A brand preference and repurchase intention model: the role of consumer experience

Consumer brand preference is an essential step towards understanding consumer choice behaviour, and has therefore always received great attention from marketers. However, the study of brand preference has been limited to traditional marketing focusing on functional attributes to maximise utility. But now the shift to experiential marketing broadens the role of the brand from a bundle of attributes to experiences. Technological advancements have helped to increase the similarities between brand attributes and product commoditisation. Consequently, consumers cannot shape their preferences among brands using rational attributes only. They seek out brands that create experiences; that intrigue them in a sensorial, emotional and creative way. This study seeks to develop a model that provides an understanding of how brand knowledge and brand experience determine brand preference and to investigate its impact on brand repurchase intention. Accordingly, exploratory focus group discussions are employed followed by a survey of mobile phone users in Egypt. The findings provide insights into the relative importance of consumer perceptions on different brand knowledge factors in shaping brand preferences. It also demonstrates the significance of consumers’ experiential responses towards brands in developing their brand preferences that in turn influence brand repurchase intention. The model therefore offers managers a new perspective for building strong brands able to gain consumer preferences.     

It is not about what you read,but how you read it: the effects of sequencing rational and emotional messages on corporate and product brand attitudes

The study aims to examine the effects of message sequencing on attitudinal responses, namely on the effects of rational to emotional and emotional to rational message sequences on consumer attitudes toward the corporate and product brand. A between-subjects experiment was conducted using a stratified random sample. Participants were exposed to advertisements that communicate marketing messages either in a rational to emotional sequence or in an emotional to rational sequence for a product advertised by an organization. All attitudinal responses to the corporate and product brand were collected through a questionnaire that was given at the end of the experiment. The findings suggest advertisements that communicate marketing messages in an emotional to rational sequence produced more favorable attitudes toward the product brand among consumers as compared to advertisements that communicate in a rational to emotional sequence. However, no significant differences were found on consumer attitudes toward the corporate brand. These results remain true regardless of gender.     

Factors Influencing Successful Brand Extensions

Organisations frequently follow brand extension strategies. This paper investigates the impact of category similarity, brand reputation, perceived risk and consumer innovativeness on the success of brand extensions in FMCG, durable goods and services sectors. A set of hypotheses were developed and tested in a study amongst 701 consumers. The findings show that extensions into categories more similar to the original brand tend to be more readily accepted. Likewise, the reputation of the original brand is an important factor influencing the success of the extension. These findings are consistent across FMCG, durable goods and services brands. However, perceived risk about the extension category was only found to enhance acceptability of extensions for durable goods and services brands. Innovative consumers are more positively disposed towards service brand extensions than FMCG and durable goods brand extensions.     

Communicating brand gender through type fonts

The marketing literature suggests that positioning a brand in terms of brand gender (i.e., brand masculinity and brand femininity) generates favorable consumer responses, yet there is little research on how brand gender perceptions arise. This research examines whether type font can be employed to create brand gender perceptions in the context of unfamiliar brands. Building on the theoretical framework of personality inferences based on static cues, three studies involving a range of type fonts, brand names, and product categories demonstrate that type font influences consumers’ perceptions of brand gender. Type font effects emerged for brand names presented in isolation (Study 1), brand names presented on signage (Study 2a), and brand names on product labels (Studies 2b and 3). Importantly, type font effects on brand gender persisted in the presence of a competing brand gender cue (i.e., brand name with gender associations), and type font and brand name influenced brand gender perceptions independently. A fourth study demonstrates that type fonts representing the brands influence consumers’ likelihood to recommend the brand. The article concludes with a discussion of theoretical and brand management implications.     

The role of brand exposure and experience on brand recall—Product durables vis-à-vis FMCG

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of brand exposure and experience on brand recall, mediated by three affectional drivers: brand trust, brand image and self-image congruence. The study distinguishes between an individual consumer׳s brand exposure and experience, and how these impact brand recall. Using original data collected from a survey of 219 consumers, brand recall models in two product categories (Fast Moving Consumer Goods FMCG and durable goods) were tested. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied, resulting in models for the two types of goods, establishing notable differences between durables and FMCGs. Experience influences brand recall in durable goods while brand recall is established via exposure for fast-moving consumer goods. This suggests that consumers are better able to recall durable goods brands if they have personally used them, while consumers of FMCG are more heavily influenced by advertising. Our study also established that brand trust has a significant role in mediating both of these relationships. Ultimately, the study establishes key differences between the brand recall of product categories, as well as the mediating role of brand trust, providing a framework for future brand recall research.     

消费者怀旧情感对品牌忠诚的影响

每个消费者都或多或少存在怀旧情感,企业很早就开始利用消费者的怀旧需求开展怀旧营销。消费者品牌关系是品牌忠诚的重要影响因素,而消费者怀旧水平对品牌信任与依恋有一定的影响,品牌信任和依恋对品牌承诺有很大的促进作用,品牌承诺是品牌忠诚的核心驱动因素。由此可见,消费者的怀旧情感可以通过品牌关系的中介而作用于品牌忠诚,企业可以通过开发各种营销策略,为消费者提供怀旧体验的平台,从而提高消费者的品牌忠诚度。     

跨境电商消费者参与价值共创对品牌偏好的影响

跨境电商是全新的贸易和销售方式，直接面对世界各地不同背景和多元化的的消费者。这些消费者具有个性化的消费需求与独特的创造愿望，能够为企业提供丰富的创意资源。通过价值共创提升消费者的品牌偏好成为了跨境电商领域的热点问题。文章从产品设计与产品营销两个阶段、创意共创与创意选择两大体系，建立了跨境电商消费者参与价值共创的四种类型对品牌偏好的影响模型，并展开实证研究。研究结果表明，创意选择体系主要影响品牌识别，创意共创体系主要影响品牌形象，品牌认知和品牌形象都有助于提升消费者对品牌的偏好。     

The Impact of Product-Country Image and Marketing Efforts on Retailer-Perceived Brand Equity: An Empirical Analysis

Although both product-country images (PCI) and firm assets such as brand equity have been extensively studied in separate contexts, we know very little about the combined performance effects of these two important constructs in international research. Extant research has investigated brand equity primarily from a consumer perspective, but rarely from the point of view of a retailer. Retailers represent the ultimate participants in the value chain selling the product to consumers. They have the ability to significantly influence consumers’ evaluations and purchase decisions. Based upon existing literature documenting the contributions of PCI and marketing activities on brand equity, this study extends these findings by investigating their effects on retailer-perceived brand equity (RPBE) and ultimate brand profitability performance. Results indicate that both marketing activities and PCI affect retailer-perceived brand equity with PCI also strongly and positively influencing brand profitability performance.     

Make product placement work for you: Get less exposure

Expenditure on product placement has grown faster (170%) than on advertising (15%) over the past 10 years, but some evidence suggests that the return on investment has been declining. For the well-known, fast-moving consumer goods/consumer-packaged goods (FMCG/CPG) food brands typically placed in local TV programming—the context of this article—the management problem of overfocusing on brand exposure hinders gaining brand choice, the ultimate strategic goal of marketing. Managers’ preconditioning, ease of measuring, and assumptions about the value of exposure contribute to their subtle placements becoming blatant or in other problems, as when other promotional devices, like a television commercial or program sponsorships billboard, get bundled into the same TV episode as the company’s own product placement. The higher brand exposure gained can evoke negative mental outcomes in consumers, weakening influences on brand choice. An experiment with a large sample of grocery shoppers supports such an outcome. More strategic value can also be gained from product placements in general by their use longitudinally, in-between campaigns of TV commercials, as an instructive tool and through normalizing a brand’s role in a consumer’s life. We provide eight checkpoints for marketers to consider when planning to use product placement to gain value for their brands.     

Cause-related marketing influence on consumer responses: The moderating effect of cause–brand fit

The traditional focus on the study of cause–brand fit in cause-related marketing (CrM) is that it is a mediator variable between consumer perceptions and subsequent responses. However, the literature is not conclusive on this point. This study adopts a new perspective, considering cause–brand fit as a moderator variable rather than a direct antecedent to consumer evaluations of CrM. Thus, the main objective of this research is to examine the moderator role of cause–brand fit in the influence of two corporate associations elicited in CrM (corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate ability (CA) associations) on brand attitude and two behavioural consumer responses (purchase intent and support to non-profit organisation (NPO)). For this, a theoretical model is proposed, and it is estimated with a sample of 595 Spanish consumers of insurance and personal hygiene and toiletries products. Results show that when consumers perceive high social cause–brand fit, the positive influence of CSR associations on the formation of brand attitude is amplified. However, when cause–brand fit is low, brand attitude is formed via CA associations. Finally, consumer behavioural responses in favour of the brand (i.e. purchase intent) and social cause (i.e. support to NPO) are reinforced in a context of high cause–brand perceived fit.     

When distraction may be a good thing: The role of distraction in low-fit brand extension evaluation

This study examines the effect of distraction after being exposed to information on low-fit brand extension evaluation. We show that when consumers are distracted (vs. engaging in deliberate thinking) after encoding extension information they evaluate low-fit brand extensions more favorably. Findings suggest that distraction can help establish connections of remotely associated information between a parent brand and a low-fit extension. We also find that the effect of distraction is contingent on the individual characteristic of consumers' agency–communion orientation. The core effect holds strongly for consumers high in communion orientation, but not for those with an agency orientation. Finally, we examine how marketing communication strategies (i.e., manipulating product message construal level) interact with distraction to influence consumer perceptions of low-fit brand extensions. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

What and how to communicate about a corporate brand with the consumers: An exploratory study

The present exploratory study investigates the differential impact of various relevant corporate brand associations on consumers' cognitive (product attitude and purchase intention) and affective responses (affective corporate commitment) in the three sectors, namely durables, services and fast moving consumer goods. The findings reveal that corporate brand associations can be categorised into two categories – universal associations, which are influential in all the sectors, and sector-specific associations, which have a differential effect on consumers in different sectors. Thus, this study reveals that corporate branding is important to consumers in all the sectors, but a single corporate brand story does not work in all the sectors. Further, corporate associations do not always have a positive effect on the consumers; under certain circumstances, these might either have no effect or have a negative effect on the consumers. Finally, there are two routes by which corporate brand associations can influence consumers – by affecting their cognitive responses or by influencing their affective responses towards the company. The recognition of the important corporate brand associations in the three sectors, and the routes (cognitive or affective) through which these associations influence consumer choices would enable marketers to develop more sophisticated corporate communication strategies.     

Consumers' response to other consumers' participation in new product development

In this paper, we investigate how consumers react to information that the brand has involved other consumers in the development of its new product. More specifically, we investigate how the participation of other consumers in either the ideation, where consumers come up with product ideas, or selection, where consumers select which out of many products the brand should produce and market, impacts on consumers' evaluations of the product and perceptions of the brand. Drawing from the literatures on brand schema and congruity, we hypothesize that by way of its effects on perceived brand uniqueness and brand attribution, consumer participation in new product ideation (selection) impacts more favorably on product and brand ratings when the product is incongruent (congruent) with the brand. An experimental study with 386 consumers supports the hypotheses.     

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.     

新品牌规避消费者预期效应的产品营销路径探索

产品营销关乎企业生存与发展,面临众多大品牌的激烈竞争,对于一个新品牌来说,如何规避消费者对新品牌的不信任预期,使自己企业的产品受到更多消费者的青睐,是一个普遍存在的问题。因为知觉恒常性和知觉定势的存在,消费者在购买产品之前就会形成自己的预期,改变消费者的预期会对产品营销带来非常巨大的作用。改变消费者的预期可以通过消费者产品盲测评价、锚定大品牌的品牌定位策略、找到自己产品的优势、提高定价等路径,规避消费者对新品牌的预期效应,激发消费者做出购买行为。本研究拟为新品牌产品营销提供指导与发展路径。     

Package graphic design and communication across cultures: An investigation of Chinese consumers' interpretation of imported wine labels

Package graphic design is a powerful tool for brand communication. Yet, an important question is how the designs are understood across cultures. A considerable amount of research has focused on cross-cultural marketing communications, prompting discussions on the emergence of global consumer cultures, which make package standardization possible or, conversely, the awareness of cultural differences, which has suggested that package localization is necessary. No research, however, has considered this question from a design-centered perspective and examined whether some package graphic designs are more likely than others to remain intelligible across cultures. This research proposes that packages using motivated signs in their graphic designs are more likely to be intelligible across cultures than packages using arbitrary signs. To explore this proposition, eight imported wine labels were analyzed through a semiotic study (study 1). Then, two studies investigated the interpretations of the wine labels by Chinese consumers. The results indicate that the labels that were classified as “motivated” succeeded in conveying the desired brand meanings to the Chinese respondents (study 2: N = 1391) even when they were not familiar with the wine brand culture (study 3: N = 795). The research presents a theoretical contribution by introducing the concept of sign motivation to the marketing literature and nuancing the classic assumption that visual signs convey different meanings across cultures. It also presents a managerial contribution by presenting a conceptual framework and methodology for the analysis of whether or not a graphic design is likely to be intelligible across cultures. It therefore provides guidelines for the design of packages for international markets.     

消费者品牌转换行为促成机制构建

随着我国经济的快速增长,消费者逐渐呈现出由非绿色品牌向绿色品牌转换的消费趋势。为了更好地提高绿色营销绩效,须从基本因素、强化因素、深化因素三个层面,分析和研究消费者绿色品牌转换过程影响因素的作用,在此基础上从绿色产品生产控制、企业绿色产品宣传推广、绿色产品监督管理、绿色环保的社会宣传等方面出发,构建绿色营销下的消费者品牌转换促成机制,以期望规范企业绿色营销活动,为企业更好地实施绿色营销战略提出建议。     

Does character's gender matter in inspirational brand story? Exploring the moderating effect of gender role conformity

Inspirational brand story is a widely used marketing strategy in brand building. However, few empirical studies have investigated the underlying mechanism and boundary conditions of a successful brand story strategy. The current study examined the influence of lead character's gender in inspirational brand story on consumer–brand identification based on the social identity theory, benevolent sexism, and gender schema theory. Results from two experiments demonstrated that the gender of inspirational brand stories has an impact on consumer brand identity through the mediation effect of sympathy. Compared with a male character, a female character elicits viewers' sympathy, which results in high brand identification. Such a gender effect is stronger when there is a high level of perceived gender role conformity. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.     

商业秘密禁令保护之源流与功能

禁令制度起源于英国,成熟于美国商业秘密法,它是衡平法保护商业秘密的重要手段。禁令主要可分为临时禁令、初步禁令和终局禁令三类,它们各有其不同的适用条件。禁令对相关方的利益影响重大,因此在发布禁令时要以利益平衡为原则,注意其范围和时间限制,以激励和促进创新。     

The Role of Logo Recoloring on Perceptual Fluency in Cause-Related Marketing Campaigns

Abstract

This article investigates the influence of brand esthetics on consumer response to cause-related marketing campaigns. Drawing on brand visual identity and advertising research, a processing fluency perspective is explored in the relationship between stimulus characteristics and consumer judgment. Processing fluency suggests color enhances the ease with which consumers recognize and process brand elements, and more broadly, cause-related marketing campaigns. Brand logos were recolored to enhance the perceptual fluency of the two entities. Its joint effect with conceptual congruence (e.g., fit) indicate that both low and high fit brands benefit from enhanced processing fluency, with a more robust outcome for high fit brands. These effects were mediated by logo evaluation, leading to a new path of fit perceptions in CRM initiatives.