The impact of brand equity on brand preference and purchase intentions in the service industries

The antecedents of brand equity are considered to be brand attitude and brand image, and the consequences of brand equity are considered to be brand preference and purchase intentions. This study concentrates on service brands, selecting 18 from 3 service categories. A structural equation model is presented. Not only does it show a good fit with the research constructs but also the relationships between brand image and brand equity, and brand attitude and brand equity. The impact of brand equity on customer preference and purchase intentions is confirmed as well, which tends to validate the proposed research framework.     

Increasing customer purchase intention through product return policies: The pivotal impacts of retailer brand familiarity and product categories

This study gauges customer perspectives to investigate how return policy generosity (the degree to which a retailer imposes minimal restrictions on returns) influences customer-perceived value and customer purchase intention. It also examines two moderators, retailer brand familiarity (the extent to which the retailer brand is well-known) and product categories (the difference between products with respect to the magnitude of effort required to make a return). An experiment with a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design was conducted. The results show that return policy generosity increases customer purchase intention by enhancing the perceived value of the policy. Lesser-known retailers benefit more from generous return policies than their well-known competitors, particularly when a product requires significant return effort. Well-known retailers benefit from offering generous return policies only for product categories that involve low levels of return effort. The findings of this study suggest that if a retailer formulates a return policy without considering the moderating effects of retailer brand familiarity and product category, then it will tend to over-invest if the return policy is generous.     

The influence of sport sponsorship on brand equity and purchase behavior

Abstract

Drawing on Aaker’s brand equity model and Keller’s brand engagement concept and building on the sponsorship between a professional basketball club and a software company, this study examined how sport sponsorship affects brand equity and purchase behavior of the sponsor’s product. Data from 222 survey respondents were collected and analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques. The results provided evidence that perceived quality and brand engagement impact brand loyalty and purchase behavior of fans toward the sponsor’s product. Perceived fit between sponsor and sponsee and team identification were found to influence significantly sponsor’s brand equity constructs. The study extends Aaker’s model in the sport sponsorship context and highlights the influential role of perceived quality and brand engagement on driving sport team fans to form brand loyalty and purchase sponsor’s product.     

The low effect of perceived risk in the relation between hedonic values and purchase intention

ABSTRACT

This research seeks to identify the influence of perceived risk in the purchase intention environment regarding innovative technological products, and also to understand how brand trust reduces the expected impact of this risk due to the hedonic and utilitarian characteristics influencing purchase intention. Quantitative research was carried out and analysed through structural equation modelling, where the influence of perceived risk on utilitarian value and purchase intention was identified, as well as the influence of brand trust in reducing this risk. The conceptual implications of the study describe as the perceived risk moderates hedonic features less compared to utilitarian features regarding purchase intention, thus demonstrating that emotional relationships are less affected by this risk. The managerial implications suggest that devices with utilitarian characteristics should be more carefully planned according to their brand and complexity, while hedonic products do not require brand trust to guarantee consumers’ purchase intention in the current innovative scenario.     

The role of international tourist perceptions of brand equity and travel intention in culinary tourism

Brand equity is becoming increasingly important, and research has started to examine the brand equity of tourist destinations. However, little research has studied the inter-relationship between the dimensions of brand equity in culinary tourism. The purpose of this study is to examine the roles of the three aspects of brand equity in culinary tourism. The Sobel test in line with Baron and Kenny's procedure was used to test the hypotheses in a sample of 407 international tourists from 10 regions. The empirical evidence supports the process-oriented view and indicates that brand loyalty could mediate the effects of brand image and perceived quality on travel intention. The findings of this study contribute to the theoretical development of a conceptual model and fill the gap in the literature.     

Investigating the impact of intelligent personal assistants on the purchase intentions of Generation Z consumers: The moderating role of brand credibility

Consumers increasingly use intelligent personal assistants for shopping, given their advantages of being hands-free and voice-controlled, enabling individuals to multi-task during interactions, and identifying users through voice printing. Members of Generation Z (Gen Z), the world's most populous generation, who focus on experiences and innovation and are familiar with using the internet, are increasingly using smart technologies. However, the factors that influence Gen Z consumers' purchase intentions as they use intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) are unknown. Drawing on the computers are social actors (CASA) paradigm, this paper explores how the intelligent features of IPAs affect Gen Z consumers' purchase intentions and investigates the moderating effect of brand credibility. Using structural equation modeling on a sample of 428 Gen Z consumers who use IPAs, the results show that personalization and a conversational tone have significant positive effects on informational support and emotional support. Autonomy and responsiveness have significant positive effects on informational support. Informational support and emotional support have a positive impact on purchase intentions. Brand credibility positively moderates the relationships between informational support and purchase intentions and between emotional support and purchase intentions. This study deepens our understanding of the antecedents of purchase intentions that affect Gen Z's use of IPAs and provides practical guidance for the development of IPAs. In addition, the results could help companies develop strategies to improve brand credibility to increase the purchase intentions of Gen Z consumers.     

The role of perceived product quality and overall satisfaction on purchase intentions

The study investigated the effects of perceived product quality and overall satisfaction on purchase intentions. Moreover, the direct and indirect effects of values and involvement on purchase intentions were studied. The study utilized the survey questionnaire and used sport shoes as the product being researched. The sample consisted of 197 students who responded to an anonymous questionnaire. Five hypotheses were tested and four of them were confirmed by the data. Perceived quality had a direct and an indirect effect (through overall satisfaction) on purchase intentions, overall satisfaction had a direct effect on purchase intentions and involvement had an indirect effect on purchase intentions through overall satisfaction and perceived quality. The results of the study provide several theoretical and practical implications.     

Push-based brand awareness: the role of product availability and in-store merchandising

This study introduces a new brand awareness conceptualization; ‘push-based brand awareness’ in the light of available retailing, distribution, and branding literature. Previously, push-based awareness merely defined brand/product availability. This study extends that definition by including available brand awareness created by in-store merchandising. While out-of-stock (OOS) literature extensively interprets product availability and consumers' responses to OOS brands, a brand's effect on consumer awareness remains unexamined. Because such brand awareness may be one of the major reasons behind frequently purchased product success, such consumer awareness deserves closer attention. This study introduces the push-based brand awareness concept with a proposed model including possible managerial implications.     

Elements of destination brand equity and destination familiarity regarding travel intention

In a highly competitive market, marketing staff are always looking for solutions to strengthen what can be called their destination values (unique place, services, and human resources, etc.). They do this by concentrating on vital factors which can enhance their brand equity. Nevertheless, there is a shortage of studies about how destination brand evaluations are related to visitor appraisals. Using the opinions of 531 foreign tourists visiting a destination in Vietnam and a partial least squares (PLS) approach, this study examines four elements of destination brand equity (perceived quality, loyalty, awareness, image) regarding travel intentions and the moderating effect of destination familiarity. Results revealed that brand equity is positively related to travel intentions. Additionally, destination familiarity has positive moderating effects on destination awareness and perceived quality of travel intentions. This study offers some managerial insights into the effective building of destination brand equity.     

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.     

基于品牌联合的食品品牌信任提升研究

面对近年来国内外频发的食品安全事件所引发的食品品牌信任危机,如何有效提升食品品牌的消费者信任或使一个不知名的食品品牌获得消费者的信任,是目前业界普遍关心的问题。已有研究表明,产品信息对食品品牌信任的影响明显,但对相关问题缺乏系统深入研究。文章在借鉴前人研究成果的基础上,进一步界定食品品牌信任的内涵,开创性地以品牌联合为增加品牌信息之手段,构建以增加品牌信息为核心的食品品牌信任提升机制模型,以实施不同形式品牌联合的不知名食品品牌为研究刺激物,通过比较不同联合模式下食品品牌信任的变化,系统研究食品产品的品牌信任影响机制,以探寻食品品牌信任的提升机制、手段与方法。     

Testing the robustness of brand partitions identified from purchase duplication analysis

Purchase duplication analysis examines the extent to which buyers of any brand A also buy other brands B, C, D and so on. A generalised finding from its use is that brands share their buyers with other brands approximately in-line with the size of those other brands. The approach is widely used by analysts and managers. One important use of the method is to identify partitions – brands that share buyers at a higher than expected rate. Partitions may form among competitor brands, but also among ‘same name’ or sub-brands that share a parent name (e.g. Coke, Diet Coke). A partition among same-name brands means they are cannibalising each other. Whether one’s focus is on cannibalisation within a portfolio, identifying close competitors, or to generally understand market structure, duplication analysis can provide insights. However, there are two potential confounds to its use: family buying and buying multiple brands on the same occasion. This study tests if these two factors confound the use of purchase duplications, using data from 12 grocery categories. The principal finding is that the identification of partitions is robust to these confounds. The study finds partitions among same-name brands are common and are also not due to these confounds.     

Functional brand qualities and perceived value: The mediating role of brand experience and brand personality

Brand experience and brand personality have become two important theoretical constructs in the branding literature. However, research on the antecedents of these two constructs has been focused on intangible brand characteristics and qualities, underestimating the role of functional features. This study aims to overcome this gap by postulating that two key functional brand qualities, quality and innovativeness, help shape brand experience and personality, which, we ultimately predict, contribute to perceived value. Investments in quality and innovation have grown substantially, but how they materialize in benefits for customers and firms remains unclear. Accordingly, this study provides insights into how firms can engender the characteristics of their offer to build brands that are perceived by consumers as generating a valued brand experience and personality. The results from two samples provide broad support to the proposed model. Both brand quality and innovativeness contribute to brand experience and personality. Moreover, we observe that both brand experience and personality relate to perceived value. Finally, we also determined that brand personality and experience partially mediate the relationship between brand innovativeness and quality and perceived value. Hence, these results provide relevant implications for both theory and the practice of brand management.     

The role of perceived value in vertical brand extensions of luxury and premium brands

Abstract

This study examines the role of perceived value in the relationship between brand attitude, perceived fit, extension attitude and consumers’ purchase intention of downscale vertical extensions of luxury and premium brands in two product categories: cars and shoes. Results from 236 individuals with different income levels show that extension attitude is positively related to purchase intention both directly and indirectly, via the perceived value of the extension; the latter is more strongly correlated than extension attitude to consumers’ purchase intention. Brand attitude is also positively associated with perceived value. Overall, perceived value partially mediates the relationships of brand attitude and of extension attitude with purchase intention. The product category affects the strength of some of the relationships in the model, including the role of fit.     

Travelling for Umrah: destination attributes,destination image,and post-travel intentions

This paper examines the links between cosmopolitanism, self-identity, and a desire for social interaction on perceived destination image and behavioural intentions. A model was tested using a sample of 538 Iranian visitors to Mecca for the purpose of Umrah. The result from the structural model suggests that destination attributes influence perceived destination image. Further, such tourists are likely to revisit or recommend Islamic destinations if their experience matches their perceived image of the destination. This implies that, while the religious characteristics of the destination remain important, destination managers cannot disregard the tangential, non-religious attributes of a destination which are crucial in order to satisfy more conventional tourist desires. As such, this study suggests that those managing religious travel destinations should endeavour to foster a welcoming image, where experience, interaction, and tolerance are at the forefront of the destination’s offering.     

Consumer purchase intentions for green products: Mediating role of WTP and moderating effects of framing

This research examines the role of consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) in the purchase decision process for a green product and investigates the moderating effects of two types of framing: price and ecological message claim. Using an experimental design, 262 participants were assigned randomly to one of nine conditions (3 price × 3 ecological message frames). The results reveal a mediating effect of WTP on the relationship between consumers' perceptions and purchase intentions. Furthermore, a price framed in aggregate terms reinforces the positive effect of WTP on purchase intention. The mere presence of an ecological message claim also enhances the relation between WTP and purchase intentions. This research proposes ways marketers can promote their green products. The results encourage the use of ecological messages and frames of prices in an aggregate form to enhance consumers' purchase intentions through WTP.     

品牌来源国和产品制造国对消费者产品质量评价和购买意愿的影响

This research explores the different effects of brand origin country and made-in country on consumers’ product evaluations and purchase intention. It is found that made-in cues have significant impacts on quality evaluation while brand origin cues influence purchase intention more prominently. Product quality is perceived lower when a brand from developed country is manufactured in developing countries, however, this may not affect consumers’ purchase intentions.      

Franchisee-based brand equity and performance

This study focuses on the perceptions of franchisees and analyzes the influence of brand equity on franchisee performance. The factors that constitute brand equity are also assessed. Factor analysis was used to generate valid and reliable scales based on a sample of 205 Portuguese franchisee firms, and structural equation modeling methodology was then employed in the analysis. The results show franchisee-based brand equity (FBBE) to be a multivariate factor with strong influence on performance. This study contributes significantly to the literature by showing the perspective of franchisees toward franchising. It also has implications on the adequacy of corporate strategy in achieving performance.     

Bridging the online offline gap: Assessing the impact of brands’ social network content quality on brand awareness and purchase intention

Social media is shaping the way companies and brands engage and interact with consumers, particularly Millennials. In light of this growing trend, this study aims to understand the influence of content quality and brand interactivity within social media on consumers' brand awareness and purchase intentions by proposing an empirical model which is tested using structural equation modeling. The study also explores whether the relation between social media stimuli and offline purchase intention is mediated by hedonic motivation, consumer engagement and brand awareness. Results reveal that the quality of content provided by brands on social media and company-users' interactivity are of major importance to Millennials. They increase the hedonic motive derived by these users from social media, strengthen their online engagement and intensify their brand awareness. This heightened online consumer engagement coupled with an increased online consumer brand awareness leads to an increase in the purchase intention of these brands offline. Consequently, companies are encouraged to invest in producing high-quality content on their social media pages, deploy all possible strategies to enhance brand users’ interactivity given the important role these variables play in entertaining, engaging users online, building brand awareness and influencing their offline purchase intentions.     

A higher-order model of consumer brand engagement and its impact on loyalty intentions

Consumer brand engagement is increasingly gaining popularity among practitioners and academics as a prominent consumer-brand relationship construct. The emergent literature on consumer brand engagement, largely conceptual, offers various definitions of the construct, though without much consensus. We offer a novel higher-order model of consumer brand engagement that we derive from organizational psychology. We adapt the concept of employee engagement and examine its factorial validity in a consumer-brand relationship context, defining consumer brand engagement as consumers' positive, fulfilling, brand-use-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication and absorption. We develop and empirically test a three-dimensional model of brand engagement, outlining relevant antecedents and outcomes. More importantly, we assess the managerial utility of consumer brand engagement by examining its impact on consumer loyalty intentions. We additionally compare the explanatory capability of brand engagement relative to traditional consumer judgments of value, quality and satisfaction. A survey of 408 mobile phone consumers from India provided data for empirical testing. The results support the three-dimensional factor structure of consumer brand engagement. Brand engagement not only exerts a significant impact on loyalty intentions, but also explains significantly more variation in the outcome in addition to the variation explained jointly by value, quality and satisfaction. Theoretically, we offer a holistic multi-dimensional measure of consumer brand engagement, and examine key nomological relationships. Managerially, we demonstrate the explanatory capability of brand engagement in explaining consumer loyalty intentions, offering a useful tool in the relationship-building repertoire of managers.