Underdog Brand Research Articles

Understanding underdog brand positioning effects among emerging market consumers: a moderated mediation approach

Purpose This study aims to explore the underdog brand biography dimensions that emerging-country consumers identify with (Study 1) and attempts to uncover the effects of these dimensions on brand affinity and purchase intention moderated by self-identity and brand trust (Study 2). Design/methodology/approach Study 1, using data from 359 young Indians, reveals three underlying dimensions integral to underdog brand biography in emerging markets. Study 2 uses an experimental setup with a single-factorial design among 332 young Mexican consumers to investigate the direct effects of three identified underdog brand biography dimensions on purchase intention, mediated by brand affinity and moderated by consumer self-identity and brand trust. Findings Study 1 reveals three dimensions underlying underdog brand biographies: unfavorable circumstances, striving in adversities and passion, and persistent will to succeed. Study 2 reveals that consumers with higher self-identity demonstrate greater purchase intentions for an underdog brand than a top dog one. Practical implications The results indicate that marketers can successfully use underdog narratives to influence consumer decision-making, thereby increasing brand affinity and purchase intention. Originality/value This study delineates the link between different dimensions of underdog brand biographies with brand affinity and purchase intention in emerging countries and builds on the understanding of the moderating role played by self-identity and brand trust.

Humor in Online Brand-to-Brand Dialogues: Unveiling the Difference Between Top Dog and Underdog Brands

Many brands periodically respond humorously to the content that other brands and celebrities post on social media. Drawing on three scenario-based experiments and a content analysis of humorous X posts based on their likes and reposts, the authors use the benign violation theory to understand whether using humor constitutes a benign (i.e., translating into amusement) or malign (i.e., translating into ulterior motives) violation. The success of a humorous brand-to-brand interaction (i.e., brand attitudes and purchase intentions) depends on its ability to generate amusement without causing customers to suspect ulterior motives. Study 1's results reveal that customers respond more favorably when brands use affiliative humor rather than aggressive humor. Affiliative humor constitutes a benign violation that generates amusement, while aggressive humor constitutes a malign violation that leads customers to infer that brands have ulterior motives. Study 2 shows that aggressive humor partially compensates for its weaknesses over affiliative humor when brands target competing brands. Studies 3a and 3b reveal a reversed effect depending on brand positioning (top dogs vs. underdogs). While underdog brands should always use affiliative humor, top dog brands could perform better by favoring aggressive humor (i.e., such brands could receive more likes and reposts without lowering customers’ purchase intentions).

Brand envy in economic disparity: Understanding and mitigating malicious envy towards brands among consumers perceiving limited economic mobility

This research explores how consumers’ perceptions of economic mobility influence their emotions towards brands. We conducted six online experiments and four surveys involving a total of 1,236 participants. Our findings suggest that individuals who believe they have limited opportunities for economic advancement experience malicious envy towards successful brands. This envy stems from a perception that the brand’s success is undeserved. Furthermore, this envy is exacerbated when brands are not seen as engaging in charitable giving. Interestingly, the effect of perceived economic mobility on envy dissipates for underdog brands, which are perceived as having exerted more effort to achieve success. Malicious envy due to low perceived economic mobility leads to negative consequences such as boycotts and negative word-of-mouth. This study addresses a gap in marketing research, traditionally focused on benign envy. By deepening our understanding of envy, this research offers strategies for managing brand relationships with consumers in less mobile societies.

Effects of interaction between brand positioning and chatbot conversational style on perceived fit and brand attitudes

AbstractAlthough an underdog brand positioning can elicit positive consumer responses, maintaining a brand's positioning requires maintaining consistent brand associations. If the associations created by the company's service providers do not align with the brand's positioning, this discrepancy can lead to consumer confusion or to a decline in brand attitudes. Chatbots, as customer‐facing representatives, play a crucial role in how consumers perceive and evaluate a brand. However, the role of chatbots in shaping brand attitude has not been extensively studied. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of chatbot conversational styles on consumers' perceptions of the fit between a brand's positioning and its messaging, focusing on both “top‐dog” and “underdog” brands. This study demonstrates that underdog brands using chatbots with warm conversational styles and top‐dog brands using chatbots with competent (i.e., professional) conversational styles foster positive brand evaluations by consumers through perceived fit. Additionally, this study introduces the concept of power state—an individual's degree of perceived control over their surroundings—as a moderator in human–chatbot interactions, demonstrating that high‐power‐state consumers of top‐dog brands favor a competent conversational style, whereas low‐power‐state consumers favor a warm conversational style regardless of the brand's positioning.

The effects of brand positioning (underdog vs top dog) and comparative advertising

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to understand the effect of different brand positions (underdog vs top dog) and comparative advertising on consumers’ brand attitudes. Additionally, this study also aims to demonstrate the effects of inspiration, self-relevance and empathy on the relationship between brand positioning and comparative advertising.Design/methodology/approachA two-by-three factorial design was employed with brand positions (underdog vs top dog) and three types of comparative advertising (noncomparative, indirect comparative and direct comparative) as the independent variables. Inspiration serves as the mediator, while self-relevance and empathy act as moderators and brand attitude is the dependent variable.FindingsThe results show that different brand positions significantly affect brand attitudes, with respondents having a better brand attitude toward the underdog brand. Brand attitude is partially mediated by inspiration. Self-relevance moderates the relationship between brand positioning and brand attitude. However, brand positioning, comparative advertising and empathy do not have interaction effects.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to a better understanding of the effect of psychological variables on brand positioning and comparative advertising.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that the underdog setting requires a real and honest story because consumers will spot a fake underdog story, which will damage consumer trust in the brand and harm the brand image.Originality/valueThere is a lack of research using psychological variables to demonstrate the effect of being the underdog brand. This study contributes to the literature by employing psychological variables to illustrate the effect of underdog positioning. These findings can help brands develop branding positioning strategies.

The relationship between perceived brand globalness/localness and purchase intention: exploring the role of consumer-brand identification with underdog positioning

PurposeThis study aims to examine how perceptions of the globalness or localness of a brand affect the purchase intentions of consumers through the building of consumer–brand identification (CBI). This paper also explores the moderating effect of brand positioning (underdog vs top dog) on the relationship between perceived brand globalness or localness (PBG or PBL) and purchase intention.Design/methodology/approachThe proposed hypotheses were tested in two experimental studies. Data were collected through a set of structured questionnaires and analyzed using PROCESS modelling and analysis of variance.FindingsThe results show that CBI mediates the effect of PBG/PBL on purchase intentions. Moreover, the findings of Study 2 reveal that participants show greater purchase intention for PBL than for PBG in response to underdog positioning. However, in top dog positioning, the difference in purchase intention for PBL compared to PBG is attenuated.Originality/valueThis research investigates how CBI influences purchase intentions of consumers in regards to a brand’s perceived globalness or localness, which adds to the growing body of international branding research. This paper also addresses the effects of interaction between brand localness (globalness) and underdog (top dog) brand positioning on purchase intentions. Finally, this study concludes with a discussion of practical actions that international brand managers can take to enhance the effectiveness of their marketing strategies.

What are the odds? Underdog brands are consumer favorites

We examine the association between product endorser quality, performance expectations, and abnormal stock returns of corporate sponsors and identify a pronounced underdog effect – marginal excess returns to sponsors of the biggest underdogs are roughly double those of the biggest favorites. Results indicate that consumers are more excited about and more motivated to support brands having an underdog narrative. • Consumers identify with an underdog narrative. • Betting market odds are used to quantify performance expectations. • We find a significant underdog effect in returns to brand marketing. • Returns to sponsors of winning underdogs are twice those of winning favorites.

Revisiting power messaging in service failures: Pitfalls and proposed solutions

AbstractPast research shows that company messaging can inflate consumers' feelings of power, which in turn alleviate the negative effects of service failures. Extant research, however, has not examined how various types of power messaging can have a differential effect on consumers, with some leading to counterproductive consequences for companies. Across five experiments, we show that power messaging stressing that consumers have power over the company can backfire by increasing manipulative intent. Power messaging communicating that consumers will obtain a power boost from the service is more acceptable and less likely to be perceived as manipulative. Furthermore, we demonstrate that messaging eliciting power from the service is most effective when (1) targeted at consumers with low levels of skepticism, (2) delivered by an underdog brand, and (3) paired with co‐created recovery. Following a service failure, messaging communicating how customers will gain a power boost from the service experience increases identification with underdog brands. Our examination of power messaging as an overt communication strategy contributes to the literature on service failure and recovery. The research advances knowledge of the potential pitfalls of power messaging while proposing strategies to overcome risks associated with this communication strategy.

Human-like underdog brands: How brand personality affects selfservice technology adoption

This research explored the effects of service delivery types (conventional face-to-face service vs. self-service technologies; SSTs) and brand personality (underdog brand vs. top-dog brand) on consumers' brand attitudes. Study 1 revealed that consumers perceived more anthropomorphic features in underdog brands than in top-dog brands (Hypothesis 1). The anthropomorphic brand personality of an underdog affected consumers' preferences for service type. The results of Study 2 indicated that consumers preferred face-to-face service to SSTs for underdog brands (Hypothesis 2). The underlying mechanism to explain this phenomenon was revealed by the perceived increased discomfort when using SSTs (Hypothesis 3). These findings offer practical implications for marketing managers in deciding when brand personality should be considered when adopting a new service type.

Self-service versus human interaction in private consumption: The moderating role of brand personality

We explored how consumer attitudes toward service delivery types (selfservice technology vs. face-to-face) differ in a private consumption context depending on the brand personality (underdog brand vs. topdog brand). Using banking service (Study 1) and hotel service (Study 2) scenarios, we empirically investigated the interaction effects between service delivery types and brand personalities on consumer attitudes. The results indicate that for humanized underdog brands consumers showed a more positive attitude toward self-service technologies than toward face-to-face services. However, for the top-dog brands there were no significant moderation effects. Thus, when managers in the marketing field are planning to regulate new directions for their service policy, they need to be very cautious by considering both consumption context and brand personality. We have theoretically and practically expanded the existing literature on service delivery by focusing on private consumption services.

Underdog or Top Dog Brand Story? The Role of Self-Construal and Need of Uniqueness.

The design of an effective brand story has become a key issue in marketing strategies. This study aims to explore what kinds of brand stories (underdog or top dog) individuals prefer from the perspective of the level of self-construal and the need for uniqueness. In this study, a questionnaire survey was used to collect data from China. One-way analysis of variance and bootstrapping via the Process plug-in were adopted to test the hypotheses. This study confirms that individuals with independent self-construal have a higher need for uniqueness and prefer underdog brand stories, while individuals with interdependent self-construal have a lower need for uniqueness and prefer the top dog brand story. This paper promotes theoretical research in the fields of self-construal, the need for uniqueness, and brand stories, and provides rich theoretical support for enterprises in designing and adjusting brand stories. Implications, limitations and future studies are discussed.

Beware, an underdog may bite: literature review and brand management framework in the context of underdog brands

An underdog brand is a brand with humble resources that competes with passion and determination against competitors that dominate a market. Numerous anecdotal examples and a few research articles of underdog brands exist, yet the understanding of what an underdog brand is and how brands can use the underdog effect is still limited. Considering the relevance of underdog brand management for practice, the purpose of our article is to distill the components of the concepts “underdog brand” and “the underdog effect” and to propose a conceptual framework to guide underdog brand management. To achieve this goal, we undertook a systematic review of the extant literature that resulted in (1) a clear and demarking definition of the term underdog brand, (2) an analysis of the usefulness of the underdog effect and (3) a reference frame we termed “the underdog brand management framework”. By doing so, we helped to overcome the research gap in the field of underdog brand management. To validate our findings, we tested the framework against a case study of a successful underdog brand. Our analysis resulted in a robust model that could inspire and guide practitioners who are in charge of underdog brands.

When goliaths win and davids lose: The moderating role of perceived risk in brand biography effects

Brand biographies trace a brand's evolution to position it as an underdog (i.e., passion and determination that lead to success despite limited resources) or a topdog (i.e., success based on abundance of resources) brand. This study examines how consumers’ risk perceptions associated with brand choice influence brand biography effects. It demonstrates that when perceived risk associated with brand choice is low, consumers process brand biographies narratively, experience greater narrative transportation into underdog (vs. topdog) brand biographies, and evaluate the underdog brand more favorably. When perceived risk associated with brand choice is high, consumers respond more positively to topdog (vs. underdog) brand biographies, due to topdog brands’ greater perceived ability to reduce risk. The topdog effect observed at higher levels of perceived risk reverses, however, when consumers have the opportunity to process the brand biography before receiving high risk information, as this allows for narrative transportation into the brand biography. This study contributes to research on moderators of brand biography effects and suggests that perceived risk should play a role in marketers’ decision to emphasize underdog or topdog characteristics in brand biographies.

Comparative Marketing Communication: The Case of Drug Detailing

Comparative marketing communication has emerged as an important area of managerial and scholarly inquiry. In the pharmaceutical industry, it has been practiced in detailing, the personal selling to physicians. With physician-level panel data of detailing and prescriptions, we examine the effectiveness of comparative detailing versus noncomparative detailing. In particular, we investigate whether a brand’s comparative detailing directly damages competing brands or provides them free exposure to physicians. The Bayesian hierarchical probit model with reduced-form detailing policy functions allows us to examine comparative detailing at both aggregate level and individual physician level, while controlling for possible simultaneity issues in noncomparative detailing and comparative detailing. We find that (1) comparative detailing is less or equally effective than noncomparative detailing at the aggregate level, but there is strong heterogeneity across individual physicians; (2) some brands strategically focus their comparative detailing efforts on physicians who are less responsive to noncomparative detailing but more responsive to comparative detailing than others; (3) the market leader faces a denigrating loss if underdog brands compare against it in their detailing visits, but a generic brand enjoys a free-exposure benefit when other brands in the category compare against it in their detailing visits. Our estimates provide rich managerial implications by identifying physicians who are more profitable for comparative detailing. Finally, our policy simulation shows that a ban of comparative detailing can reduce the market share of generic drugs by 1.76% in statin market.

When the Underdog Positioning Backfires! The Effects of Ethical Transgressions on Attitudes Toward Underdog Brands.

This research investigates the novel link between consumers’ support for underdog brands and their ethical expectations of such brands and finds that the underdog brand positioning may not always be beneficial. Rather, we argue that the identification-based supporting motivation for underdog brands may backfire when the accompanying specific moral expectation is not satisfied. Study 1 demonstrates that the underdog brand falls into an ethical trap in which consumers judge the brand more harshly when ethical transgressions are committed. In Study 2, the psychological underlying mechanism for this ethical underdog trap effect is proved to be perceived betrayal. In Study 3, a boundary condition, community-related (vs. autonomy-related) transgressions, is explored. In Study 4, the three types of transgressions (autonomy, community, and functional) and the mediating effects of perceived betrayal are tested in integrated research design. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications are discussed, followed by conclusions.

Effect of underdog (vs topdog) brand storytelling on brand identification: exploring multiple mediation mechanisms

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to focus on the building of consumer–brand identification through the use of two themes (underdog and topdog) in the design of brand storytelling. It proposes that the underdog theme is superior because it is more effective in immersing readers in the story and generates higher emotional responses. The moderating effect of consumers’ implicit mindsets is also explored.Design/methodology/approachAn experimental study with a single-factorial design is conducted with 301 consumers assigned at random to one of two brand storytelling conditions: underdog theme or topdog theme.FindingsThe results show a full mediating effect of the underdog (vs topdog) theme on brand identification through reader immersion and empathic feelings.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of a fictitious brand and a specific product category may limit the generalizability of the results.Practical implicationsPlacing the brand in a story with an underdog plot is more effective in catching consumers’ attention than using a topdog brand story. In particular, using an underdog theme is a good approach for targeting consumers who have a growth mindset.Originality/valueThis study explains the persuasiveness of brand storytelling in terms of the characteristics of the storytelling itself rather than the individual characteristics of consumers (e.g. their own underdog dispositions). The results also suggest that the implicit mindset of the individual plays a role.

Using topdog versus underdog brand biography in advertising: Effects of similarity and consumption decision of non-deceptive counterfeits

ABSTRACT The aim of this research is to investigate how consumption of high vs. low similarity counterfeit brands in the public affects consumer responses, in terms of attitude and purchase intentions, as against privately consuming the counterfeits. The study also aims to understand if consumers’ choice of a counterfeit depends on whether the leading brand uses a topdog brand biography as against using an underdog brand biography. Experimentation was chosen as the method of inquiry. The first experimental set-up was a 2 (similarity of counterfeit with original brand: low, high) x 2 (mode of consuming counterfeit: public, private) between-subjects design while in the second experiment, subjects were assigned to a condition of a 2 (brand biography: underdog, topdog) x 2 (mode of consuming counterfeit: public, private) between-subjects design. Results of two studies suggest that the evaluation of copycats increased with a higher degree of similarity, but only when the decision to consume the copycat was public. It was also found that counterfeit of brands using a topdog brand biography elicited more favorable responses when the counterfeit was consumed publicly. Results of the study will help practitioners to understand how to approach consumers’ consumption mode (public vs private) of copycat brands.

Inspire me to purchase: Consumers’ personal control and preference for underdog brand positioning

Many marketers choose to position their brands as underdogs instead of top dogs in the marketplace. Research suggests that underdog positioning may elicit favorable consumer responses, although little is known about when it is more effective. To address this gap, we examine how personal control influences consumers’ responses to underdog (vs. top dog) positioning. Studies 1 and 2 demonstrate that low-control consumers prefer brands positioned as underdogs because the passion and determination exemplified in underdog positioning can inspire those consumers to cope with their loss of control. Studies 3 and 4 show that low-control consumers’ relative preference for underdog positioning is moderated by both their shopping orientation and the causal attribution for their loss of control. We discuss the practical implications of these results for effective marketing communications and the theoretical implications for the growing research on underdog positioning and customer inspiration.

The influence of passion/determination and external disadvantage on consumer responses to brand biographies

To elicit positive consumer responses, many brands use underdog brand biographies in their brand communication strategies. Underdog brand biographies highlight a brand’s passion and determination in overcoming the external disadvantages the brand initially faced. This article examines to what extent consumers’ perceptions of passion/determination and external disadvantage reflected in an underdog brand biography independently influence narrative transportation, post-message engagement, and purchase intentions. Based on a study involving experimental manipulations of underdog and top dog brand biographies, this research contributes to the brand biography literature by demonstrating that passion/determination and external disadvantage have differential effects on narrative transportation, post-message engagement, and purchase intentions. It is also the first to empirically test the sequential mediating roles of narrative transportation and post-message engagement. For managerial practice, this research suggests that underdog brand biographies should emphasize the brand’s passion and determination and highlights the importance of post-message engagement in terms of information seeking, post-message elaboration, and social sharing in increasing purchase intentions.

Sizing Up Without Selling Out: The Role of Authenticity in Maintaining Long-Run Consumer Support for Successful Underdog Brands

Research and market evidence indicate that positioning a brand as an underdog can be an effective marketing strategy. Interestingly, if successful, this strategy could result in brands outgrowing their underdog status. In such situations, the current research finds it is critical for underdogs to be perceived as authentic to maintain long-term consumer support. The importance of authenticity is revealed by depth interviews with underdog supporters and three experiments. The experiments reveal that a successful underdog brand is perceived as more authentic and maintains stronger consumer support if the founders do not sell out to a larger company (Experiments 1, 2, and 3). This effect is robust across “vote-for” and “vote-against” underdogs, and continued founder involvement with the company after selling out has limited effectiveness for maintaining perceptions of authenticity and consumer support (Experiment 2). When an underdog does sell out to a larger company, a communion-focused motivation can mitigate negative effects on consumer support (Experiment 3). Consumer perceptions of the brand’s authenticity mediate the relationship between the decision to sell out and consumer support. Our findings have implications for managing brands that have been positioned as underdogs but outgrow their disadvantaged standing.