The effects of service brand dimensions on brand loyalty

The present paper uses a modified version of the Service Brand Verdict (SBV) model. The objective of the study is to incorporate service brand loyalty as an ultimate dependent measure seen as the outcome of consumers' evaluation of various service brand dimensions and communication, and test the generalizability of the modified SBV model in two different service sectors and cultural settings. Two studies using on-line survey data were conducted in Denmark and Norway in two different service industries (airlines and banks respectively). Previous findings suggesting that brand evidence significantly influences consumer satisfaction, attitude and behavioural loyalty towards service brands were confirmed. Moreover, contrary to previous findings, controlled communication elements (i.e. advertising and promotions) did not have any influence on customer satisfaction with service brands. However, the same communication elements directly and significantly shaped customers' perceptions of the various brand dimensions and their overall attitude towards the brand.     

Enhancing brand coolness through perceived luxury values: Insight from luxury fashion brands

Consumers of luxury brands have been described as seekers of products that can offer a signaling value to present to others but also a value for their self-concepts in an existentialist spirit potentially linked to being “cool or not.” Prior studies have conceptualized brand coolness and evaluated its impact on consumer responses to brands. However, few studies have contextualized the construct of brand coolness concerning luxury brand realism. We assessed the semiotic tension that luxury brand consumers feel between self-concept and self-presentation to others via a theoretical consideration of four antecedents of brand coolness: individual, social, financial, and functional luxury values; and one intentional outcome such as consumers' passionate desire to use luxury fashion brands. Our findings indicated that luxury values positively influence brand coolness, and brand coolness positively influences passionate desire. We further confirmed that brand coolness plays a complementary mediating role between luxury values and passionate desire. A final contribution is to invite brand managers to consider how luxury values and brand coolness might be used proactively to drive consumers' passionate desires in the relationships with luxury fashion brands.     

Understanding brand and dealer retention in the new car market: The moderating role of brand tier

Dealers may contribute to brand retention through their sales and service efforts. In this study we investigate the degree to which dealers contribute to brand retention and how this contribution is moderated by brand tier. To this end we distinguish between economy, volume and prestige brands. We also investigate how the effectiveness of dealer instruments to increase dealer retention differs across these brand tiers. We collected data on brand retention and dealer retention among consumers who recently purchased a new car. Our findings show that dealers selling volume brands are able to improve brand retention rates. In contrast, dealers of prestige and economy brands are unable to affect brand retention. In line with the notion of brand-dealer fit we also find that the effects of dealer extrinsic service quality and dealer payment equity on dealer retention differ between prestige, volume, and economy brands. Extrinsic dealer service quality has the smallest effect for dealers selling economy brands, while dealer payment equity is the most important determinant of dealer retention for these dealers.     

Determinants of customer brand loyalty in the retail industry: A comparison between national and private brands in South Korea

Finding motivations for customer brand loyalty is one of the most popular academic and practical research fields; in this regard, some scholars have explored motivations in the retail industry. As the concept of private brands has been one of the most widely employed strategies for business success in the industry, comparing private and national brands in terms of customer loyalty is an important topic in the retail industry. Thus, the current research focuses on exploring antecedents of customer loyalty in private and national brands, as well as investigating whether there are notable structural differences between the brands. The results, based on 1,631 responses, indicate that customer perceived service/product quality, satisfaction, trust, and cost are notable determinants of brand loyalty, while the relationship between customer satisfaction and service quality of private brands is not supported. Moreover, both indirect and direct effects of the employed factors on customer brand loyalty are reported.     

Decline and variability in brand loyalty

In this paper, we examine the over-time behavior of brand loyalty for a large set of brands drawn from 21 consumer packaged goods categories. Using the brand-loyalty operationalization of Colombo and Morrison (1989), the following conclusions are obtained. First, little support is found for the often-heard contention that brand loyalty is gradually declining over time. Second, while the short-run variability around a brand's mean loyalty level is not negligible, no evidence is found that this variability has systematically increased over time, and it can be reduced considerably through a simple smoothing procedure. Finally, the brand-loyalty pattern for market-share leaders is found to be more stable than for other brands. The study findings were robust to variation in the time interval used to construct the switching matrices, and to different treatments of multiple purchases.     

Factors that influence manufacturer and store brand behavioral loyalty

This study examines the factors that are linked to consumer goods brands having unusually high or low behavioral loyalty, after controlling for the association between brand size and loyalty that occurs due to the ‘double jeopardy’ effect. Behavioral, or repeat-purchase loyalty is measured as the brand's average share of category requirements (in volume) among its buyers over a 12-month period. We examine a range of factors that theory or past evidence suggests are associated with higher or lower behavioral loyalty, including brand type (store brand/manufacturer brand), price level, promotion intensity, as well as average brand volume per occasion and pack size. Using extensive US panel purchasing data, we find that store brands exhibit relatively higher behavioral loyalty than manufacturer brands. We explain the theory behind this result. We also find that the brand's average pack size and volume bought per occasion has a markedly positive association with behavioral loyalty. Finally, we find that the effect of low price on excess loyalty is moderated via a positive association with average volume purchase per occasion. These findings add to the body of knowledge relating to patterns in behavioral brand loyalty for both manufacturer and store brands, as well as the marketing-mix factors that influence it.     

Smartphone preferences and brand loyalty: A discrete choice model reflecting the reference point and peer effect

Brand loyalty and interest have significant impacts on consumers' smartphone choices. What about brand loyalty and interest of smartphone in South Korea where Samsung originates from? This study investigates brand loyalty and interest and how they are affected by the satisfaction of innovative peers in South Korea. An asymmetric discrete choice model with reference-dependent preferences is applied for the analysis. The estimation results show that in South Korea the brand is the most important attribute of smartphone and Apple is the strongest in brand loyalty. Whether consumers who are currently owners of Apple smartphones continue to maintain the same brand in their next purchasing depends not only on their brand loyalty but also on the satisfaction of their highly innovative peers who currently own the Apple. On the other hand, Samsung's brand loyalty is lower than that of Apple, but the brand interest is the highest. Additionally, in all smartphone brands, satisfaction with smartphone brands owned by innovative peers has a significant impact on consumers' interest.     

The role of benefits and transparency in shaping consumers’ green perceived value,self-brand connection and brand loyalty

Building on the literature on green consumption, this study investigates consumers’ perceptions of a brand's green benefits (utilitarian environmental and warm glow) and green transparency on their green perceived value (GPV). In particular, this study tests the mediating role of GPV and self-brand connection on the relationships between green benefits and green transparency and brand loyalty. We used structural equation modeling to test the research model with a sample of 826 Chinese respondents. Our findings suggest that most of the hypotheses were supported. However, comparison between brands of physical goods and services indicate that the approach to develop consumers’ green value perceptions is different and that the influences of GPV and self-brand connection on brand loyalty are significantly different between these two groups of brands. Hence, it would be more effective for organizations to have diverse green branding strategies between these two groups of brands.     

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.     

Proactive versus reactive apparel brands in sustainability: Influences on brand loyalty

Building on the literature in brand loyalty and sustainable consumption of apparel, this study compares the loyalty formation mechanism between sustainable fashion and fast fashion brands. A series of hypotheses proposing the difference in the loyalty formation between the two types of apparel brands were developed. A structural equation modeling tested the research model with a sample of 556 U.S. respondents. Although somewhat inconsistent, the results suggest that consumers form brand loyalty toward sustainable versus fast fashion in a different manner. Implications for marketers as well as directions for future research are discussed.     

Brand portfolio coherence: Scale development and empirical demonstration

Pressure to manage complex and dynamic brand portfolios has posed a serious challenge for firms in protecting their brand identity and retaining loyal customers. To help firms overcome this challenge, the authors propose the new construct of brand portfolio coherence (BPC) to describe consumers' perceptions that (sub-)brands in a brand portfolio share a common underlying logic of features reflected in design, personality, and status. Through three comprehensive studies, the research develops and validates a multi-dimensional measure of BPC and differentiates it from relevant constructs, such as brand fit, connection, positioning, trust, and loyalty. Nomological examination shows that perceived BPC improves (re)purchase decisions with regard to brands in the portfolio. Furthermore, the research uncovers the mechanisms through which BPC exerts its impact and identifies customer-, product-, and brand strategy–related boundaries of the effect. Overall, the BPC construct and measure offer useful tools and managerial implications for firms to effectively manage brand portfolios to retain and grow customer base.     

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.     

Involvement, satisfaction, and brand loyalty in a small business services setting

Considerable resources are expended annually on building business brands, yet the literature is virtually silent on brand loyalty in a business setting. This study examines the relationship between attitudinal loyalty and behavioral loyalty in a business services context, and attempts to identify two key antecedents of loyalty in this context. In particular, little is known about small businesses as customers, despite their significant contribution to the economies of developed nations. A longitudinal design is implemented, and data are captured on both attitudinal loyalty and subsequent loyalty behaviors (i.e., actual purchase behavior). The findings demonstrate the value of conceptualizing and measuring both attitudinal and behavioral components of brand loyalty. Specifically, the results indicate that attitudinal loyalty mediates the effects of the antecedents studied (category involvement and purchase satisfaction) on behavioral loyalty. Implications for marketing theory and practitioners are discussed, and possible directions for future research are sketched.     

Towards an identity-based brand equity model

In the context of increasingly interchangeable product and service offerings, brands are crucial drivers for product purchasing and usage decisions. Thus, they constitute a substantial intangible asset for most companies. In order to maximize this asset, current research has developed various brand equity models. However, the majority of these base their approach on an outside-in perspective by focusing on buyer perceptions of the brand and their related buying behavior. An integrated approach including for example employees as an important internal source of brand equity, has so far received little attention. The following paper aims to close this gap by developing a new integrated brand equity model. This research explores the sources of brand equity from both internal and external perspectives at the behavioral and financial level in order to achieve a more accurate and sustainable brand equity measurement approach.     

Building a human brand: Brand anthropomorphism unravelled

Brand anthropomorphism has been found to enhance the ability of consumers to recognize the inherent value of brands. However, there is limited knowledge among practitioners on how to build a brand with humanlike characteristics. After a literature review of brand anthropomorphism in general and the theory of warmth and competence in particular, we present the Human Brand Model of how to build a brand that is perceived to be human. There are four steps in this process; the first three indicate the brand inputs and the last indicates the results of those inputs. This model guides brand managers on how to make their brand more human. The use of this model should result in the organization having an excellent brand reputation; stronger, more meaningful relationships with its customers; and improved brand loyalty.     

Cigarette brand loyalty and purchase patterns: An examination using US consumer panel data

This study analyzes data on cigarette purchasing using an extensive panel dataset. Major findings are: (1) cigarette purchasing in this market exhibits a reverse-J, or NBD (Negative Binomial Distribution)-like shape: many infrequent buyers and fewer frequent buyers; (2) Cigarette brands do exhibit high loyalty compared to other consumer categories, and show a trend to higher brand loyalty over time coinciding with fewer price promotions; (3) The data shows a weak double jeopardy pattern of smaller brands enjoying somewhat lower loyalty; (4) Smokers of a given brand are on average more likely to purchase another large cigarette brand than another small brand; (5) A straightforward analysis method identifies occurrences of excessive cross-brand cannibalization in the portfolio of one of the major tobacco corporations; and (6) Certain brands enjoy particular appeal among specific demographic groups. The study sheds more light on consumer behavior towards a product with addictive qualities and known harmful effects.     

Brand relationships through brand reputation and brand tribalism

The academic research on branding of consumer products and services is increasingly considering the degree of connectedness between consumers and brands as a key issue of investigation. The literature in this area investigates the nature and the strength of the relationship that consumers develop with brands, as well as the trend of joining brand tribes or brand communities in order to demonstrate and share with others their feelings towards and preference to brands. However, the impact of the overall perceptions of the brands in the form of its reputation and brand tribalism on brand relationships is so far unexplored in the existing literature. Using data collected from 912 respondents, this paper explores the importance of the long term brand reputation and brand tribalism on the strength of brand relationships. The findings suggest that brand tribalism is a better predictor of the strength of brand relationships than the long term brand reputation itself.     

A comparison of brand loyalty between on the go and take-home consumption purchases

This paper compares consumer brand purchase loyalty for food products bought either ‘on the go’ (OTG), or for take-home consumption. The study uses two UK consumer packaged goods datasets. The first dataset comprises consumers' purchasing of brands in three product categories: soft drinks, crisps, and savory snacks for on the go consumption. The second contains consumers' purchasing of the same brands for take-home consumption. Analysis uses the polarization index as a behavioral loyalty measure, estimated from the Beta Binomial – Negative Binomial Distribution. This measure controls for the difference in purchase rate and brand market share across on the go and take-home. The study finds that consumer loyalty to brands is markedly higher in purchasing for on the go consumption than for take-home consumption; and that the effect is even stronger for larger brands in on the go.     

Building value co-creation with social media marketing,brand trust,and brand loyalty

Value co-creation has emerged as a critical challenge for fashion brands in the age of social media. Despite its importance, scholars have not adequately explored the role of social media marketing (SMM) in enhancing value co-creation (VCC) intentions among fashion brand consumers in mainland China. SMM encompasses five hierarchical elements: entertainment, customization, interaction, electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM), and trendiness. This study developed a theoretical framework based on attribution theory and employed the partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method to analyze the value co-creation process. The results indicate that SMM positively impacts brand loyalty (BL), brand trust (BT), and VCC. Furthermore, BT positively affects BL and VCC, while also serving as a positive mediator between SMM and BL and VCC. Finally, BL positively enhances the VCC intentions of fashion brand consumers. Our study's unique insights, derived from the attribution theory's advantage point, enrich the marketing literature. These findings also offer practical guidelines and tips for marketing managers seeking to optimize their SMM mix for VCC.