsThis study provides the first quantitative evaluation of DTCA of prescription contraceptive methods and reveals DTCA's importance as a form of promotion. Recent DTCA trends indicate increased promotion of LARCs, coinciding with greater uptake of LARC methods by patients and prescribers.