Consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) and the role of social media communications: Qualitative findings from the Malaysian automotive industry

Previous studies on consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) have maintained that CBBE is a multidimensional construct which reflects both consumers’ perceptions and attitudes. However, only few of the extant CBBE models emanate from the context of automotive brands. As such, this present study employs a qualitative approach using a semi-structured face-to-face interview among 11 informants, to explore the concept of CBBE in the context of automotive brands. Also, this study explores the role of social media communications in developing CBBE for automotive brands. The findings of this research demonstrate that CBBE is a valid concept which reflects consumers’ perception and mindset towards their knowledge, which are reflected through brand awareness, hedonic brand image, functional brand image, and brand sustainability of automotive brands. Additionally, the marketing activities and communication contents on social media play an important role in improving the perception of automotive brands in consumers’ minds, hence the development of automotive CBBE. The theoretical implications of these research findings are that this study provides an insight into the feasibility of developing a specific CBBE model for automotive brands. Practically, this study presents insights for brand manager on the importance of developing CBBE through social media communications.     

The Effects of Credible Online Reviews on Brand Equity Dimensions and Its Consequence on Consumer Behavior

Consumers are using social media platform to gain and share knowledge on brands. In the virtual environment, consumers are exposed to various online reviews on brands that leave an impression of brands on the minds of the consumers. The present study combines Yale attitude change model and attribution theory to examine the effects of credible online reviews on brand equity dimensions. The present study views, through the lens of Yale attitude change model, the various factors that affect credibility evaluation of online reviews. Further, attribution theory is used as the theoretical backbone to analyze the effects of credible online reviews on brand equity dimensions and finally on purchase intention. This study uses structural equations modeling (SEM) to investigate the impact of online credible reviews on customer based brand equity (CBBE) dimensions and its consequence on consumer behavior (purchase intention). Results indicate that source and review quality are the most important factors that affect consumer's credibility evaluation of a review. Online credible reviews have more significant impact on brand awareness, perceived value and organizational associations and thus leads to consumer's purchase intention in the context of consumer electronic products in India.     

Investigating the antecedents of customer brand engagement and consumer-based brand equity in social media

The current research is concerned with identifying and testing the role of three main predictors: consumer involvement, consumer participation, and self-expressive brand on the customer brand engagement (CBE). The customer brand engagement is treated in the current study as multidimensional constructs comprising three main aspects: cognitive processing (CP), affection (AF), and activation (AC). It was also proposed a direct influence for these three aspects of CBE on consumer-based brand equity (CBBE). Using online surveys, we gathered data from fans/followers of mobile phone service providers, via Facebook fan pages in Jordan. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling. Based on structural equation modelling analyses (SEM), it was supported that CBE aspects were largely predicted by the role of consumer involvement (INV), consumer participation (COP), and self-expressive brand (SEB). However, we find that activation impact one dimension of the CBBE dimensions, namely, brand loyalty. Further, we find that brand awareness/associations affect perceived quality but not brand loyalty. To validate the CBE scale, future studies could investigate the impact of the scale using other social media platforms for different brands. The limited amount of empirical research on CBE was the motivation behind this research. In particular, there is no study that has investigated the main predictors of CBE and its consequences over developing context by proposing and testing the association between the antecedents of CBE with the dimensions of CBE, which in turn affect the dimensions of CBBE.     

Validating a consumer-based service brand equity (CBSBE) model in the airline industry

Over time, scholars have argued that consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) models are less suitable for service-dominant brands, mainly because the role of customer experience with services is often disregarded. Also, the absence of two essential components, brand consistency and perceived value, signals a lack of depth in creating service brand equity. To address these gaps, we examine service-branding theory by conceptualizing and validating a consumer-based service brand equity (CBSBE) model in Sarker et al. (2019) in the context of airlines. Airline service direct experience and brand consistency are highly important aspects for strengthening brand equity components of services. Subsequently, maximizing perceived value, followed by creating favorable brand meaning are the nucleus of branding services. Using the most advanced PLS-SEM techniques, our CBSBE model is highly robust in explaining the theoretical notion of creating service brand equity. Thus, achieving a pleasant and desirable experience and maintaining consistency across direct service touchpoints would be an effective strategy for service organizations.     

基于顾客的品牌资产模型实证分析及营销借鉴

In recent years, customer-based brand equity (CBBE) has been extensively studied in the marketing community. Central to the study of CBBE are its structure and the measurement. This paper focuses on the dimensions of CBBE, the interrelationships among them, and the analytical methodology of the measurement model. The authors empirically analyze 15 brands with data from 3928 consumers of four industries including toothpaste, roll film, cell phone, and gym shoes. A CBBE measurement model is constructed and the application of the model is discussed. Suggestions are also provided for brand management and directions for future research. Translated and revised from Yingxiao Kexue Xuebao 营销科学学报 (Journal of Marketing Science), 2007, (2): 31–42     

The small,inventory free retail format: The impact on consumer-based brand equity and purchase behavior

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of brand experience, as conceptualized by Brakus, Schmidt, and Zarantonello’s (2009), in fostering Consumer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) elements associated with the new store format and their impact on consequent purchase intention through multiple retail channels. A survey sent to a national sample of female consumers regarding Nordstrom Local, a small, inventory-free retail store in the U.S., resulted in 406 usable responses. Structural equation modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships among variables where nine of the ten proposed hypotheses were supported. The findings of this study support that the brand experience of a small, inventory-free retail format can be effective in fostering CBBE, which has a positive impact on purchase intention. Furthermore, patronizing a small, inventory-free retail format appears to influence purchase intention consummated through the retailer’s other channels. This appears to be the first empirical study to explore the impact of the small, inventory-free retail format on consumer responses. The findings may aid industry professionals in identifying successful strategies that appeal to changing preferences of today’s consumer.     

Intended brand associations: Do they really drive consumer response?

Brand managers exhibit considerable effort to define intended brand associations to anchor in consumers' minds. They follow a credo deeply rooted in branding literature: intended brand associations drive consumer response and brand equity. This article investigates the benefits of a strong overlap of actual consumer brand associations and management-intended brand associations (brand association match). The article presents results from two large-scale studies (3353 and 1201 respondents) involving one consumer goods and one service brand with multiple operationalizations of consumer response (attitudinal and behavioral). The results show that consumers with high brand association match show more positive brand response. However, after accounting for the valence of associations match does not add explanatory power. This outcome challenges a key foundation of brand management. The discussion identifies reasons why match may not be necessary to achieve response and provides arguments why the results do not imply free play for brand managers.     

Using evaluative conditioning to explain corporate co-branding in the context of sport sponsorship

This paper investigates the mechanism under which attitude formation takes place in corporate co-branding in the context of sport sponsorship. We developed a conceptual model that synthesises three theoretical frameworks (evaluative conditioning, relationship marketing and brand equity), aiming to explain corporate co-branding in the context of sport sponsorship. Specifically, the proposed model posits that, in sport sponsorship, close consumer relationships with a sport brand leverage sponsor brand equity elements (brand familiarity, brand personality and brand image) and can lead to positive outcomes (wordof-mouth communications). We tested the proposed model using data collected from fans of two professional soccer teams (N = 280). The results of the study confirmed the proposed relationships and further provided new insights regarding the role of brand equity elements in creating ‘backward’ effects to the sport brand (team). Moreover, the findings suggest that sport sponsorship might be the ideal context for co-branding partnerships between mature/high-equity brands.     

零售商品牌资产形成机制及其理论模型

零售商品牌资产的形成机制反映了零售商品牌价值链与宏微观零售营销环境要素的作用关系。根据参与要素范围及内容结构的不同,零售商品牌资产的形成机制被分成宏观机制与微观机制,并表现为不同的理论模型。对理论模型中关键驱动要素的深入分析,有利于为零售商品牌资产建设提供有益建议。     

The Moderating Role of Country of Origin on Brand Equity,Repeat Purchase Intentions,and Word of Mouth in Trinidad and Tobago

Brand equity has emerged as a critical aspect of marketing, but its effect on consumer behavioral intentions from a developing country perspective has not been sufficiently examined. This study proposes that country of origin and product type will moderate the relationships between brand equity, consumer repeat purchase intentions, and word of mouth. Data were collected from 157 customers and analyzed with regression analysis. Our results confirm the moderating role of COO such that favorable COO weakens the impact of brand equity on consumers' behavioral intentions. Product type was not significant. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are presented as well as the limitations, and future research opportunities are discussed.     

Brand equity: extending brand awareness and liking with Signal Detection Theory

Brand equity, which is a central topic in modern marketing, may be assessed from three perspectives: customer mind set, product market outcomes and financial market outcomes. Brand awareness (memory) and brand liking are elements of customer mind set brand equity. The factors determining brand awareness and likeability are also determinants of the change in financial brand equity. In order to understand these factors, Signal Detection Theory is employed for finding the components of brand awareness and likeability. Signal Detection Theory has a strong tradition in psychology, but is under‐represented in marketing and consumer behaviour. This study extended the concept of brand awareness to ‘awareness sensitivity and bias’ and the concept of ‘brand likeability’ to ‘liking sensitivity and bias’ using Signal Detection Theory. The effect of divided attention on the extended components was investigated in three laboratory experiments. It was found that, in the attended mode compared with the unattended mode, consumers perform better in preserving a favourable brand awareness and have a conservative reaction tendency. This effect of attention occurs in building brand awareness for short presentations, but not for long presentations. These findings may serve as guidelines for a strategy formulation for enhancing customer mind set brand equity.     

An integrated retailer image and brand equity framework: Re-examining,extending, and restructuring retailer brand equity

Retailers are amongst the world's strongest brands, but little is known about retailer brand equity. In spite of their extensive use, we argue that current operational models are too abstract for understanding the uniqueness of the retail industry and too simplistic to understand the interrelationships among the dimensions in the retailer brand equity building process. This study contributes to the existing and largely generic retailer equity frameworks in three ways: first, by incorporating retail specific dimensions from the retailer image literature; second, by re-examining and developing the structures and relationships between the dimensions of retailer equity by testing alternative structures commonly used in the more general brand equity literature; and finally by creating a short and parsimonious scale for assessing retailer brandequity in different contexts. Three alternative models are compared and tested on six brands in both convenience and shopping goods categories, ranging from discount to middle range price levels. The outcome is an operational framework supporting the main building blocks of the conceptual brand resonance model presented in Keller (2001) with seven dimensions structured in a four-step sequence as awareness → pricing policy, customer service, product quality, physical store → retailer trust → retailer loyalty, thereby describing retailer brand equity as a four-step process. The extended, although parsimonious, 17-item retailer equity scale can be used by academics as well as practitioners to examine the underlying values of retailer brands and has the potential to incorporate additional dimensions and attributes to investigate specific retail contexts without creating lengthy questionnaires.     

Leveraging consumer personality and social media marketing to improve a brand's social media equity

Consumer personality traits impact consumer actions, preferences, online behaviour and shopping motives. This study examines personality traits as drivers of social media equity by addressing the mechanisms under which consumer personality traits influence social media equity. We aim to combine consumer-level information with brand-level metrics to advance our understanding of consumers' associations with brands on social media and how specific consumer personality traits can be leveraged to improve a brand's social media equity. Using a self-administered survey, a total of 418 respondents from an online consumer panel participated in this study. The results from structural equation modelling revealed that while extraversion, openness to experience and neuroticism personality traits are positively associated with brand engagement and brand advocacy, agreeableness and conscientiousness are significantly associated with brand advocacy and not with brand engagement. This study advances theory by examining how consumer personality traits influence social media equity via brand engagement and brand advocacy as mediators. The findings provide rich practical insights into underlying mechanisms through which marketers can increase social media equity using consumer personality traits.     

What are the Building Blocks of Customer Brand Loyalty in Department Stores? A Multi-Level Mediation Analysis

Building customer brand loyalty through branding strategies to sustain competitiveness in the retail industry has gathered momentum among researchers. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of brand personality and consumer brand identification on customer brand loyalty via the mediating variables of perceived service quality, perceived value, brand trust, brand commitment, and word-of-mouth communication among Malaysian department stores' customers. Using a self-structured questionnaire, 381 usable responses are considered for data analysis by applying a covariance-based structural equation modeling approach. The results of exploratory factor analysis show that sincerity, followed by sophistication and competence, are the most significant dimensions used to predict brand personality in department stores. The outcomes also reveal that brand personality indirectly influences customer brand loyalty via consumer brand identification. Furthermore, perceived service quality, perceived value, brand trust, word-of-mouth communication, and brand commitment mediate the effects of consumer brand identification on brand loyalty. Finally, the proposed competing model implies that the indirect impact of brand personality and consumer brand identification is inevitable in building department stores' brand loyalty.     

Constituency building: Determining consumers’ willingness to participate in corporate political activities

Recently, firms have increasingly approached their own customers for assistance with corporate political activities—a strategy known as constituency building. While constituency building efforts targeting shareholders and employees have been well-studied, relatively little is known about the impact of approaching consumers. Hence, this paper examines why consumers participate in corporate political activities on behalf of a brand, and we present three studies to explore this increasingly popular practice. First, Study 1 utilizes qualitative interviews with actual campaign participants to provide initial insights to develop our theoretical model, which we subsequently test in two experiments. Study 2 finds that brand loyalty is a key driver of consumer activism, with both direct and indirect effects through its impact on issue salience, information seeking behavior, and its interaction with the issue type. Finally, Study 3 finds that consumer activism is associated with increased brand loyalty, indicating that this may be a relationship building activity and an important dimension of the longer process of social exchange between the brand and consumer.     

品牌资产引擎视角下的品牌价值模型及其应用研究

品牌资产引擎(Equity Engine)是一种基于消费者认知的评估模型。在该模型中亲和力、功能表现和价格构成了品牌价值的三大要素。亲和力是品牌受到的来自消费者的信任和尊敬。功能表现是品牌资产的另一个重要组成部分。品牌对消费者而言的终极价值是品牌资产和价格的共同作用。品牌资产引擎可以帮助商业企业定量地测量品牌资产,了解品牌的显性和隐性驱动因素和最大化品牌资产。     

The impact of brand personality and sales promotions on brand equity

This research assesses the relative impact of a long-term brand management instrument (brand personality) and a short-term marketing mix instrument (sales promotions) on brand equity formation. The authors measure consumer perceptions of promotional intensity and brand personality and model their impact on brand equity. They find a positive impact of brand personality and a negative impact of sales promotion intensity on brand equity at the aggregate level. In line with research that identifies varying consumer responses to promotional deals, this study posits that the relative impact of the two elements varies across consumer groups. Three homogeneous consumer groups differ according to the relative impact of brand personality and consumer promotions on brand equity, following an application of a finite mixture partial least squares procedure.     

The impact of mergers and acquisitions on brand equity: A structural analysis

An overlooked strategic benefit of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) is their impact on brand equity. M&As may affect consumer brand preferences, which in turn will affect a firm’s profit. We develop a structural model with a difference-in-differences specification to measure how M&As affect a firm’s profit through three mechanisms: brand equity, cost synergies, and product portfolios. We analyze Lenovo’s acquisition of IBM’s PC division in China’s PC market and find that the increase in brand equity contributed the most to increasing Lenovo’s profit, followed by cost synergies. To explore the generalizability of our modeling approach, we apply it to Geely’s acquisition of Volvo and also find that the gains in brand equity contributed the most to Geely’s profit increase.     

Customer satisfaction and customer behavior: The differential role of brand and category expectations

Previous research has suggested that consumers use multiple strands to evaluate their satisfaction with a product and to establish postpurchase behavioral intention. However, prior empirical research has focused on which individual standard best predicts satisfaction. In contrast, this article develops and tests a model of consumer satisfaction and postpurchase behavioral intention in which consumers simultaneously use multiple standards—perceptions of performance, brand expectations, and category expectations. The results of an experiment for a simulated service encounter provide support for the proposition that consumers use multiple standards and that these standards have differential effects on such postpurchase outcomes as satisfaction, repurchase intention, and willingness to recommend. Brand expectations are shown to be better predictors of affective outcomes (such as satisfaction), while category expectations are shown to be better predictors of behavioral outcomes (repurchase and recommendation). Consistent with prior research, perceived performance is shown to have a strong effect on both satisfaction and behavioral intention.     

Prioritizing Brand Equity Methods From Customers’ Perspective for the Food Industry

Brand equity assessment is an important measurement of strategic value for internal use as well as for external stakeholders. Although there are a number of methods available for brand evaluation, it is still uncertain which approach is best. Yet almost no research exists that has prioritized the existing brand equity methods from the perspective of different stakeholders through a survey. In this article a model is developed for prioritizing brand equity methodologies from the viewpoint of customers as a stakeholder of brand equity. The developed model can help businesses to deploy a brand equity methodology that best considers the criteria of their customers as one of their key stakeholders. The criteria of this process are the expectations of customers from a brand. The priority of these criteria sets via a structured questionnaire filled by customers. Then the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) incorporates to prioritize the methodologies versus these criteria. This study set out to prioritize the brand equity pool to help practitioners and academics in assessing the alternative techniques and selecting the most relevant one that measures the most important criteria of brand in the eyes of customers.