Prototypicality advantages for pioneers over me-too brands: the role of evolving product designs |
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Authors: | Stephen J Carson Robert D Jewell Christopher Joiner |
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Institution: | (1) David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, 1645 E. Campus Center Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA;(2) College of Business Administration, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA;(3) MSN 5F4, George Mason University, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA |
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Abstract: | Prior empirical research suggests that consumers perceive pioneers as more prototypical (i.e., representative) of their product
categories than me-too followers. This prototypicality advantage is believed to contribute to an enduring marketplace advantage
for the pioneer. We extend research into pioneering prototypicality advantages by considering the ramifications of simultaneous
product design (i.e., product attribute) evolutions. We hypothesize that the simultaneous evolution of product designs of
both the pioneer and me-too will diminish the pioneer’s prototypicality advantage over the me-too, even though the me-too
does not initiate the change. To test our hypotheses, we create an experimental environment consisting of four cells, each
corresponding to a different marketplace scenario: a no-change condition; a simultaneous-evolution condition; a pioneer-updates-first
condition; and a leapfrogging (i.e., me-too updates first) condition. The results suggest that simultaneous design evolutions
can diminish the pioneer’s prototypicality advantage. As a result, me-too entry may be a more attractive strategy in the long-run
than currently believed in product categories characterized by substantial design evolution.
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Keywords: | Pioneering advantage Market entry Prototypicality Anchoring |
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