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Multi-Method Research on Consumer-Brand Associations: Comparing Free Associations, Storytelling, and Collages
Abstract
What consumers know and think consciously and unconsciously about a brand influences their attitudes and behaviors toward the brand and ultimately brand success. Therefore, keeping track of what consumers know is advisable. This article considers the value of using three approaches to assess brand knowledge: free association technique, storytelling, and collage-creation. Each method is suitable for tapping and reproducing different aspects of brand knowledge. The empirical study combines the three methods in an explorative setting to retrieve consumer brand knowledge regarding a major sports brand. The study compares knowledge that each method elicits and provides brand management with recommendations how to decide when to use each method and whether to employ one or more of these methods. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
... Various methods have been applied for co-creation activities and idea generation, encompassing focus group discussions (Bruseberg & McDonagh-Philp, 2002), free-association-tasks (Koll et al., 2010), the Substitute-Combine-Adapt-Modify-Eliminate-Reverse (SCAMPER) technique (Eberle, 1972;Serrat, 2017), and the Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) framework (Ulwick, 2017). The focus group discussions are recognised as effective strategies for brainstorming (Banović et al., 2016;Boonpracha, 2023;Galler et al., 2022), while free-association-tasks aim to identify consumers' perceptions and attitudes towards specific products or brands (Koll et al., 2010). ...
... Various methods have been applied for co-creation activities and idea generation, encompassing focus group discussions (Bruseberg & McDonagh-Philp, 2002), free-association-tasks (Koll et al., 2010), the Substitute-Combine-Adapt-Modify-Eliminate-Reverse (SCAMPER) technique (Eberle, 1972;Serrat, 2017), and the Jobs-To-Be-Done (JTBD) framework (Ulwick, 2017). The focus group discussions are recognised as effective strategies for brainstorming (Banović et al., 2016;Boonpracha, 2023;Galler et al., 2022), while free-association-tasks aim to identify consumers' perceptions and attitudes towards specific products or brands (Koll et al., 2010). SCAMPER represents a strategy and methodology that employs brainstorming and mind mapping techniques. ...
... In this step, adolescents engaged in brainstorming sessions to enhance school canteens and develop ideas of new LB main dishes. This process involved a combination of methods, including focus groups (Banović et al., 2016;Galler et al., 2022), Jobs-To-Be-Done (Ulwick, 2017), free-association-tasks (Koll et al., 2010) and SCAMPER (Boonpracha, 2023;Serrat, 2017). Nineteen adolescents (panel A1) were divided into three focus groups (n ≈ 6 each, 1-hour duration), each led by a trained moderator and an assistant. ...
... Experiences can be categorised according to philosophers, cognitive scientists and management specialists. Our hypothesis states that brand-related stimuli, such as shades, forms, fonts, layouts, slogans, mascots and brand personalities, evoke experiential qualities (Koll et al., 2010;Machado et al., 2019;Rossolatos, 2020). A single stimulus triggers no one experience dimension. ...
... An asset or liability linked to a brand, its name, and its symbol adds or subtracts value provided to a firm or its customers (Seifert & Chattaraman, 2020). Brand equity is the added value a product receives from its brand name (Koll et al., 2010). Suarezserna (2020) defined brand equity as the value a brand receives due to its strong relationship with potential customers and key stakeholders. ...
... The present study contributes to the literature in several ways. First, we diverge from the methods and theoretical underpinnings used in recent narrative advertising works (Koll et al., 2010). The concept that narrative mobility might also impact factors associated with brand outcomes has largely been ignored in advertising research. ...
Video ads that tell stories have become a popular method of connecting with viewers and making them feel emotionally invested in a product or a service. Long-form videos, as opposed to shorter types of advertising like TV spots and print advertising, can persuade viewers with a sincere and compelling brand story, creating favourable brand associations. We empirically investigated the impacts of narrative transportation caused through audio-visual storytelling advertising on consumers’ affective, sensory, cognitive, behavioural experiences and brand equity states using structural equation modelling in SPSS Amos 25.0. Our research supports the relationship between ad-elicited narrative transportation and various brand effects. We also evaluated the moderating effect of previous negative online purchase experiences (POPE) on all forms of advertising experience. The impact of high-quality competing advertising on the impressions formed by consumers who have had negative prior experiences and the strategies employed by brands to use negative experiences build positive equity for their brands. Discussions and implications are discussed.
... Brands accordingly exist as cognitive phenomena in consumers' minds (Merz et al., 2009) and are "conceptualized as consisting of a brand node in memory to which a variety of associations are linked" (Keller, 1993, p. 3). Brand associations result from experiences with brand-related stimuli and can be represented verbally or non-verbally (including multi-modal and emotional representations) in stakeholders' minds (Keller, 1993;Koll, von Wallpach, & Kreuzer, 2010;von Wallpach & Kreuzer, 2013). ...
... Organizations can choose between a wide array of techniques to learn what stakeholders think about a brand. We refer the interested readers to other publications for a more in-depth discussion than we can provide here (Burmann, Riley, Halaszovich, & Schade, 2017;Koll et al., 2010). For illustration purposes we highlight two extremes on the qualitative-quantitative continuum (Venkatesh, Brown, & Bala, 2013), and then suggest an approach we believe bridges this divide by offering information-rich, yet easy-to-gather, diagnostics regarding stakeholder brand associations, their similarity and their match with management-desired associations. ...
... They allow uncovering elements beyond what the researcher provides, they provide insights about the source of these elements and they can be probed for their valence. This deep understanding comes at a cost: data retrieval is complex, time-consuming, and requires knowledgeable researchers for both data collection and analysis (Koll et al., 2010). In addition, subjective comparisons across stakeholders and with desired associations may limit credibility among people less inclined to qualitative research (much like scholars relying on qualitative research may question the value of scale-based comparisons). ...
Adopting a multi-stakeholder perspective on brand management, this paper discusses different methodological approaches that allow for a cross-stakeholder evaluation of associations the brand triggers. Our main contribution is the proposal and illustration of a Venn-diagram approach as a simple-to-implement, yet insightful methodology to visualize findings from free association questions. This approach helps brand management understand and compare the associations attached to a brand by multiple stakeholders and their degree of match with management-desired brand associations. We illustrate the managerial relevance of this approach with results from an international study comparing brand associations desired by the management of a company with brand associations elicited by customers and employees, with some 1500 respondents respectively. For the particular case investigated, we find that management-desired associations may not (yet) be top-of-mind for customers, employees or both groups, while these groups hold (and partly share) associations not desired by the organization. The findings also show that specific types of associations are more likely to be top-of-mind with multiple stakeholders than others. We discuss how brand management should use the insights gained via this Venn-diagram approach in their brand-building efforts.
... To respond to this movement, the modern concept of branding-brand culture (see also Schroeder, 2009 [5])-is required to develop a place brand in which culture is one of the place identities; therefore, multi-method research is required to explore the components of the brand culture by integrating the perceptions of both tourists and stakeholders. Multi-method research allows us to integrate qualitative and quantitative data on brand identity from multiple stakeholders [30,31]. We employed the place branding and brand culture concepts to develop a research methodology that allows all stakeholders to participate in the branding process in order to create brand congruence (see also Pongsakornrungsilp and Schroeder, 2017 [23]). ...
... Multi-method research was employed to co-create destination branding by integrating stakeholders' brand identities or potential images and tourists' perceived images. Multi-method research is required to study the regional branding process because data sets from both stakeholders and tourists need to be synthesized to co-create the brand [30,31]. For example, Hunter and Suh (2007) [62] employed multi-method research to study destination image perception in Jeju, South Korea, in terms of cultural identity. ...
... The multi-method strategy has gained popularity because it allows a researcher to collect diverse types of data and gain the best understanding of the research issue [31]. In branding research, Koll et al. (2010) [30] recommended multi-method research to understand consumer perspectives and associations toward a brand. The exploratory and explanatory nature of this study prompted us to use the multi-method approach, i.e., a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods [73]. ...
The purpose of this study was to explore how a regional brand can be co-created among different cities by employing the concept of place branding and brand culture. The Andaman Tourism Cluster of Thailand (ATC) generates the most tourism revenue in Thailand. Developing a regional brand identity can strengthen the competitive advantage of the ATC. Data were collected using multi-method research through questionnaires, projective techniques, and focus group interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. This study also shows that multi-method research contributes to brand management by facilitating collaboration, participation, and brand congruence among stakeholders. Quantitative and qualitative data were synthesized in order to develop the brand identity of the ATC. Focus group interviews were also employed to co-create the regional brand identity as 'Irresistible Andaman', of which sustainable tourism management is a fundamental aspect. This study demonstrates how multiple sub-brands with different stakeholders can be integrated into a single regional brand. Moreover, stakeholders should focus on internal branding by communicating with all stakeholders to co-create brand congruence.
... Eastman et al. (2020) used collage, an expressive projective technique, to make a comprehensive examination of college students' views of luxury such as what represents luxury to them and whom they see as luxury consumers. Constructing a collage allows consumers to illustrate their ideas about brands through the use of photos, images and words and is useful to prompt deep-seated thoughts, feelings and desires that are both abstract (Banister et al., 2020) and image-based (Zaltman and Coulter, 1995) while bypassing consumer reluctance and social desirability on sensitive research topics (Belk et al., 2003;Koll et al., 2010). By using a brand collage technique in luxury brand research, the current research not only builds on the study by Eastman et al. (2020), which explored a broad concept of luxury using collage but also extends it by probing the nature of consumers' relationship with one luxury brand of choice. ...
... As a qualitative research approach, a collage method allows respondents to freely express their thoughts, ideas, feelings, emotions and associations with a brand using various imagebased objects such as pictures, photos and memes (i.e. images captioned with text) (Koll et al., 2010). Collage, from the French verb coller meaning "to paste" or "to stick," is a technique of art creation that involves collecting a variety of materials to make a single new composition (Swanson and Wald, 2013). ...
... There are three notable advantages of using a collage technique over other forms of qualitative research techniques such as interviews. First, it is often difficult for an individual to elaborate their thoughts, feelings, emotions and fantasies about brands because they are too abstract, vague, complex or even unconscious (Koll et al., 2010). By allowing research subjects to express themselves via pictures or images and through the process of rethinking and rearranging their initial ideas to assemble the collage, collage construction can capture spontaneous or unconscious brand knowledge, as well as unexpected new associations with the brand (Koll et al., 2010). ...
Purpose
This study aims to focus on understanding the consumer-luxury brand relationships among Generation Z. Generation Z is an up-and-coming generational cohort that has received limited research attention in the domains of both consumer-brand relationships and luxury branding, despite its growing size and purchasing power. Therefore, this study highlights the distinctive patterns of Generation Z’s relationship with luxury by identifying their choice of a luxury brand, the nature of the brand relationships, what characterizes these relationships and the internal and external influences that shape these relationships.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used brand collage construction. A total of 56 Generation Z respondents created brand collages that covered 38 different luxury brands. The data from the collages and their accompanying descriptions were evaluated using content analysis.
Findings
This study identifies Generation Z’s unique yet expansive view of luxury that encompasses not only traditional luxury but also masstige and non-traditional luxury brands. Moreover, the findings generally support that Generation Z’s relationships with luxury brands are characterized by “like” rather than “love”; while Generation Z may feel a high level of loyalty toward luxury brands in terms of attitudes and behaviors, they do not necessarily have strong, passionate feelings for them.
Originality/value
The findings of this study offer a comprehensive understanding of Generation Z’s brand relationship with luxury. Luxury marketers need to recognize that for Generation Z consumers, luxury is an integral part of their everyday lifestyle more than a display of success, which is clearly different from previous generations.
... Free association technique (FAT) has been used to know the masstige and luxury brand knowledge in a consumer's mind (Aaker, 1991;Broniarczyk & Alba, 1994;Chen, 2001). Free association method may help to retrieve information in conscious and subconscious (Koll et al., 2010). At present there is lack of clear understanding about demarcation of masstige from luxury (Kim et al., 2019). ...
... Metaphors are one of the ways to provide associations irrespective of the representation mode (Zaltman, 1997). There are ways to retrieve associations which include free association technique, storytelling and collage creation (Koll et al., 2010). Based on the Koll et al. (2010) comparative study of these three methods, each of these has its strengths and weaknesses. ...
... There are ways to retrieve associations which include free association technique, storytelling and collage creation (Koll et al., 2010). Based on the Koll et al. (2010) comparative study of these three methods, each of these has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, collage needs dependence on pictures, storytelling may be affected by tone used in writing a story. ...
Luxury is exclusive, expensive and provides social recognition. There is an emergence of masstige brands in Indian economy and also globally. Masstige brands are expressed as new luxury different from the traditional luxury though distinction needs more clarity. The current empirical study is from masstige consumer perspective and is exploratory in nature for understanding perceptions of Indian consumers through brand associations toward masstige brands in comparison to luxury brands based on free association method. Data was collected from 54 respondents. It is identified that masstige brands can be differentiated from luxury brands along functional, financial, social as well as individual brand values. The findings may be useful for masstige brands’ marketers to develop promotional strategies.
... The collage method allows consumers to represent their ideas about brands, consumption motives, or product usage by combining different materials such as pictures, images, or words (Belk, Ger, & Askegaard, 2003;Koll, von Wallpach, & Kreuzer, 2010). Although past studies employed this technique in identifying consumer-brand relationships (e.g., Hollenbeck & Kaikati, 2012;Koll et al., 2010), this technique is scarce in a luxury brand setting despite it being useful in triggering hidden thoughts, emotions, and associations, without encountering consumer reluctance, rationalizations, and social desirability (Belk et al., 2003;Koll et al., 2010). ...
... The collage method allows consumers to represent their ideas about brands, consumption motives, or product usage by combining different materials such as pictures, images, or words (Belk, Ger, & Askegaard, 2003;Koll, von Wallpach, & Kreuzer, 2010). Although past studies employed this technique in identifying consumer-brand relationships (e.g., Hollenbeck & Kaikati, 2012;Koll et al., 2010), this technique is scarce in a luxury brand setting despite it being useful in triggering hidden thoughts, emotions, and associations, without encountering consumer reluctance, rationalizations, and social desirability (Belk et al., 2003;Koll et al., 2010). Furthermore, von Kreuzer (2013, p. 1325) note that "only few marketing researchers recognize the importance of studying nonconscious, embodied brand knowledge." ...
... The collage method allows consumers to represent their ideas about brands, consumption motives, or product usage by combining different materials such as pictures, images, or words (Belk, Ger, & Askegaard, 2003;Koll, von Wallpach, & Kreuzer, 2010). Although past studies employed this technique in identifying consumer-brand relationships (e.g., Hollenbeck & Kaikati, 2012;Koll et al., 2010), this technique is scarce in a luxury brand setting despite it being useful in triggering hidden thoughts, emotions, and associations, without encountering consumer reluctance, rationalizations, and social desirability (Belk et al., 2003;Koll et al., 2010). Furthermore, von Kreuzer (2013, p. 1325) note that "only few marketing researchers recognize the importance of studying nonconscious, embodied brand knowledge." ...
Given the growth of the luxury market, the size of the millennial cohort, and millennials’ growing interest in luxury products, it is vital for luxury marketers to gain insight into these millennial consumers to build consumer-brand relationships with them now as they start to enter their peak earning years. The purpose of this research is to examine millennials’ relationship with luxury through a content analysis of 630 luxury collages (10 collages each from 63 college-age millennials) to determine what represents luxury to them, how millennials perceive the consumer-brand relationship, and who they are as luxury consumers. The college students created personal collages that represent their thoughts and feelings/emotions, experiences/memories, ideas/perceptions about luxury brands and who consumes them, consumption motives, product usage/shopping occasions, and/or relationships with luxury brands. Each collage includes pictures/photos/images along with a typed description/summary that explains what each collage represents. A content analysis of the collages involved three judges. The PRL reliability measure ranged from 0.72 to 0.97 indicating the categorization by the judges was reliable. The results suggest millennials are pro-luxury and represent a vibrant current and future luxury segment. Millennials see a wide variety of luxury categories and brands that meet their needs for luxury. For luxury marketers, this is a segment amenable to luxury goods, services, and experiences, and inroads have been made by luxury brand marketers as seen in the collages. Millennials see luxury as addressing both out-of-reach or aspirational luxury as well as masstige or affordable luxury. Luxury marketers can build brand relationships with millennials with entry-level products as the millennials are current luxury consumers and see this consumption expanding in the future. Key luxury characteristics for millennials vary from other generations as they are looking for fashion, hedonic value, technology, and the need to demonstrate their extended self rather than rarity. Finally, who they see as the luxury consumer is influenced by social media, celebrities, friends, and family.
... Other research has used free association to reveal people's knowledge and attitudes about central societal topics or concepts (Koll et al., 2010;Szalay & Brent, 1967;Zaller & Feldman, 1992). For example, recent work has explored lay concepts of sustainability (Barone et al., 2020), artificial in-telligence (Selwyn & Gallo Cordoba, 2022), and risk . ...
... The analysis pipeline can be extended to examine the role of political affiliation or other demographics, thus helping to document polarization and inform strategies that combat it (File et al., 2019). Similarly, free association can provide insights into different groups' thinking on companies or products, thus helping to document consumer preferences and inform marketing efforts (Koll et al., 2010). Third, as shown in our example, free association can be employed to study representations of machine systems with human-like language interfaces, such as large language models, ultimately contributing to the advancement of research on human-machine representational and behavioral alignment (Sucholutsky et al., 2023). ...
People’s understanding of topics and concepts such as risk, sustainability, and intelligence can be important for psychological researchers and policymakers alike. One underexplored way of accessing this information is to use free associations to map people’s mental representations. In this tutorial, we describe how free association responses can be collected, processed, mapped, and compared across groups using the R package associatoR. We discuss study design choices and different approaches to uncovering the structure of mental representations using natural language processing, including the use of embeddings from large language models. We suggest that free association analysis presents a powerful approach to revealing how people and machines represent key social and technological issues.
... In the few such attempts (e.g. Eldesouky et al., 2015;Gámbaro et al., 2019;Vidal et al., 2013), there has been some similarity in concepts liberated through analysis, but equally significant differences, resulting in suggestions that techniques are complementary (Gámbaro et al., 2019;Koll et al., 2010) or illuminate different consumer perception facets (Vidal et al., 2013) rather than generating fully analogous outcomes. However, such variation may respond to the framing and degree of ambiguity present in the stimuli used. ...
... In terms of reliability, whilst the constructs persist, there are distinct positions evident within the WA and SSC analysis. But rather than being complementary (Gámbaro et al., 2019;Koll et al., 2010) they appear to illuminate different consumer perception facets (Vidal et al., 2013). It appears to address issues of validity and reliability, one of the key considerations is the level at which such assessments are made. ...
This paper explores a rapid and low-intensity qualitative method that yields deep and rich insights into Generation Z and Millennials, who constitute the largest consumer group in history. This group favours frictionless digital solutions and their engagement with ‘elaborate’ qualitative techniques is unlikely, requiring researchers to marshal efficient technology-facilitated methods that render comparable insight. We assess the capacity of a ‘simple’ projective technique – online word association, accompanied by a few supporting questions – to offer as fine-grained insight into this consumer group against a more involved story stem completion method. The UK buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) context provides a complex novel market for this examination. Results suggest strong conceptual interconnection between the word association and the story stem completion task. Word associations generated similar resonance and tonality to that of the story stem but in a more compact manner, which liberates researchers and participants alike. The word association task focuses and delineates attention on a narrower set of words, not often done in the context of more traditional qualitative techniques, including story stem completion. Young consumers’ vocabularies reveal their most salient perceptions of the phenomenon. The word association task also facilitates Generation Z and Millennials’ active and positive online engagement, removing resistance and withdrawal from the research. This improves marketing response through immediacy, relevancy, and potency.
... Finally, in the Advocacy stage (RQ5), the study will pinpoint the key drivers of the sense of community and sense of place, that generate CoLivers' electronic Word-Of-Mouth. This paper adopted a qualitative approach, combining ethnography, content analysis of in-depth interviews of digital nomads and a projective technique based on visual narratives with photos taken by the participants (Koll et al., 2010;Megehee & Woodside, 2010). ...
... This study combined several qualitative methods: (1) case-study selection (Section 3.1); (2) an ethnographic approach (Section 3.1.1); (3) content analysis of in-depth interviews, which were conducted with digital nomads who have stayed in a Selina CoLiving space in several parts of the world (Section 3.2); (4) content analysis of visual narratives/ storytelling (Koll et al., 2010;Megehee & Woodside, 2010) based on photos which were taken and selected by the participants (Gretzel & Hardy, 2019;Hardy & Robards, 2015). ...
CoLiving involves facilities that combine work and life experiences, which challenge the traditional concept of home. This paper aims to map the journey of the CoLiving experience of digital nomads. The paper adopts a qualitative approach, combining content analysis of in-depth interviews with interpretation of the visual narratives of photos taken by 13 participants, who were recruited in Selina CoLive hotels. The study assessed: (RQ1) the most important information sources and communication channels that contribute to increase the awareness of CoLiving operators and destinations (awareness stage); (RQ2) the major motivators and trigger events that drive people to adopt a digital nomadism lifestyle (consideration stage); (RQ3) the selection criteria that underpin the decision to choose specific destinations and CoLiving spaces and the minimum requisites in terms of living, working and social needs (planning stage); (RQ4) the positive touchpoints that generate unique memorable emotions, which foster satisfaction and the negative ones that provoke dissatisfaction (experience stage); (RQ5) the sense of community and sense of place, resulting from the transformational experience of CoLiving are usually shared in social media, thereby generating electronic word-of-mouth (advocacy stage).
... The study results, as received post purchase opinion, depict the reality that international supplier performance does not depend on country's development level but on country's product country image. However, as this is a survey-based study, it is more likely to capture rational and verbally-expressed country associations than emotionally-held COO aspects (Boddy, 2005;Koll, Von Wallpach, & Kreuzer, 2010). The study also avoids the pitfalls of the majority of COO studies, which ask for perceived country image associations. ...
Extant COO studies have not yet investigated impact of multiple COO cues on supplier performance from the perspective of B2B buyers. Purchasing managers’ international procurement decisions are likely to be based on multiple country criteria. This study seeks to understand the relative impact of overall country image and product country image on international suppliers’ performance from B2B perspective. Data were collected using a web-based structured questionnaire. Conceptual model was developed with the constructs taken from the extant COO literature. Structural equation modeling was used as the data analysis technique. Statistical analysis found that overall country image is a valid second order construct. Study results show that overall country image influences product country image and higher product country image leads to higher international supplier performance. This study revealed that superior supplier image directly depends on product country image but indirectly depends on country’s development level.
... By telling stories where brands and products play central roles, storytelling is used to capture consumers' attention and interest, constituting a differentiating element, in highly competitive markets (Bassano et al., 2019;Montargot et al., 2021). Some studies confirm that storytelling significantly influences consumers' attitudes, opinions, perceptions, intentions, and satisfaction (Koll et al., 2010;Merchant et al., 2010). ...
As storytelling influences consumer attitudes and opinions, conditioning the tourist experience by appealing to the imagination, this paper reviews the literature covering the analysis of 66 papers that focus on the storytelling of the visitor/tourist as the main subject. The article is divided into four main themes: (a) storytelling as a tool to attract tourists; (b) the role of the storyteller; (c) the tourist as a storyteller; and (d) what makes a good story. The Hoshin Kanri Matrix was used to showcase each of the main themes. Although storytelling has been widely used to attract tourists, it is crucial that tourist-based storytelling can be a credible substitute for destination-based storytelling, as empathy, authenticity and the emotional attachment of tourists as storytellers play an important role as “good stories,” transforming and co-creating their experiences that emerge from the interaction of tourists, residents, and intermediaries.
... An upshot is that these approaches can capture the more elusive consumer associations conjured in thoughts unique to specific brands that may go untapped using quantitative methods. Extant research has identified two distinct approaches to assess brand association: the free association task (e.g., Koll et al., 2010) and a relatively more directed-associative task, specifically, a sensory cue-based task (e.g., Coulter and Zaltman, 2000). Free association technique is a bottom-up communication matching model to glean various associative ideas that consumers may form about the brand. ...
... Practically and managerially, this process also fosters stronger connections with fans and sponsors, contributing to sustained success in the sports industry. Furthermore, it yields multifaceted insights for brand management, which enable the evaluation of communication strategies, assessment of brand authenticity, understanding consumer associations, relevance to target audiences, prediction of impact on purchase intentions, crisis management, and support for long-term brand development (Koll et al., 2010). This comprehensive evaluation ensures athletes' actions genuinely align with consumer perceptions (Wear et al., 2018), fostering trust, loyalty, and a competitive edge in the market (Mahmoudian et al., 2021). ...
The paper presents a novel approach to assess athlete brand identity by introducing the concept of brand congruence, which measures the alignment between an athlete’s intended brand image and consumer perceptions. This study leveraged five case studies involving elite athletes and their brands, with the participation of n = 794 consumers through an online survey. The application of Confirmatory Factor Analysis not only validated the effectiveness of the scale in evaluating athlete brand identity from the consumer perspective but also demonstrated its value in bridging the gap between athlete and consumer opinions. The measurement of athlete brand congruence serves as a crucial tool for gauging the harmony between desired and perceived brand attributes, providing valuable insights into athlete brand performance and specific areas for enhancement. This research contributes to the ongoing exploration of athlete branding and its implications for athletes, marketers, and consumers alike, adding to the broader discourse on this pertinent and relevant topic within today’s sports industry landscape.
... By conveying brand knowledge (e.g., organizational culture and product stories) to stakeholders, brand storytelling plays a crucial role in persuading others and helping companies to change stakeholders' attitudes and behaviors (Koll et al., 2010). Although ChatGPT performs well in creative writing, we seek to understand how individuals perceive the stories generated by AI chatbots, which is crucial to the adoption and usage of this new technology in brand storytelling. ...
AI Chatbots, like ChatGPT, have attracted widespread attention for their powerful natural language processing capabilities. Artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots, such as Auto-GPT and ChatGPT, can help companies create brand stories and communicate with stakeholders to enhance corporate communication and brand equity. In this extended abstract, we discuss our plan to generate brand messages with varying language formality and investigate the effect of informed communicators (i.e., human and AI chatbots) and the language formality of brand stories on individuals' attitudes to the brand and examine the role of psychological distance. Our findings are expected to contribute to the theoretical fundamentals of using chatbots like ChatGPT in brand storytelling.
... Storytelling is used as a more effective marketing tool among the other message formats, since a story has the ability to enter into the thought processes of the consumers and bring a meaning to the daily activities (Twitchell, 2004). More importantly Koll et al. (2010) pointed out that even the other formats of messages may tap into semantic or episodic memory systems, storytelling has the capability to tap into a wide array of brand knowledge that is unconscious to the consumer from the procedural and episodic memory. ...
The field of marketing management is undergoing unprecedented changes and one such irreversible change is the adoption of digital marketing. However, the digital marketing has increased the clutter in the market place whereby the customers are exposed to large number of advertisements through digital media. Hence, customers are searching for individualized content in the advertisements targeting their exact expected needs. Accordingly, digital marketers have identified digital storytelling as an effective tool to cater for this newer trend. The storytelling has been a part of human culture for years, and it is also an influential and persistent means of communication (Alterio and McDrury, 2003). With the proliferation of social media, marketers have progressively moved towards disseminating the stories through digital media. Chan and Sage (2021) defined digital storytelling as a method of conveying a story to the target audience with the utilization of digitized texts, sounds, images and other interactive elements, and it is currently becoming a sought-after concept in the present business world. The increasing popularity of the digital story telling encouraged the entrepreneurs also to use it as a means of marketing communication. Moreover, the academic research conducted in the area of digital storytelling was enhanced due to its popularity and impact made on the success of marketing communication campaigns. However, there is a paucity of research in the area of uncovering the use of digital storytelling in the context of promoting sustainability business practices at entrepreneurial level. Empirically, there is no any research done in the Sri Lankan context with regard to digital storytelling from a marketing approach. Therefore, to fill these conceptual and empirical gaps this research is conducted with the purpose of uncovering how the digital storytelling is developed to communicate the sustainability practices to the market place with respect to a Sri Lankan entrepreneurial organization.
... The collage technique asks respondents to interpret and continue a series of cartoons in which brand-related products or usage contexts are presented. While storytelling Business Management Dynamics Vol.11, No.07, June 2022, pp.58-82 ©Society for Business and Management Dynamics and collages rely mostly on verbal expression, expressive, art-based techniques rely on helping consumers express unconscious brand-related emotions and attributes in a symbolic, artistic, nonverbal manner (Baumgarth & Yildiz, 2016;Koll et al. 2010). Such expressive techniques are Lego Serious Play, Multi-sensory Sculpting, Psychodrawing or the Brand Visual Elicitation Platform (Baumgarth & Yildiz, 2016;Dzyabura & Peres, 2020). ...
Managers are currently struggling to evaluate brand equity in a holistic manner. As brand equity is based not only on the customer mindset, but also on the market and financial performance of the brand, it should be evaluated from both perspectives. In order to assess brand health and to monetize the advantages generated by brand equity, it is necessary to analyze the brand value chain, the series of processes through which the brand generates value. Starting from Keller's (2013) classification of brand equity measurement methods (BEMMs), this article analyzes modern BEMMs from the triple perspective of the brand value chain: the customer mindset, brand market performance and holistic brand value. For each method, we explain its mechanism, advantages and disadvantages, implementation, as well as its usefulness and various applications in contemporary contexts, by means of a recent literature review. We synthesize this comprehensive classification of BEMMs in a convenient managerial summary. Next, we emphasize and exemplify the complementarity of various BEMMs in assessing brand health. The managerial suggestions underline the importance of selecting an optimal combination of BEMMs, in accordance to the particular research context and objectives, by considering the general advantages and limits of each category of BEMMs and of each method in particular.
... Thus, to thoroughly understand a brand, analysis that considers different stakeholder perspectives is required (Berens and Van Riel, 2004;Berthon et al., 2009;Schneper and Guillén, 2004). This allows brand managers to evaluate overlaps and differences between diverse stakeholders' brand associations and their fit with intended associations to optimally align strategic branding processes with multiple target audiences (Koll et al., 2010;Wilson et al., 2014). ...
Purpose
Brands are relevant to multiple stakeholders and, as such, can have multiple meanings. Drawing on branding and stakeholder marketing theory, the purpose of this study was to provide in-depth insights into knowledge dynamics related to the so-called family business brand across different stakeholder perspectives.
Design/methodology/approach
This study combines advanced brand concept mapping (BCM) with a scenario technique to graphically capture consumers’ and jobseekers’ brand knowledge related to the family business concept in the form of association networks.
Findings
Findings show both a shared core meaning (e.g. associations such as “tradition” or “owner-managed”) and stakeholder-specific associations (e.g. consumer perspective: “high product quality,” “handmade”; jobseeker perspective: “appreciation within the company,” “outdated”). Significantly, the results reveal detailed insights into cross-stakeholder knowledge dynamics regarding the associations’ interconnections, strength and favorability.
Originality/value
By combining BCM with a scenario technique, this study adopts an approach that is aimed at better understanding and comparing brand knowledge with respect to the family business brand across multiple stakeholder perspectives. Given the prevalence of family businesses, this research enhances the theoretical and practical understanding of a branding resource that is often available but rarely exploited.
... People think in a narrative mode (Kühn and Boshoff 2021;Woodside et al. 2008) and memory is story based. Consequently, consumers may retain considerable brands' associations episodically on a storyform basis (Koll et al. 2010;McDougal et al. 2021). ...
The main purpose of this research is to explore the strategic role of storytelling as a facilitator of the consumer–brand relationship experience through the creation of cognitive, emotional, and behavioural responses. The hypotheses are tested with a dataset of survey data from 323 Portuguese consumers using partial least squares structural equation modelling. Based on social identity theory, the findings show that storytelling improves consumers’ cognitive responses through consumer–brand identification and stimulates consumers’ emotional responses through brand affective involvement. Moreover, storytelling stimulates behavioural responses through purchase intention, via the mediating role of consumers’ cognitive and emotional responses. The results also show that storytelling generates stronger emotional than cognitive responses, but cognitive responses have stronger effects on behavioural responses. This research contributes to the literature on the strategic role of storytelling in brand management by demonstrating that storytelling is an effective way of improving the consumer–brand relationship experience.
... The application and effects of storytelling have been acknowledged in marketing, where stories about products and/or services have been used to generate brand awareness (e.g. Koll et al., 2010) and influence consumer buying behavior (Solja et al., 2018). Stories have the power to affect consumer's attitudes and behavior through the process of narrative transportation (van Laer et al., 2014). ...
Concerns have been raised that destination branding often overlooks the destination's internal stakeholders, and in some cases, has resulted in a brand identity that does not reflect the meanings and emotions that residents attach to places. Consequently, scholars have advocated for a more participatory approach to destination branding in which residents’ sense of place can be acknowledged, represented, and operationalized. This paper synthesizes these arguments and demonstrates that such an approach can be achieved by embracing residents’ place stories. Through storytelling, residents construe different facets of the place identity that is the foundation of destination brand identity. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the role, constituents, and effects of storytelling in destination branding, particularly exploring whose stories should be told and how these stories should be conveyed. In doing so, a participatory approach to destination branding is presented that employs residents’ place stories as a genuine form of participation in the destination branding process. Lastly, an agenda for future research is proposed, and practical implications for destination marketing practice are discussed.
... Existing literature has shown that associations that consumers may hold about their beloved brands can be retrieved by other methods, such as picture-based retrieval and storytelling (e.g. Koll et al., 2010;Woodside, 2006). These techniques are particularly pertinent when the key research objective is to identify the core elements of a brand. ...
Research question
This research examines consumer perceptions about the official merchandise of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a leader in global sports entertainment. The goals of the study were to extend the Meanings of Sport Licensed Products (MSLP) scale (Papadimitriou & Apostolopoulou, 2018 Papadimitriou, D., & Apostolopoulou, A. (2018). Capturing the meanings of sport licensed products. Journal of Marketing Communications, 24(5), 433–449. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2015.1065900[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) to the sport entertainment domain and test the reliability and validity of the adapted scale and to propose a segmentation scheme of WWE consumers based on the meanings they attribute to the WWE products they own.
Research methods
The sample included United States-based shoppers of the online WWE store. A total of 1211 surveys were collected through an online questionnaire that captured information about consumers’ demographic profile and WWE identification levels, the official WWE merchandise they owned and post-purchase satisfaction, product meanings attributed to WWE items, and behavioral intentions. Data analysis included Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis as well as regression analysis.
Results and findings
The result of this research is the Meanings of Sport Entertainment Licensed Products (MSeLP) scale, a 21-item reliable and valid instrument comprised of four dimensions of product meaning: identification and connectedness, experience, esthetics and personal history. This study further explores relationships between product meanings and four outcome variables (identification with WWE, number of items owned, word-of-mouth and future buying behavior) and proposes three distinct clusters of sport entertainment consumers based on the meanings they attribute to their possessions (‘rationals,’ ‘vested’ and ‘enthusiastic’).
Implications
Those involved in the development, positioning and sale of licensed products in the sport entertainment domain would benefit from an understanding of the meanings that consumers attach to their possessions, especially meanings related to identity construction.
... This study used an explorative, qualitative approach in which the context of human behaviour within a complex system could be understood in greater detail (Bansal, Smith, & Vaara, 2018;Creamer, 2018;Koll, Von Wallpach, & Kreuzer, 2010). ...
Purpose: Innovation implies change that causes disruption. Ambidexterity is required to balance disruption and change with the counter side, stability, to enhance efficiency. This study set out to understand how the leadership of an organisation can ensure a focus simultaneously an explore logic, required for innovation, and the exploit functions that are needed for efficiency.
Design/methodology/approach: This research sought to shed new light on how leaders manage the structural changes required within an organisation to support ambidexterity. It fits into the inductive research approach. A qualitative, exploratory study through semi-structured interviews was completed to enhance the understanding of this understudied phenomenon.
Findings/results: The research builds on the current understanding of ambidexterity, different operating models, integration mechanisms and possible organisational structure to enable simultaneously explore and exploit. Respondents were able to suggest how organisations can utilise the ambidexterity continuum as a vehicle to understand the current organisational change logic and required future strategy.
Practical implications: Based on the research findings, a model was conceptualised, which included the leadership capabilities required to deal with both existing core business and new venture processes and structures, as well as the integration of these disparate elements.
Originality/value: The literature is not clear as to how leaders engender the changes required within the structure of organisations to enable ambidexterity. The research provides a framework that describes how organisations can balance the explore and exploit functions concurrently, as well as leadership capabilities required to achieve this.
... ZMET-inspired research into (service) brand associations was also conducted by O' Cass and Debra (2002), who employed a two-stage exploratory/confirmatory research, featuring phenomenological interviews with view to gauging how consumers defined brand image dimensions. Furthermore, qualitative free association, storytelling and collage techniques were used by Koll et al. (2010), while assessing their differential value in the creation of brand knowledge structures and the elicitation of both verbal and visual brand-related associations. Roedder-John et al. (2006) propounded a brand-concept mapping approach for managing brand associations with managerial orientation that did not require knowledge of advanced statistical analysis, as a simpler alternative to Zaltman's (1997) ZMET technique, and a more representative portrayal of interconnections among brand associations than multidimensional scaling (MDS; see Bigno et al., 2002 for a combined application of MDS and cluster analysis in mapping brand associations). ...
This paper furnishes a structuralist rhetorical semiotic conceptual framework for brand equity planning. The main source of brand equity that is employed for exemplification purposes is the advertising filmic text. The conceptual framework assumes as its general blueprint Greimas’s generativist model of the trajectory of signification. Structuralist operations and operations of rhetorical transformation are posited as the basis for the generation of superior brand associations. The conceptual model put forward challenges the Greimasian assumption that a depth semantic structure is reducible to a binarist rationale, while adopting a connectionist approach in the form of associative networks. At the same time, the proposed framework deviates from the application of conceptual graphs in textual semiotics, while portraying in the form of associative networks how the three strata of a brand’s trajectory of signification interact with view to generating brand associations.
... A brand story refers to either a stakeholder-or firm-originated story. Many studies have examined the effectiveness of brand-associated stories told by consumers and narrative advertising in marketing communications (Koll et al. 2010;Brechman and Purvis 2015;Woodside and Megehee 2009). In this study, a brand story points to an account of events that sparked a brand's initiation, thus encompassing conceptual expressions regarding its mission or value proposition (Ryu 2017). ...
This study aims to empirically investigate the influence of a green brand story strategy on perceived brand authenticity (PBA) and brand trust. The theory of narrative rhetoric is adopted to examine the effect of three rhetorical strategies—anthropomorphism, reversal, and symbolism—on narrative immersion and its effect on PBA. The impact of PBA on brand trust is also examined. The study proposes a research model and conducts two independent online experiments with the aid of a survey research company to observe participant response to stories written with or without the rhetorical strategies. Data collected via the post-experimental survey are used to test the proposed model. Results show that the green brand story with narrative rhetoric positively affects immersion, which in turn enhances PBA, and brand trust is also positively affected. In particular, reversal and symbolism positively impact immersion, but no significant effect is identified between anthropomorphism and immersion. This study provides a new perspective from which the relationships among brand storytelling, PBA, and brand trust may be explored.
... The brand custodian (and the visual communication designer), need to have a complete comprehension of the total brand meaning, as internalized by the consumer. This sense-making is important for very precise brand positioning and more effective brand management, more so because consumers are not very good at in articulating their opinions about the brand and the brand experience (Ariely and Berns, 2010;Koll, Von Wallpach and Kreuzer, 2010). The consumer's mental understanding of the brand will remain uncaptured unless it can be unraveled by the brand manager. ...
Consumers experience retail environments through the encounters they have. Out of these, the oft-repeated ones become part of the way they experience the world, which lay down and solidify neural connections and firing patterns leading to sight, hearing, feeling, and doing. This ‘doing' shapes consumer experiences. The foundation for such experiences is the fact that human brains are geared towards recognizing patterns and interruptions in patterns. To their benefit, retailers use information about the brain identifying patterns of experience and anomalies in those patterns. This knowledge makes sales promotions so fundamental for engaging buyers. Their visit to their favorite store is interrupted by a sudden discount or an alluring offer, which retailers are forever carrying out to seduce buyers. This chapter explores the neuroscience theories that equip the retailers to send out signals to entice buyers and covers applications of such theories in real retail encounters, including the role of dopamine and the brain, impulse buying, and the thrill of hunting deals.
... Stories can be constructed through narratives (Koll et al., 2010). The narratives can generally be referred to as 'to tell a story' (Carmo & Claudio, 2013). ...
This article intends to evaluate a theoretical model incorporating the constructs; story marketing, a region of origin (ROO) and attitude as antecedents of consumers’ purchase intentions for Indian handloom products. It also examines the mediating effect of the perceived value of the product on consumers’ attitude and purchase intentions. This study follows descriptive-single cross-sectional research design. A sample of 400 handloom consumers located in Ahmedabad was selected based on their affinity towards handloom products. Structural equation modelling was used for the data analysis. The findings indicate that story marketing and ROO of products significantly influence consumers’ attitude and purchase intentions with the mediating effect of the perceived value of Indian handloom products. This study provides an important contribution in terms of empirical evidence that story marketing and ROO are important antecedents to form consumers’ purchase intentions for the Indian handloom products in general. In addition to that, it also provides insights to marketers to formulate message framing strategies and positioning strategies for Indian handloom products as well as cultural products in general.
Purpose
The extensive brand associations research lacks organisation when it comes to the used information cues. This paper aims to systematically map and categorise the brand knowledge associations’ components and develop a typology applicable to any brand.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the restaurant and hotel industries in four different European cultural clusters as contexts, this work uses well-established systematic qualitative analysis approaches to categorise, code and model pictorial content in two studies. A four-stage sampling process identified Instagram brand-posted signals (photos), 243 from 26 restaurants in Madrid, Paris and Rome for study one and 390 from 29 hotels in Moscow, Berlin and Stockholm for study two. Adhering to relevant guidelines, the manual coding procedures progressed from 246 for restaurants and 231 for hotels initially generated free information coding inductive codes to a theory-informed categorisation. Quantitative analysis complemented the qualitative analysis, revealing the information cues relative utilisation.
Findings
For both studies, the analysis produced a typology consisting of two high-level and five lower-level brand knowledge association categories, namely: (a) brand characteristics consisting of the brand as a symbol, the brand as a product and the brand as a person, and (b) brand imagery consisting of user imagery and experience imagery. The five lower-level categories comprise of sub-categories and dimensions, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the brand associations conceptual structure relevant to brands operating in any industry.
Research limitations/implications
Researchers can use this typology to holistically encapsulate brand associations or design projects aiming to deepen brand knowledge association aspects/dimensions understanding.
Practical implications
Managers can use this typology to portray brands. Some of the identified lower-level categories and/or sub-categories and dimensions are likely to need customisation to fit specific contexts.
Originality/value
The suggested categorisation offers a solid, comprehensive framework for effectively categorising and coding brand knowledge associations and proposes a new theory in the form of a typology.
Purpose
Global brands have become increasingly vulnerable to external disruptions that have negative spillover effects on consumers, business and brands. This research area has recently garnered interest post-pandemic yet remains fragmented. The purpose of this paper is to recognize the most impactful exogenous brand crisis (EBC) and its affective and behavioural impact on consumers.
Design/methodology/approach
In Study 1, we applied repertory grid technique (RGT), photo elicitation method and ANOVA comparisons, to identify the most significant EBC, in terms of repercussions on consumer purchases. In Study 2, we performed collage construction and content analysis to ascertain the impact of the identified significant crisis (from Study 1) on consumer behaviour in terms of affective and behavioural changes.
Findings
Study 1 results reveal Spread-of-diseases and Natural disaster to be the most impactful EBC based on consumer’s purchase decisions. Study 2 findings uncover three distinct themes, namely, deviant demand, emotional upheaval and community bonding that throws light on the affective and behavioural changes in consumer behaviour during the two significant EBC events.
Research limitations/implications
The collated results of the two studies draw insights towards understanding the largely unexplored conceptualisation of EBC from a multi-level (micro-meso-macro) perspective. The integrated framework drawn, highlight the roles and influences of different players in exogenous brand crisis management and suggests future research agendas based on theoretical underpinnings.
Originality/value
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study which identifies the most important EBC and explicates its profound impact on consumer purchase behaviour, providing critical insights to brand managers and practitioners to take an inclusive approach towards exogenous crises.
Most local governments and utilities responsible for infrastructure provision and maintenance in Zimbabwe have huge infrastructure backlogs. This is in terms of both programmed maintenance and upgrades to cater for population growth and urban expansion. This is happening within a context of documented rapid urbanisation and population growth. Water is in short supply, roads are poorly maintained, waste is irregularly collected, and electricity services are erratic. Residents are tired of complaining in vain and are devising their own strategies to cope with poor infrastructure due to lack of or poor service delivery. Previous research has focussed on the extent of service delivery and infrastructure collapse. Using interviews, storytelling and field observations, this research sought to examine the strategies that people have devised to survive infrastructure failure resulting in poor service delivery by the authorities. It answers the questions: What are people doing when they are not supplied with water or electricity? What do they do when their roads are full of potholes and the authorities are not responding? What do they do when waste is not collected? How sustainable are the people’s coping mechanisms in the different infrastructure areas? How does this affect Harare’s capacity to meet the expectations of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the New Urban Agenda (NUA)? The chapter argues that while such people-centred mechanisms have had some positive outcomes, they will also have far-reaching impacts on governance and the exercise of power by authorities.
Storytelling is a style of communication that employs a variety of elements in the form of a story or narrative. Compared to logical arguments, statistical data, and facts, storytelling is more credible. Wardah is one of the companies that has utilized marketing through visual storytelling in its advertising. In order to strengthen branding by connecting the company through values and emotions, this study aims to determine how Wardah cosmetic consumers perceive the visual aspects of storytelling marketing. In order to explore and examine the data, this study used a phenomenological design. According to the study's findings, all of the participants who used Wardah cosmetic products were able to comprehend the visual aspects of storytelling marketing, including design, personalization, usefulness, personality, storytelling, shareworthiness, real-time, and amplification. The findings also demonstrated that the ideals expressed in the visual content of the Wardah cosmetic advertising create an emotional bond among all study participants. The study's findings also revealed that every participant acknowledged that the visuals in the advertising gave the idea that Wardah was a halal cosmetic, which might have a favorable effect on the company's reputation.
The use of storytelling is becoming increasingly widespread in the event and tourism industry. However, despite the growing popularity of the storytelling strategy, to date, limited research has examined how festival organizers effectively utilize this strategy. Consequently, this research aims (a) to examine whether storytelling influences visitors’ engagement and behavioral intention, (b) to investigate how such impacts differ according to when visitors hear the story (i.e., temporal distance), and (c) to explore whether gender moderates the impact of the storytelling format. Study 1 indicates that storytelling positively influences visitors’ engagement. The results also reveal that visitors show a significantly higher level of behavioral intention when they heard the festival story more than three months before the festival. Study 2 finds that women have higher engagement and intention to visit when storytelling is delivered in video rather than image format, while men exhibit no such difference in engagement and intention to visit.
Purpose
Storytelling has long been a popular strategy in marketing. Despite its ubiquity, the influence of storytelling in the sport marketing literature has not been investigated, especially on consumers' perspective. Thus, the purpose of this study is to (a) examine the effect of storytelling on sport consumers, and (b) explore the moderation effect of product involvement on the relationship between storytelling and purchase intention of a signature sneaker.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments using 3 (storytelling: bullet-point type vs. athlete-based story vs. product-based story) × 2 (product involvement: low vs. high) between-subjects experimental design were conducted.
Findings
The main finding illustrates that both the athlete-based story and the product-based story had a stronger influence on a consumer's purchase intention than the information that was given in a bullet-point condition. This study provides a theoretical implication of storytelling strategy for sport marketing literature. From a managerial perspective, the authors heavily recommend the use of storytelling in sport product advertisements.
Originality/value
Previous literature has highlighted the effect of storytelling in sports organization such as professional sports team or utilization in social media. However, limited studies could be found in the sports product industry and consumer behavior sector. Thus, the current study has a significant value of understanding the storytelling strategy in the perspective of sports consumers as well as brand marketers.
Semakin canggihnya tekhnologi yang ada, semakin menunjang kemudahan pada teknologi informasi dan komunikasi yang ada. Agar semakin mudah dalam menarik konsumen dan untuk mengembangkan jangkauan pasar sebuah usaha, strategi pemasaran memiliki peranan yang sangat besar dalam memanfaatkan tekhnologi. Ketika konsumen akan melakukan pembelian mereka cenderung akan bergantung pada akses konten komunitas merek dalam membuat keputusan membeli. Dengan adanya online brand communities (OBC) sangat memudahkan konsumen untuk mengetahui produk yang cocok untuk dirinya dengan melihat review dan spesifikasi produk dari anggota komunitas yang sudah pernah melakukan pembelian produk sebelumnya. Sehingga, konten dan review dalam OBC harus membuat konsumen yang membaca tertarik untuk membeli. Efek identitas sosial anggota OBC terhadap komitmen anggota terhadap merek, mengarah ke kata-kata positif dari word of mouth (WOM) dan penolakan mereka terhadap informasi negatif tentang merek tersebut. Oleh karena itu penting untuk memahami identitas sosial keanggotaan dalam OBC.
Recently, when analyzing the performance of trading companies, various multi-criteria decision-making
methods are increasingly used individually or integrated. In this way, because several criteria are used integrally at the
same time, it is better to get a realistic idea of the achieved performance compared to classical methods. Based on that,
this paper analyzes the performance of trading companies in Serbia based on the DIBR and WASPAS methods. The
results of the WASPAS method show that DELHAIZE SERBIA DOO BELGRADE is in first place. Next: LIDL
SERBIA KD NOVA PAZOVA, MERCATOR-S DOO NOVI SAD, NELT CO. DOO BELGRADE, MOL SERBIA
DOO BELGRADE, PHOENIX PHARMA DOO BELGRADE, MERCATA VT DOO NOVI SAD, OMV SERBIA
DOO BELGRADE, LUKOIL SERBIA DOO BELGRADE and KNEZ PETROL DOO ZEMUN. Foreign retail chains
are better positioned than domestic ones. They apply new business methods (multichannel sales - store and electronic,
private label, sale of organic products, etc.) and the degree of digitization of the entire business is greater. Overall, under
the positive influence of numerous macro and micro factors (favorable economic climate, efficient management of
human resources, assets, capital, sales and profit, digitization of the entire business, etc.), the performance of trading
companies in Serbia has improved.
Keywords : performance, efficiency, factors, DIBR and WASPAS method, Serbian trade
Purpose
Supporting distant teams is a frequent phenomenon. Through the lens of the social identity theory, this research aims to examine differences between local and distant fans regarding drivers of team identification.
Design/methodology/approach
A multigroup structural equation model was employed. The data were collected through an online survey with 1,285 sports fans.
Findings
Team distinctiveness constitutes an important aspect fueling identification for all fans, whereas congruence between own and team personality is important for local and displaced fans only. Team prestige does not impact identification for either group.
Practical implications
To build up a base of highly identified supporters, clubs should emphasize those aspects of team brands that fans consider distinctive. When targeting local fans, clubs should also focus on communicating the brand's unique personality aspects.
Originality/value
This is the first study that assesses the potential differences behind fans' social identification with local and distant teams.
Brand loyalty sets a bridge between bank clients and banking brands. Brand loyalty is a strategy that is always used in marketing related fields by marketers. As it is to measure customers' purchasing behavior as well as good for the bank to gain new customers. Brand loyalty happens must through a process, which is consist of that the bank introduces financial product to clients, then clients aware of it and know it; select it and lastly goes to the loyalty of the brands or services。This research explores the effect of brand image of the bank, E-banking service, payroll service, credit card benefits, societal value, switching cost, financial products that influence on client's brand loyalty toward the largest Chinese banks. Hence, Chinese banks have to achieve a great revenue by maintaining relationships and building brand loyalty with clients. By maintaining brand loyalty, the bank company will gain a positive brand image while gaining competitiveness in the saturated Chinese financial market. However, the research is to survey the Chinese people who have the experiences with the largest three banks in Chengdu of China. 450 Chinese Chengdu people. 9 (N=450) will be targeted as a sample group in order to study the independent (the band image of the bank, E-banking service, payroll service, credit card benefits, societal value, switching cost, financial products) and dependent variables (Brand loyalty).
La distance psychologique est omniprésente dans l’esprit du consommateur et influence ses attitudes et son comportement envers les produits hédoniques. Cependant, des contradictions sont présentes dans la littérature quant à la direction (positive ou négative) des effets de la distance psychologique sur les réponses du consommateur envers les produits hédoniques. En effet, certaines recherches avancent que l’augmentation de la distance psychologique influence positivement les réponses du consommateur envers les produits hédoniques. Alors que d’autres suggèrent l’effet inverse, à savoir une influence négative de l’augmentation de la distance psychologique sur les réponses du consommateur envers les produits hédoniques. L’objectif de cette recherche est de réconcilier ces contradictions en examinant sous quelles conditions la distance peut avoir un effet positif ou négatif. Sur la base d’un état de l’art de la littérature et d’une étude qualitative, nous proposons que le degré de proéminence du besoin de justification (non saillant vs saillant) du consommateur au moment où il évalue le produit hédonique modère ses effets et constitue une condition sous laquelle la distance psychologique peut avoir un effet positif ou négatif sur les réponses du consommateur envers les produits hédoniques. Trois expérimentations ont été conduites pour le test de nos hypothèses. Les deux premières suggèrent qu’en condition de besoin de justification non saillant, l’augmentation de la distance psychologique a une influence négative sur les réponses attitudinales et comportementales du consommateur envers les produits hédoniques. La troisième expérimentation, quant à elle, propose qu’en condition de besoin de justification saillant, l’augmentation de la distance psychologique a un effet positif sur la réponse comportementale du consommateur envers le produit hédonique. Cette recherche contribue à la littérature sur le concept de distance psychologique en précisant sous quelles conditions (c.-à-d. besoin de justification saillant vs non saillant) la distance peut avoir un effet positif ou négatif sur les réponses des consommateurs envers les produits hédoniques.
The worsening environmental problems demand a shift from the prevailing Dominant Social Paradigm to the New Ecological Paradigm. Yet, little is known on the conditions necessary for societal adoption of conservation behaviour. This qualitative study explores the social-psychological aspects and processes cultivating ecological identity and worldviews by uncovering the activities, interpretation of experiences that capture mental thoughts, emotions and symbolic meanings within the richness of lived experiences. The findings theorise the process of ecological identity building and offers in-depth insights into the motivations and stages of ecological identities and worldviews that support pro-environmental behaviour. The insights extend the identity theory to illustrate the process of nature identity development to include the stages of identity activation, creation and synthesis; reveal Asian values and beliefs that consumers use to rationalise their consumption behaviour; and provide implications for macromarketing, education and sustainability initiatives, and policy making.
Understanding consumers’ associations with brands is at the core of brand management. This is challenging since consumers can associate a brand with any number of objects, emotions, activities, sceneries, and concepts. This paper presents an elicitation platform, analysis methodology and results on consumer associations of US national brands. Our elicitation is direct, unaided, scalable, quantitative, and uses the power of visuals to depict a detailed representation of respondents’ relationships with a brand.
The proposed platform, Brand Visual Elicitation Platform (B-VEP), allows firms to collect online brand collages created by respondents and analyze them quantitatively to elicit brand associations. The authors use the platform to collect 4,743 collages for 303 large US brands from 1,851 respondents. Using unsupervised machine-learning and image-processing approaches, they analyze the collages and obtain a detailed set of associations for each brand, including objects (animals, food, people), constructs (abstract-art, horror, delicious, famous, fantasy), occupations (musician, bodybuilding, baking), nature (beach, misty, snowscape, wildlife), and institutions (corporate, army, school).
The authors demonstrate applications for brand management: obtaining prototypical brand visuals; relating associations to brand personality and equity; identifying favorable associations per category; exploring brand uniqueness through differentiating associations; and identifying commonalities between brands across categories for potential collaborations.
This research assesses and explores the dimensionality of tourist experiences based on their visits to cultural and creative industries parks (CCIPs). This study used in-depth interviews involving the free association method along with content analysis to generate initial measurement items. Next, expert opinions were solicited and exploratory factor analysis was conducted to explore the underlying structure of tourist experiences. Confirmatory factor analysis was then performed to further validate the proposed measurement scale. The scale includes seven dimensions (learning, recreation, exhibitions, service, food, facilities, and souvenirs) covering 27 items. In addition to presenting a unique perspective on tourists' experiences, this study offers a timely framework as CCIPs become emerging travel destinations. A tourist experience scale related to CCIPs is a welcome addition to the literature and can serve as a foundation for future research into tourists’ behavioral intentions. Furthermore, findings are expected to shed light on potential topics and to serve as a reference in the destination planning process.
This study proposes that storytelling by medical tourism agents can be classified according to story and telling. Authenticity and educability are the key story attributes, while enjoyability, descriptiveness, and emotionality are the key telling attributes. A survey of 514 international tourists who visited South Korea mainly for medical purposes statistically validated these attributes and explored their impact on the trust and behavioral intention of medical tourists. The results show that the attributes of the story had less effect than the attributes of telling on increasing trust in medical tourists, and the degree of trust in turn positively predicted behavioral intention.
This paper offers a brand storytelling or narratological account of the Covid-19 pandemic's emergence phase. By adopting a fictional ontological standpoint, the virus' deploying media-storyworld is identified with a process of narrative spacing. Subsequently, the brand's personality is analyzed as a narrative place brand. The advanced narrative model aims to outline the main episodes that make up the virus' brand personality as process and structural components (actors, settings, actions, and relationships). A series of deep or ontological metaphors are identified as the core DNA of this place brand by applying metaphorical modeling to the tropic articulation of Covid-19's narrative. The virus is fundamentally identified with terror as a menacing force that wipes out existing regimes of signification due to its uncertain motives, origins, and operational mode. In this context, familiar urban spaces, cultural practices, and intersubjective communications are redefined, repurposed, and reprogrammed. This process is called terrorealization, as the desertification and metaphorical sublation of all prior territorial significations. This study contributes to the narrative sub-stream of place branding by approaching a globally relevant socio-cultural phenomenon from a brand storytelling perspective.
Hospitality has been identified as one of the vital enhancing services of tourism organizations. However, insights about how tourists perceive the hospitality of touristic service providers and how these perceptions vary between guests of different origins are still scarce. Using the case of Switzerland, we conducted a survey of 600 tourists to investigate the different perceptions of hospitality by domestic and international guests in touristic service encounters. The results confirm the idea that domestic tourists are more demanding and less satisfied with the hospitality of touristic service providers than international guests. The regression analyses further indicate that tourists’ gender and age influence their hospitality perceptions. Importance–performance analyses on single dimensions of the hospitality concept suggest that touristic service providers’ professional expertise is a key area in which to improve the hospitality perceptions of both domestic and international tourists.
Service firms have turned their attention to the design and development of multisensory brand experiences to positively influence customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. However, the role of brand usage and the application of effective sensory evaluation techniques have been overlooked when designing multisensory brand experiences. The current research addresses this gap by conducting sixteen interviews employing the multi-sensory sculpting (MSS) technique with heavy and light customers (classified based on the extent of brand usage) of a restaurant. The results show that it is important to consider how heavy and light users receive, select and ascribe meaning to sensory experiences to design effective multisensory brand strategies. Moreover, the MSS technique is recommended as an effective means to understand consumers’ perceptions of multisensory brand experiences.
Advances in information technology are making it possible to deliver multisensory stimuli over the Internet, giving rise to what we call second-generation electronic commerce, and to Web-based exchanges that approach in-store episodes and greatly exceed existing mass-market media in experiential richness. Delivery of multisensory stimuli is not enough, however, to fully activate, generate, and manage the embodied knowledge that is critical to consumer thinking about many types of products and services. Embodied knowledge refers to information elements that are generated and maintained outside the brain cavity and that are incorporated into consumer assessments of products and services. The view that consumers integrate embodied and conceptual knowledge into mental simulations of products and services is used as a foundation for a more general exposition of embodied knowledge and cognition. Three elements of embodied knowledge-body mapping and monitoring systems, proprioceptive knowledge, and body boundaries-are discussed, including their implications for e-commerce theory and practice and for marketing research in general. The methodological challenges of better understanding and managing embodied knowledge are also discussed.
Projektiewe tegnieke behels 'n dubbelsinnige stimulus waarvolgens die subjek sy/haar persoonlikheid, houdings, opinies en selfkonsep -as integrale deel van die self -in 'n situasie projekteer ten einde struktuur of betekenis daaraan te gee. Projektiewe tegnieke word in kwalitatiewe verbruikersgedrag-en bemarkingstudies gebruik om subjekte se onbewuste of "verskuilde" gevoelens, houdings en motiewe bloot te lê en om stereotipiese en sydige responspatrone uit te skakel. Projektiewe tegnieke word in kwalitatiewe verbruikersgedragnavorsing gebruik en aan die hand van die ontwerp en struktuur, verskillende tipes en die analise en interpretasie van data ontgin deur die gebruik van projektiewe tegnieke beskryf. Geldigheids-en betroubaarheidsoorwegings asook die nadele en voordele van projektiewe tegnieke word bespreek. Gevallestudies word beskryf om te toon hoe projektiewe tegnieke met ander kwalitatiewe data-insamelingsmetodes (diepteonderhoude en fokusgroeponderhoude) gekombineer kan word om meer insig oor die hoe, waarom en wat van verbruikers se gedrag te bekom.
The issue of brand equity has emerged as one of the most critical areas for marketing management in the 1990s. Despite strong interest in the subject, however, there is little empirical evidence of how brand value is created and what its precise effects are. This study explores some of the consequences of brand equity. In particular, the authors examine the effect of brand equity on consumer preferences and purchase intentions. For comparative purposes, two sets of brands are tested, one from a service category characterized by fairly high financial and functional risk (hotels), and one from a generally lower risk product category (household cleansers). Each set includes two brands that are objectively similar (based on Consumer Reports ratings), but they have invested markedly different levels of advertising spending over the past decade. Across both categories, the brand with the higher advertising budget yielded substantially higher levels of brand equity. In turn, the brand with the higher equity in each category generated significantly greater preferences and purchase intentions.
This article presents a new approach to the analysis of free-response data matrices using reduced-space and clustering procedures. Two marketing applications are presented; limitations and possible methodological and substantive extensions of the approach are highlighted.
This book contributes to the idea that to have an understanding of the mind, consciousness, or cognition, a detailed scientific and phenomenological understanding of the body is essential. There is still a need to develop a common vocabulary that is capable of integrating discussions of brain mechanisms in neuroscience, behavioral expressions in psychology, design concerns in artificial intelligence and robotics, and debates about embodied experience in the phenomenology and philosophy of mind. This book helps to formulate this common vocabulary by developing a conceptual framework that avoids both the overly reductionistic approaches that explain everything in terms of bottom-up neuronal mechanisms, and the inflationistic approaches that explain everything in terms of Cartesian, top-down cognitive states. Through discussions of neonate imitation, the Molyneux problem, gesture, self-awareness, free will, social cognition and intersubjectivity, as well as pathologies such as deafferentation, unilateral neglect, phantom limb, autism and schizophrenia, the book proposes to remap the conceptual landscape by revitalizing the concepts of body image and body schema, proprioception, ecological experience, intermodal perception, and enactive concepts of ownership and agency for action. Informed by both philosophical theory and scientific evidence, it addresses two basic sets of questions that concern the structure of embodied experience. First, questions about the phenomenal aspects of that structure, specifically the relatively regular and constant phenomenal features found in the content of experience. Second, questions about aspects of the structure of consciousness that are more hidden, those that may be more difficult to get at because they happen before one knows it, and do not normally enter into the phenomenal content of experience in an explicit way.
People's efforts to understand their experiences often take the form of constructing narratives (stories) out of them, and this article offers framework for the motivations that may guide the construction of stories. Evidence about the nature, importance, and pervasiveness of narrative thinking is reviewed. Next, motivations are considered that may guide narrative thought, both in terms of interpersonal manipulation and in terms of wanting to make sense of experiences. Regarding the latter, four needs for meaning are proposed as guiding narrative thought. First, people interpret experiences relative to purposes, which may be either objective goals or subjective fulfillment states. Second, people seek value and justification by constructing stories that depict their actions and intentions as right and good. Third, people seek a sense of efficacy by making stories that contain information about how to exert control. Fourth, people seek a sense of self-worth by making stories that portray themselves as attractive and competent. Within this framework, narratives are effective means of making sense of experiences.
This study explores the relationships between selected marketing mix elements and the creation of brand equity. The authors
propose a conceptual framework in which marketing elements are related to the dimensions of brand equity, that is, perceived
quality, brand loyalty, and brand associations combined with brand awareness. These dimensions are then related to brand equity.
The empirical tests using a structural equation model support the research hypotheses. The results show that frequent price
promotions, such as price deals, are related to low brand equity, whereas high advertising spending, high price, good store
image, and high distribution intensity are related to high brand equity.
This article provides a new definition for case study research. Achieving deep understanding of processes and other concept variables (e.g. actors’ perceptions of their own thinking processes, intentions and contextual influences) is identified as the principal objective of case study research. Using multiple methods to “triangulate” (i.e. confirm and deepen understanding by using multiple sources all focusing on the same process/event) within the same case is described. The article outlines the core criticisms made by case study researchers of large sample surveys. A need exists for a paradigm shift in research on organizational behavior (including modeling the antecedents of new product performance). The article outlines the telling weaknesses of case study research as seen by other researchers. The article examines Senge’s core propositions related to the “mental models” of decision participants. Details illustrate the use of specific research methods for case studies to achieve different research objectives and the combination of objectives. Finally, the article illustrates basic concept variables in a case study and 12 propositions are reviewed briefly. This report reviews classic and recent contributions in the literature on case study research.
This paper studies the dimensions of brand image, focusing on the functions or value of the brand as perceived by consumers. In this way, four categories of functions are identified: guarantee, personal identification, social identification and status. By way of hypotheses, it has been proposed that these functions have a positive influence on the consumer’s willingness to recommend the brand, pay a price premium for it and accept brand extensions. The hypotheses have been tested in the Spanish sports shoes market and were partially supported. The results obtained confirm the convenience of analyzing brand associations separately and enable the ascertaining of the brand associations that are the most relevant in order to attain certain consumer responses.
Participants estimated the attractiveness of vacations described in 2 travel brochures. The information about 1 vacation was conveyed in a narrative that described the sequence of events that would occur. In contrast, information about the other vacation was conveyed in an ostensibly unorganized list. Vacations were generally evaluated more favorably when they were described in a narrative than when their features were simply listed. Moreover, this difference increased when (a) negative features of the vacations were mentioned, (b) pictures accompanied the text information, or (c) recipients were encouraged to imagine themselves having the experiences described. Although narrative forms of information elicited more extreme affective reactions than list forms, this did not account for the difference in their effectiveness. Rather, the advantage of narratives was attributed to (a) their structural similarity to information acquired through daily life experiences and (b) the use of a holistic—as opposed to a piecemeal—strategy for computing judgments.
The purpose of the research reported here was to test empirically a conceptualization of brand associations that consists of three dimensions: brand image, brand attitude and perceived quality. A better understanding of brand associations is needed to facilitate further theoretical development and practical measurement of the construct. Three studies were conducted to: test a protocol for developing product category specific measures of brand image; investigate the dimensionality of the brand associations construct; and explore whether the degree of dimensionality of brand associations varies depending upon a brand’s familiarity. Findings confirm the efficacy of the brand image protocol and indicate that brand associations differ across brands and product categories. The latter finding supports the conclusion that brand associations for different products should be measured using different items. As predicted, dimensionality of brand associations was found to be influenced by brand familiarity.
The authors develop a new survey-based method for measuring and understanding a brand's equity in a product category and evaluating the equity of the brand's extension into a different but related product category. It uses a customer-based definition of brand equity as the added value endowed by the brand to the product as perceived by a consumer. It measures brand equity as the difference between an individual consumer's overall brand preference and his or her brand preference on the basis of objectively measured product attribute levels. To understand the sources of brand equity, the approach divides brand equity into attribute-based and nonattribute-based components. The method provides the market share premium and the price premium attributable to brand equity. The survey-based results from applying the method to the toothpaste and mouthwash categories show that the proposed approach has good reliability, convergent validity, and predictive validity.
Recent research has identified two factors that influence consumer perceptions of a brand extension: brand affect and the similarity between the original and extension product categories. However, surprisingly little attention has been paid to other associations specific to the brand itself. The authors perform three experiments to explore the relative importance of these associations. The experiments reveal that brand-specific associations may dominate the effects of brand affect and category similarity, particularly when consumer knowledge of the brands is high. The authors conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for managerial decision making and the process by which consumers evaluate brand extensions.
Research methods are generally improved through new understandings of scientific procedure, validity, and reliability. Variations in these understandings—among knowledge communities as diverse as ethnographers, statisticians, historians, and even practitioners and researchers—yield a rich set of innovations in quantitative tools, experimental designs, data collection instruments, observational methods, sampling procedures, and interpretive frameworks. Research methods, however, must be consonant not only with the way various communities view scientific inquiry, but also with fundamental characteristics of the thought and behavior of customers and managers. Most widely used methods in marketing lack the latter consonance. The author introduces particular insights about thought and behavior from multiple disciplines as design criteria for improving research methods.
This article presents a new approach to the analysis of free-response data matrices using reduced-space and clustering procedures. Two marketing applications are presented; limitations and possible methodological and substantive extensions of the approach are highlighted.
The author presents a conceptual model of brand equity from the perspective of the individual consumer. Customer-based brand equity is defined as the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer response to the marketing of the brand. A brand is said to have positive (negative) customer-based brand equity when consumers react more (less) favorably to an element of the marketing mix for the brand than they do to the same marketing mix element when it is attributed to a fictitiously named or unnamed version of the product or service. Brand knowledge is conceptualized according to an associative network memory model in terms of two components, brand awareness and brand image (i.e., a set of brand associations). Customer-based brand equity occurs when the consumer is familiar with the brand and holds some favorable, strong, and unique brand associations in memory. Issues in building, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity are discussed, as well as areas for future research.
Qualitative Marktforschung will psychologische und soziologische Zusammenhänge erkennen, beschreiben und verstehen. Das zentrale Ziel ist hierbei das Verstehen subjektiver Sichtweisen, individueller Bedürfnisstrukturen und sozialer Verhaltensmuster, die nicht offensichtlich sind und damit erst erschlossen und interpretiert werden müssen. Die qualitative Marktforschung bedient sich dabei Erhebungsmethoden, die sich durch eine große Offenheit auszeichnen: Die Befragungspersonen werden in ihren Antworten nicht eingeengt, sondern haben die Freiheit, sich mit ihren eigenen Worten auszudrücken, Beziehungen zwischen einzelnen Themen herzustellen oder neue für sie relevante Aspekte mit einzubeziehen (vgl. Stephan 1961).
Bilder beherrschen unser Leben: Vom byzantinischen Bilderstreit bis zur digitalen Bilderflut, von den alttestamentlichen Bildverboten (2. Mose 20.4//Exodus 20.4) bis hin zur modernen visuellen Kultur und ihrer so auffälligen Tendenz, auch Nicht-Sichtbares — denkt man nur an Röntgenstrahlen, die Erforschung fremder Galaxien mit Hilfe des Hubble-Teleskops oder die Möglichkeiten moderner Nachtsichtgeräte (Mirzoeff 1999, S. 5) — visualisieren zu wollen.
Through the use of the critical incident technique one may collect specific and significant behavioral facts, providing "… a sound basis for making inferences as to requirements… " for measures of typical performance (criteria), measures of proficiency (standard samples), training, selection and classification, job design and purification, operating procedures, equipment design, motivation and leadership (attitudes), and counseling and psychotherapy. The development, fundamental principles, present status, and uses of the critical incident technique are discussed, along with a review of studies employing the technique and suggestions for further applications.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive model that combines brand knowledge and brand relationship perspectives on brands and shows how knowledge and relationships affect current and future purchases.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses structural equation modeling to test the significance of the overall model and the specified paths.
Findings
It is found that current purchases are affected by brand image mostly directly and by brand awareness mostly indirectly. In contrast, future purchases are not affected by either dimension of brand knowledge directly; rather, brand knowledge affects future purchases via a brand relationship path that includes brand satisfaction, brand trust, and attachment to the brand. Thus, brand knowledge alone is not sufficient for building strong brands in the long term; brand relationship factors must be considered as well.
Research implications/limitations
The present study did not examine feedback effects and included consumer categories only and no individual‐differences variables. It is recommended that future research examine feedback effects and include additional consumer categories, B2B categories and individual‐differences variables such as variety seeking and innovativeness.
Practical implications
Brand managers spend considerable resources on measuring brand awareness and brand image. It is recommended that practitioners also use brand relationship measures and develop strategic and tactical initiatives that ensure that consumers are satisfied with the brand, trust it and feel attached to it.
Originality/value
The paper is a cross‐paradigm paper: it is the first that combines the two separate broad‐based perspectives on brands into a simple comprehensive model for researchers and brand managers.
The author presents a conceptual model of brand equity from the perspective of the individual consumer. Customer-based brand equity is defined as the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer response to the marketing of the brand. A brand is said to have positive (negative) customer-based brand equity when consumers react more (less) favorably to an element of the marketing mix for the brand than they do to the same marketing mix element when it is attributed to a fictitiously named or unnamed version of the product or service. Brand knowledge is conceptualized according to an associative network memory model in terms of two components, brand awareness and brand image (i. e., a set of brand associations). Customer-based brand equity occurs when the consumer is familiar with the brand and holds some favorable, strong, and unique brand associations in memory. Issues in building, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity are discussed, as well as areas for future research.
Recent research has identified two factors that influence consumer perceptions of a brand extension: brand affect and the similarity between the original and extension product categories. However, surprisingly little attention has been paid to other associations specific to the brand itself. The authors perform three experiments to explore the relative importance of these associations. The experiments reveal that brand-specific associations may dominate the effects of brand affect and category similarity, particularly when consumer knowledge of the brands is high. The authors conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for managerial decision making and the process by which consumers evaluate brand extensions.
The authors develop a new survey-based method for measuring and understanding a brand's equity in a product category and evaluating the equity of the brand's extension into a different but related product category. It uses a customer-based definition of brand equity as the added value endowed by the brand to the product as perceived by a consumer. It measures brand equity as the difference between an individual consumer's overall brand preference and his or her brand preference on the basis of objectively measured product attribute levels. To understand the sources of brand equity, the approach divides brand equity into attribute-based and nonattribute-based components. The method provides the market share premium and the price premium attributable to brand equity. The survey-based results from applying the method to the toothpaste and mouthwash categories show that the proposed approach has good reliability, convergent validity, and predictive validity.
Th e systematic study of consumer behavior is heavily infl uenced by theories and paradigms from memory research, as the behavior of the consumer is largely infl uenced by prior experiences. Th e distinction is oft en drawn between memory-based, stimulus-based (all relevant information is physically present at the time of judgment or choice), and mixed (a combination of memory-based and stimulus-based) decisions (Lynch & Srull, 1982). However, purely stimulus-based decisions are relatively rare; most consumer decisions are necessarily dependent on memory and thereby range from the purely memory-based to mixed (Alba, Hutchinson, & Lynch, 1991). Given the importance of memory in consumer research, it behooves us periodically to take stock of the contemporary theories of memory and consider their assumptions and implications. To that end, we aim in this chapter to provide a review of the dominant accounts of memory and the way they have shaped our understanding of consumer behavior in the past two decades. We discuss the advances that have been made as well as some areas of potential concern. Specifi cally, we frame the review and discussion vis-à-vis an alternative account of memory, the SCAPE frame-work, developed by Bruce Whittlesea and his colleagues (e.g., Whittlesea, 1997). In addition, we off er some suggestions and future directions for research on consumer memory. MEMORY Memory is the record of our personal past. As such, it is useful for remembering. But memory is also much more than that: it also involves the capacity to learn, to be infl uenced by prior experi-ence, and to behave diff erently in the future as a consequence of an experience. Memory is the con-troller of all acquired human behavior, including speech, conceptual knowledge, skilled activities, social interactions, and consumer preferences. To achieve a true understanding of any aspect of human behavior, it is therefore essential to have an eff ective theory of memory.
This article compares eleven different consumer-based brand equity measures and evaluates their convergence. Predictive validity at the individual and aggregate levels is also investigated. Measures based on the dollar metric method and discrete choice methodology predict choices extremely well in a simulated shopping environment, as well as purchase-intention and brand-quality scales.
Qualitative Marktforschung will psychologische und soziologische Zusammenhänge erkennen, beschreiben und verstehen. Das zentrale
Ziel ist hierbei das Verstehen subjektiver Sichtweisen, individueller Bedürfnisstrukturen und sozialer Verhaltensmuster, die
nicht offensichtlich sind und damit erst erschlossen und interpretiert werden müssen. Die qualitative Marktforschung bedient
sich dabei Erhebungsmethoden, die sich durch eine große Offenheit auszeichnen: Die Befragungspersonen werden in ihren Antworten
nicht eingeengt, sondern haben die Freiheit, sich mit ihren eigenen Worten auszudrücken, Beziehungen zwischen einzelnen Themen
herzustellen oder neue für sie relevante Aspekte mit einzubeziehen (vgl. Stephan 1961).
Addresses two basic questions: do organizational buyers exhibit brand-equity behaviors such as the willingness to pay significant price premiums for certain brands; and under what conditions do those buyers place a premium on well-known brands? Finds significant brand-equity behaviors, based on hypothetical buying situations, in the form of organizational buyers’ willingness to pay a significant price premium for their favorite brand, make referrals, and extend their brand preference to other products with the same brand name. The better known their favorite brand was, the more likely buyers were to exhibit the three brand-equity behaviors.
The article introduces a new approach for assessing corporate associations, the Unique Corporate Association Valence (UCAV) measure. The UCAV integrates the quantitative and qualitative approaches with the specific intent of capturing the advantages while avoiding some of the disadvantages of either approach. The initial qualitative and quantitative assessments of the Unique Corporate Association Valence (UCAV) measure support its usefulness as a measure of what people know about companies.Journal of Brand Management (2006) 14, 5–19. doi:10.1057/palgrave.bm.2550051
The flame photometer has been successfully applied to the quantitative determination of 0.1% to 1.0% of organic chloride. Copper is added to the sample and the copper chloride emission band at 436 mμ is measured. The method is much faster than the chemical method, and precision is as good when the qualitative composition of the sample is known.
This article has no abstract
Research methods are generally improved through new understandings of scientific procedure, validity, and reliability. Variations in these understandings - among knowledge communities as diverse as ethnographers, statisticians, historians, and even practitioners and researchers - yield a rich set of innovations in quantitative tools, experimental designs, data collection instruments, observational methods, sampling procedures, and interpretive frameworks. Research methods, however, must be consonant not only with the way various communities view scientific inquiry, but also with fundamental characteristics of the thought and behavior of customers and managers. Most widely used methods in marketing lack the latter consonance. The author introduces particular insights about thought and behavior from multiple disciplines as design criteria for improving research methods.
Purpose
To provide a descriptive case study showing how the construction of drawings as visual metaphors can help work groups “give voice” to their emotional reactions to organizational change events, and provide groups with a vehicle for interpreting and framing their experience of organizational change.
Design/methodology/approach
A seven‐person focus was asked to construct a drawing that would serve as a visual metaphor for conveying the group's reaction to ongoing organizational changes within their company. Following this construction, the group engaged in a self‐interpretation of their metaphor.
Findings
The work group's feelings regarding organizational change were encapsulated in visual metaphor of “dark tower”; a metaphor of which revealed that team members shared several strong, negative emotions regarding the organizational change event. A review of how the group's changes in metaphor construction evolved over three successive drawings showed how certain elements of the metaphor came to play a central role in the team's emotional expression of organizational change events.
Research limitations/implications
This case study did not attempt to provide a comparative review of metaphor constructions across work groups, nor did it include the use of other research methods, such as structured interviews, to confirm these findings.
Practical implications
This study illustrates how the construction of visual metaphors can be used to help researchers gain a more in‐depth understanding of the subjective, felt experience of groups during organizational change events.
Originality/value
The group's reflections on how their successive drawings changed over the course of the construction of their metaphor sheds light on how “visual narratives” take form over time.
Purpose
Since it is hard for consumers to express their feelings and views regarding brand images, market researchers increasingly use projective and enabling techniques to collect rich and meaningful data. The purpose of this paper is to describe the development and use of two methods of brand image research based on personification. Both methods were used to investigate the personality of four beer brands.
Design/methodology/approach
The first method was based on mood boards: participants were asked to make collages of celebrity photographs representing the beer brands ( n =16). The second method used a job‐sorting task: participants were asked to connect jobs with the beer brands ( n =100). The results of both methods were related to a list of brand personality traits.
Findings
Holistic interpretations of the mood boards and the jobs associated with the beer brands reveal highly similar results among the two methods, which strongly discriminate between the four beer brands. A translation of these findings to scores on personality dimensions further underlines the similarity of the two methods used, but does not convincingly distinguish between the four beer brands.
Research limitations/implications
The similarities in the results underline the congruent validity of the two methods. The observation that the two methods lose their discriminating value when holistic impressions are translated to personality dimensions scores calls for more research into the way projective research data may be interpreted and used.
Originality/value
This study is a first attempt to compare the results of two different but related projective techniques for brand image research. It demonstrates the importance of methodological research in this area.