Rival Brands Research Articles

Perceived identity threat and brand advocacy responses to different types of brand-related attacks

PurposeUsers frequently target rival brands through direct criticism or indirect customer insults, yet the impact of such attacks on brand advocacy remains unexplored. The purpose of this study is to classify online attacks into brand-targeted attacks and consumer-targeted attacks and further investigate their differential impacts on brand advocacy and the underlying mechanism and a boundary condition of those impacts.Design/methodology/approachThree experimental studies using different types of brands (electronics, universities and sports footwear) are conducted to examine the effects of brand-related attack targets on brand advocacy.FindingsThis research shows that consumer-targeted attacks trigger higher brand advocacy through increasing perceived identity threat than brand-targeted attacks. Moreover, the effect of consumer-targeted attacks (versus brand-targeted attacks) on brand advocacy is mediated by perceived identity threat and mitigated when consumers’ identification with the attacked brand is strong.Practical implicationsThe study’s findings yield practical applications for marketers and brand managers, assisting them in understanding consumers’ reactions to brand attacks. This study serves as a reference for firms to consider leveraging the association between brand identification and brand-related attack targets and uniting with loyal brand fans to manage online brand conflicts.Originality/valueThe present study extends prior literature on customer-brand relationships in the context of online attacks. Through investigating the impacts of brand-targeted and consumer-targeted attacks on brand advocacy, this research offers theoretical insights into consumers’ responses to online attacks with different targets.

EXPRESS: How Do Brands Change Their Advertising Spending in Response to a Rival’s Product Recall?

A brand manager can interpret a rival’s product recall as an opportunity to preempt sales and/or signal superior quality by raising their brand’s ad spending. Conversely, they may interpret the recall as a threat that may harm their brand’s image and/or lead buyers to draw unfavorable comparisons between their brand and the recalling brand. This interpretation nudges the manager to suppress their brand’s ad spending. The authors test the interpretations empirically in the context of 62 substitute car models’ responses to the recall of a competing model. They assess the response over 31 weeks and 308 geographical regions, leading to 591,976 model-week-region observations. Regression discontinuity in time analysis reports that, on average, a substitute brand responds by lowering its ad spending by 50%, suggesting that the threat interpretation dominates the opportunity interpretation. A decomposition of spending by type suggests that substitute brands increase their spending on price advertising by 25%, decrease spending on quality advertising by 71%, but make no adjustment to brand advertising. This nuanced analysis suggests that substitutes attempt sales preemption, avoid quality signaling, and are not worried about brand spillover. A follow-up analysis reports that this advertising strategy strengthens the positive spillover effect of a brand’s recall on its substitute brands’ sales volume. The key findings hold for another major automobile recall event in the same market. The findings contribute to the literature on the management of quality perceptions while informing about substitute brands’ managers responses to a rival brand’s quality failure and whether the response helps or hurts the substitutes’ sales. Further, the findings build an empirical foundation for future analytic investigation on strategic interactions among brands when a quality defect occurs.

Optimizing Production Relocation Timing Decisions

In a globalized economy, companies face a range of challenges and opportunities related to relocating production activities to a new country. Relocation can yield significant cost savings and other benefits, but there are also risks including potential damage to the brand image. Thus, firms need to carefully evaluate when to relocate and when to stop production in a particular location. We formulate an optimal control model and derive analytical as well as numerical results to provide insights into the optimal relocation timing and production stoppage decisions. We show that factors like higher relocation costs, higher production costs in the relocation country but high brand image in the country of origin, can postpone production relocation. Competitive effects alter relocation timing, particularly when the firm faces direct competition and asymmetric negative cross-image spillover effects with the rival brand in the home or relocation country. The paper discusses illustrative examples and derives implications for the timing of relocation and the duration of production in the relocation country.

EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF VISUAL STORYTELLING THROUGH ILLUSTRATIONS IN INDIAN ADVERTISING.

Visual storytelling is an approach to communicating brand messages to their target audience in an effective manner. Human easily understands abstract concepts through storytelling shown through different types of visual elements like photographs, illustrations, etc. Several brands use illustrations in their campaigns to build a connection with their target consumer and try to depict the brand’s values, attitudes, and emotions. Illustrations sometimes help a brand build a unique identity that helps them differentiate their brand from another. This paper aims to analyze the possibilities of using illustration as a visual expression in brand storytelling to increase the effectiveness of advertising messages based on the available case studies. A descriptive methodology has been adopted to analyze the impact of using illustrations by the brand for their campaign to increase effectiveness and recognition. After a thorough analysis, it has been found that using illustration for storytelling can have a positive impact on consumers and can increase brand differentiation with their rival brands.

Efficacy of response strategies in brand spillover crises: The roles of perceived attribute similarity, blame attribution and attitude towards response messages

AbstractThe study examined the role of people's perceptions of attribute similarity between two brands in determining and responding to spillover crises and compared the efficacy of three response strategies in mitigating spillover crises. An experiment was conducted using a 2 (attribute similarity: high, low) × 3 (crisis response strategy: bolstering, differentiation, strategic silence) factorial design. The results demonstrated that to protect their brand from negative spillover effects, rival brands with high similarity to the brand in crisis should choose either the bolstering or differentiation strategy rather than staying silent. For rival brands with low similarity, using the bolstering strategy is better than using the strategic silence or differentiation strategy to prevent a decline in brand attitude.

The Rival Coffee Shop Problem

In this paper, we will address a modification of the following optimization problem: given a positive integer N and a compact Riemannian manifold X, the goal is to place a point xN ∈ X in such a way that the sequence {x1, …, xN} ⊂ X is distributed as uniformly as possible, considering that {x1, …, xN−1} ⊂ X already is. This can be thought as a way of placing coffee shops in a certain area one at a time in order to cover it optimally. So, following this modelization we will denote this problem as the coffee shop problem. This notion of optimal settlement is formalized in the context of optimal transport and Wasserstein distance. As a novel aspect, we introduce a new element to the problem: the presence of a rival brand, which competes against us by opening its own coffee shops. As our main tool, we use a variation of the Wasserstein distance (the Signed Wasserstein distance presented by Piccoli et al., Commun. Math. Sci. 21 (2023) 1279–1301), that allows us to work with finite signed measures and fits our problem. We present different results depending on how fast the rival is able to grow. With the Signed Wasserstein distance, we are able to obtain similar inequalities to the ones produced by the canonical Wasserstein one.

How Do Brands Change Their Advertising Spending in Response to A Rival Brand's Product Recall?

How Do Brands Change Their Advertising Spending in Response to A Rival Brand's Product Recall?

Analysis Of Nike Brand Operation and Marketing Strategy in Different Business Periods Based On 4P Marketing Theory

This article presents a comprehensive overview of Nike's evolution, tracing its origins in the 1960s to the contemporary marketing challenges it faces. It delves into Nike's formative years, characterized by the successful introduction of groundbreaking sneakers and the formulation of distinct marketing tactics. The article underscores Nike's foray into the running market, emphasizing the promotion of a healthy and active lifestyle. Furthermore, it dissects Nike's pricing strategies and the establishment of retail stores as pivotal distribution channels. Transitioning into the illustrious era spanning 1990 to 2010, this article scrutinizes Nike's pinnacle marketing strategies. These include celebrity endorsements, poignant storytelling, and premium pricing aimed at elevating brand perception and desirability. However, it also candidly addresses Nike's recent challenges, marked by difficulties in sustaining market leadership, stemming from a perceived lack of innovation and intensifying competition from rival brands. This analysis underscores the imperative for Nike to reinvigorate its marketing approach and rekindle its innovative spirit. In conclusion, the article underscores the significance of differentiation as a core strategy for Nike's resurgence. It advocates for embracing the Direct-to-Consumer model, enhancing the online shopping experience, and prioritizing social responsibility to enhance brand image and regain a dominant position in the fiercely competitive sporting goods market.

Impact of product maturity on competitive advantage: a study of Unilever, Nigeria

In recent years the concept of competitive advantage has taken center stage in discussions of business strategy; that is why, one of the major challenges organizations face today is how to have a competitive advantage. In most cases a stand-out product will do the job, since products are perceived as both highly relevant and meaningful, the ability of any one product to stand out in a competitive category will guarantee the success of such an organization. While there are numerous ways to differentiate brands, identifying meaningful product-driven differentiators can be especially fruitful in gaining and sustaining a competitive advantage. Product maturity is when a firm or brand has grown to the point where it outperforms rival brands in the provision of a feature(s) such that it faces reduced sensitivity for other features. This study used a sample of 150 respondents to provide evidence of the relationship between product maturity and firms’ competitive advantage in Nigeria. The study employed the ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis. This study finds a positive and significant relationship between product maturity and firms’ competitive advantage, as well as a positive and significant relationship between product differentiation and competitive advantage. This study therefore recommends that managers should continue to address competitive advantage with strategic balances using product maturity.

Welcome to the magic: Exploring identification, behavior, socialization, and rivalry among fans of Disney’s theme parks

The current study qualitatively investigates how fans of the Disney Theme Parks are introduced to the brand and how they perceive Disney and Universal Parks. Findings indicate that family plays a very important role in both introducing and building loyalty toward Disney and the Disney Parks. Further, both family and positive memory play an integral role in encouraging fans to continue their fandom of the Disney Parks. Finally, fans report favoritism toward the Disney Parks brand compared to Universal Theme Parks, but they refrain from displaying the level of out-group negativity and derogation toward the rival brand present in other fandom settings. Discussion focuses on the implications of the current study while introducing future areas of investigation.

Rivalry and Group Member Behavior among Fans of Sport Teams and Theme Parks

The current study investigated how group members react to favorite and rival brands among sport teams and theme parks. Specifically, fans of sport teams perceptions of favorite and rival brands were compared to that of theme park fans. Results showed that fans of sport teams reported more positivity toward their favorite brands and more negativity toward their rival brands than did fans of theme parks. Additionally, identifying as a fan of both a sport team and theme parks influenced more positive attitudes toward the favorite theme park brand. Finally, the current study places the group member behavior of theme park fans in the Hierarchy of Out-Group Derogation (HOD) and Out-group Derogation Spectrum (ODS) using the Group Behavior Composite (GBC, Havard, Grieve, Peetz, 2021). Implications for research and practice are discussed, along with future research avenues presented. A version of this study was presented at a previous conference, however with inaccurate data analysis. This presentation will focus on analysis using correct data points and the inclusion of the results in the HOD and ODS.

Unveiling the effect of benign and malicious envy toward social media influencers on brand choice

PurposeDrawing from social comparison theory, this study investigates the factors influencing benign or malicious envy toward influencers and the effects of envy on social media users' choice of endorsed or rival brands.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 453 social media users was obtained to examine the research model.FindingsHomophily and symbolism positively affect both benign and malicious envy. Credibility affects benign envy positively but malicious envy negatively. Deservingness affects malicious envy negatively but exerts no effect on benign envy. Benign envy has a greater influence on choosing brands endorsed by influencers than it does on choosing rival brands; these effects are more substantial under conditions of high perceived control. By contrast, malicious envy significantly affects the choice of purchasing rival brands; however, this effect is not influenced by perceived control.Originality/valueThis study unveils a key aspect of the endorser–follower relationship by analyzing the effect of envy toward social media influencers on followers' intention to purchase endorsed or rival brands. This study identifies the differential effects of two types of envy on brand choice.

Avoidance or trash talk: the differential impact of brand identification and brand disidentification on oppositional brand loyalty

Purpose Oppositional brand loyalty (OBL) has become widespread and has thus received growing scholarly attention in recent years. Although opposition behaviors have distinct manifestations, their differential antecedents remain underexplored. Drawing from the identity-based motivation model, this article aims to examine the impact of brand identification and brand disidentification on the two distinct dimensions of OBL (i.e. brand avoidance and trash talk) according to their different intensity and activation levels (passive or active). In addition, article aims to examine the moderating role of perceived inter-group rivalry. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected survey data and obtained 392 valid questionnaires from smartphone users. Structural equation modeling was used for hypothesis testing. Findings The results show that brand identification has a significant positive effect on avoidance of rival brands, but not on trash talk; brand disidentification has a significant positive effect on both avoidance and trash talk of rival brands; and perceived inter-group rivalry positively moderates the relationship between brand disidentification and trash talk, but does not alter the relationship between brand disidentification and brand avoidance. Originality/value This study extends the literature on OBL by investigating differential antecedents of two distinct dimensions of brand opposition. It provides more complete understanding of the formation of OBL by examining the role of users’ relationship with a focal brand, its competing brand and inter-group relationship.

Citra Merek terhadap Kepercayaan Konsumen Pada Keunggulan Produk Kosmetik MS Glow


 The goal of this study is to find out how much consumers trust Ms. Glow's beauty products, which has a big impact. This demonstrates that customers consider Ms. Glow's beauty products to be superior to those of rival brands or other brands. The Ms. Glow brand's products, according to customers, are of high quality and have a positive effect on the face when used. The business world always evolves over time, especially the cosmetic or beauty industry, which has become a necessity for every human being, both men and women, according to the explanation of the relationship or influence of brand image with brand loyalty and consumer trust with brand loyalty. The marketing communication strategies in this study start with marketing strategies based on the four Ps—product, price, places, and promotion. the kinds of promotions that were done and how satisfied customers were. The author employs a qualitative approach, and the author of this study employs a qualitative approach to explain the collected data.
 Keyword: Ms Glow, Effect of good image, Marketing Communication Strategy, Marketing Effectiveness

To study the effect of emotional TV advertisement on buying preference of consumers

Hyper competitiveness has become common place in the era of globalization. Today's markets are no less a battlefield and one must work hard to ensure their survival and expansion. Companies are using advertising and other sales promotion strategies to differentiate their products from those of rival brands in order to remain in the fiercely competitive market. There are currently FMCG companies offering products that are essentially identical to one another (such as soaps, biscuits, oral care products, and cosmetics, for example). Therefore, the marketing mix aids in choosing the brands and products. The four components of the marketing mix are product, price, place, and promotion. Advertising is a part of the promotional mix that is used to spread product awareness, convince buyers to choose a specific brand, and assist in buying decisions. Advertising's primary goal is to influence consumers' purchasing decisions. However, this impression of the brand is regularly altered or reinforced in people's recollections. The associations that the brand name conjures up in the minds of consumers make up brand memories. These brand cognitions affect customers' consideration, assessment, and ultimately purchasing decisions.

Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes: Fan Group Behavior and Rivalry in Sport and Athletic Footwear Brands

AbstractThe current study investigated how sport fans and those of popular athletic footwear brands Nike and Adidas perceived and behaved toward their favorite and relevant rival brands. First, sport fans were compared with fans of athletic footwear brands to determine if differences were present in their favorite and rival brand perceptions. Sport fans reported higher identity toward their favorite brand, and more derogation toward a rival team than fans of the Nike and Adidas athletic footwear brands. Analysis also revealed that identifying as a fan ofbothsport and athletic footwear was associated with more positive attitudes directed at the favored footwear brand, while fans of Nike and Adidas did not differ in how they viewed their favorite and rival athletic footwear brands. Discussion and implications for researchers and marketing professionals is included, along with avenues for future research.

Brand love and brand addiction and their effects on consumers' negative behaviors

Purpose This study aims to investigate the relationship between brand love and brand addiction and their effects on consumers' negative behaviors with respect to excessive spending, trash-talking and the feeling of anxiety. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 352 young fashion brand consumers responded to a structured questionnaire. The resulting data were analyzed with structural equation modeling in MPlus. Findings While brand love and brand addiction are related concepts, their effects on negative consumer behaviors differ. In the presence of brand addiction as a mediator of brand love, brand addiction has a significant effect on the three negative behaviors, and the authors observe a suppression effect of brand love on the outcome variables, with total effects (direct and indirect) being insignificant. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of this study was its single-country cross-sectional convenience sample. Practical implications While brand addiction could aid brands by leading consumers to spend excessively on them and trash-talk rival brands, it may also lead to increased consumer anxiety. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to empirically assess the relationship between brand love and brand addiction and their effects on three distinctive negative consumer behaviors. This shows that brand love is an important antecedent of brand addiction.

Don't Exclude Me: Being Excluded in a Brand Community Owned by Other Users Leads Consumers to Avoid the Brand

People are social animals and need to interact in communities to feel included. However, sometimes they face exclusion situations in many interactions. Nevertheless, little is known about how this issue affects consumers' purchases after being excluded from a brand community. In this study, We performed three laboratory experiments to demonstrate the proposed effects of social exclusion on consumer choice and sequential mediation. In this study, we demonstrated that after being excluded from a brand community, consumers perceive their relationship poorer compared with included consumers (study 1), exhibit lower perceptions of an ideal relationship with the brand (study 2), and are more prone to purchase a product in a rival brand (study 3). Furthermore, the sequential mediation of ideal perceptions of brand relationship and quality drives consumer intention to purchase a product from a rival brand. These findings contribute to the social exclusion theory and brand community literature by demonstrating how consumers felt after being excluded from a brand community and the psychological mechanisms underlying this effect.

Fanning the flames: Transmitting negative word of mouth of rival brands

Brands’ negative word of mouth (NWOM) generated by their unsatisfied consumers is increasingly transmitted by fans of competing brands. Although extant research has examined the generation of NWOM because of consumers’ negative consumption experience, little is known about the role of fans of rival brands in spreading NWOM of a focal brand and how the focal brand can mitigate this rival NWOM transmission. This research aims to investigate why fans who highly identify with rival brands are willing to transmit the focal brands’ NWOM and how the focal brand can mitigate the NWOM transmission. Through four studies comprising two surveys and two experiments, this article shows that consumers’ identification with rival brands leads to the NWOM transmission of focal brands, and that schadenfreude mediates the effect. Furthermore, NWOM transmission can be attenuated when the focal brand has responded to the original NWOM in an empathic way. This study enriches the word-of-mouth literature and offers important managerial implications.

Impact of product maturity on competitive advantage

In recent years the concept of competitive advantage has taken centre stage in discussions of business strategy; that is why one of the major challenges organizations face today is how to have a competitive advantage. In most cases, a stand-out product will do the job, since products are perceived as both highly relevant and meaningfully, the ability for any one product to stand out in a competitive category will guarantee the success of such an organization. While there are numerous ways to differentiate brands, identifying meaningful product-driven differentiators can be especially fruitful in gaining and sustaining a competitive advantage. Product maturity is when a firm or brand has grown to the point where it outperforms rival brands in the provision of a feature(s) such that it faces reduced sensitivity for other features. This study used a sample of 150 respondents to provide evidence on the relationship between product maturity and firms' competitive advantage in Nigeria. The study employed the ordinary least square (OLS) regression analysis. This study finds a positive and significant relationship between product maturity and firms' competitive advantage, as well as a positive and significant relationship between product differentiation and competitive advantage. This study, therefore, recommends that.