Resolving conflict over salespeople’s brand adoption in franchised channels of distribution

Many franchise-based retail outlets offer both the franchisor-owned brand and brands of competitors or independent suppliers. As salespeople may influence customers’ brand choices considerably, an important concern for franchisors is how to raise salespeople’s selling preferences for the franchisor-owned brand. However, the channel administration literature suggests that salespeople may not automatically favor the franchisor’s brand over other brand lines. While a large body of research examines franchise–channel relationships, previous investigations have conspicuously overlooked this channel conflict. In proposing a conceptual model grounded in the behavioral sciences, this study analyzes how franchisors can induce salespeople to advocate their brand by fostering the intention to promote the franchisor-owned brand (IFOB) in customer interaction. The results of an empirical field study show that individual brand promotion depends on factors such as salespeople’s identification with the franchisor and their tenure with the organization, as well as on the franchisor’s prestige and administration of the franchise. Moreover, we find that franchisees’ IFOB transfers to salespeople, but only if franchisees display a charismatic leadership style. We discuss these findings in light of extant theory and empirical evidence and derive several managerially relevant implications for the administration of franchised retail channels.     

The impact of different fit dimensions on spillover effects in brand alliances

Brand alliances represent a popular business strategy in many industries, because firms hope to evoke positive consumer evaluations of both the alliance’s product and the partner brands. However, extant research offers mixed findings regarding the effects of a brand alliance on its partner brands (i.e., spillover effects). In response, this study separates spillover effects into the effects of the alliance product on the partner brands (brand alliance effects) and the effects between partner brands (brand contrast effects), while also noting the potential moderating impact of perceived attitude- and product-based fit between partner brands on resulting spillover effects. Two experimental studies consistently reveal the existence of brand contrast effects; furthermore, the partner brand’s attitude-based fit reduces undesired brand contrast effects and positively moderates spillover effects in brand alliances, whereas product-based fit does not. Therefore, a third study identifies relevant drivers of partner brand’s attitude-based fit for different brand alliances (i.e., co-branding, ingredient branding, and joint advertising). The findings have notable implications for the design and management of brand alliances.     

Masstige model and measure for brand management

The purpose of this article is to reconceptualize the term “masstige” (Mass Prestige) marketing, develop a masstige model for brand management, and extend the use of the Masstige Mean Scale (MMS). The study was conducted based on the data from 600 individuals living in the United States, France, and India using a structured questionnaire consisting of different factors/sources of brand equity, such as mass prestige, brand knowledge, and perceived quality. On the basis of the findings, we establish that the greater the brand's Masstige Mean Index (MMI) value (“MMIV”), the higher the potential customers' top-of-mind brand awareness. Low MMIVs imply that firms have a long way to go to build their brands. We argue that MMI may allow firms to measure brand equity in different regions, within a country or in foreign countries, to derive insights into the popularity of their brands. We posit three theoretical propositions and develop two theoretical models (i) a hexagon model and (ii) a three-stage model for masstige marketing to define, reconceptualize, and explain the phenomenon.     

Consumer perceptions of luxury brands: An owner-based perspective

To deepen theoretical and practical understanding of consumers' perceptions of luxury brands, prior marketing literature has investigated the financial, functional, individual, and social dimensions of the luxury value construct. However, it has not considered the owners of luxury brands or detailed the moderated effects of luxury value on related attitudinal outcomes. To address this gap, this study draws on an existing second-order conceptualization of luxury value to introduce and empirically examine an extended conceptualization of the owner-based luxury value (OBLV) construct. The study draws on brand equity theory to offer a conceptual model of the attitudinal outcomes of OBLV in terms of brand loyalty, brand attachment, brand community behavior, and brand engagement. Using unique data from 452 actual owners of three luxury brands (Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Prada), the authors confirm the predicted attitudinal outcomes of OBLV and reveal moderating effects of awareness of counterfeit existence. Their findings provide new insights and implications for luxury brand research and luxury brand managers. The research provides a richer understanding of OBLV and yields important managerial insights into how to influence luxury-seeking consumers' perceptions of, and attitudes to, luxury brands.     

An Exploratory Study of the Managerial Implications of Valuing Brands

This paper reports the results of interdisciplinary research extending the work of Mather and Peasnell (1991) reported in an earlier issue of this journal. Mather and Peasnell conducted an empirical analysis of the economic circumstances surrounding decisions to capitalize brands. This study investigates the managerial implications of periodically assessing and capitalizing the value of brands. Exploratory interviews were conducted with the key players in brand valuation activity, namely marketing and finance officials in brand-valuing companies and two senior personnel in the leading international brand-valuing agency. The recent inception of brand valuation in the accounts of several strong branded British companies provides an excellent research opportunity to explore a relatively novel managerial activity and its internal implications. These implications are reviewed under the headings: planning and control, the accounting/marketing interface, authorization of brand-related expenditure and brand-related decision making. An important finding of the study is that, while the original impetus for brand valuation came from balance sheet considerations, other unforseen managerial advantages are now widely perceived to accrue from brand valuation. The majority of current brand valuation activity appears to be driven more by management information needs, which are served by the evaluation phase of the exercise, than by a desire to capitalize brands in the published statements.     

Servant leadership,employer brand perception,trust in leaders and turnover intentions: a sequential mediation model

The study aimed to examine the impact of the servant leadership style on employee turnover intentions by investigating the sequential mediating effects of employer brand perception and level of trust subordinates have in their leaders. Results of the study were obtained by analysing data collected from 253 employees working in Indian organizations. The results fully support the hypotheses proposed in the study, illustrating that perceived servant leadership style is negatively associated with employee turnover intentions. Further, servant leadership-turnover intentions relationship is sequentially mediated by employer brand perception and the level of trust subordinates have in their leaders. The study also found that only the servant leadership style followed by leaders was not enough to directly influence the level of trust employees placed in their leaders. A positive and strong employer brand perception emerged as an important mechanism that helped servant leaders gain the trust of their followers. The theoretical and managerial implications are further discussed in the light of these findings.     

广告诉求与品牌个性感知差异对消费者购买意愿的影响研究

以汽车品牌为例,通过对比企业广告诉求和消费者品牌个性感知的差异,从品牌个性为消费者带来不同利益的角度探索这种差异对购买意愿的影响。实证结果表明,对于功能性和体验性品牌个性,广告诉求超出消费者品牌个性感知越多,购买意愿越低;反之亦然。对于象征性品牌个性,当消费者"圆熟"个性感知低于广告诉求时,广告诉求超出消费者感知越多,购买意愿越高。研究结论对企业的广告策略和品牌个性管理具有参考价值。     

Meaning threats heighten consumer attachment: implications for global brand management

Global brand consumers have become more prone to engage in variety-seeking and loyalty-switching behavior, so global brand managers are in urgent need to develop effective strategies to reinforce brand loyalty and lower the propensity of consumer defection. As a growing body of research indicates, consumer attachment and brand loyalty are closely correlated. The current study, linking the concepts of fluid meaning compensation and consumer attachment, unravels a novel loyalty-reinforcing avenue. Three experiments, manipulating scenarios of meaning threats commonly seen in everyday life (sense of absurdity, anxious uncertainty and social exclusion) on global brand consumers, verify that meaning threats heighten attachment of consumers toward their most attached brands. More importantly, this finding applies to global brand consumers across product or service brand categories with luxury or non-luxury brand positions. Hence, maximizing the fluid meaning compensation function of attached brands is conducive to reinforcement of global brand loyalty. Academic and strategic implications are gleaned from the research result for global brand management.     

功能性价值和象征性价值对品牌忠诚的影响:性别差异和品牌差异的调节作用

根据品牌资产、品牌关系和目标理论,本文从理论上阐释了价值作为品牌忠诚直接前置变量的作用,功能性、象征性价值对品牌忠诚的影响在实证研究中得到支持,而且这种影响存在非线性的特征.本研究进一步考察了性别差异和品牌差异对上述影响的调节作用,结果表明:(1)象征性价值对品牌忠诚的影响存在性别差异,其作用女性强于男性;(2)随着品牌差异的提高,功能性、象征性价值对品牌忠诚的影响增强.     

Intra-industry diversification effects under firm-specific contingencies on the demand side

How do firm-specific, demand-related factors influence the relationship between intra-industry diversification (IID) and performance? Recent findings regarding the performance effects of IID depict a complex picture with curvilinear relationships and several contingencies. However, firm-specific contingencies on the demand side have remained unexplored. We analyze how IID relates to firm performance (market share) in the German automotive industry using panel data between 1999 and 2008. We specifically focus on a firm's high-quality brand image as a demand-side contingency. We find support for our hypotheses of complex curvilinear relationships as well as for moderating effects of brand quality. Our results have significant theoretical implications for the IID literature.     

使用者形象一致性及形象强度对品牌延伸的影响

运用2个实验探讨了延伸产品与母品牌"使用者形象一致性"对消费者评价品牌延伸产生的影响。实验1表明,"使用者形象一致性"与"产品相似性"之间存在交互作用:当延伸产品使用者形象与母品牌使用者形象一致时,消费者根据延伸产品与"原产品"的相似性或延伸产品的"远"、"近"对品牌延伸做出评价;此时,"近"的延伸较"远"的延伸获得更高评价。当延伸产品使用者形象与母品牌使用者形象不一致时,"远"的延伸反而比"近"的延伸获得更高评价。实验2表明,母品牌使用者刻板印象的强、弱,会调节"使用者形象一致性"对延伸评价的影响。具体来说,对于使用者刻板印象强的品牌,形象不一致会对延伸评价产生较大的负面影响;对于使用者刻板印象较弱的品牌,形象不一致不会对延伸评价形成负面影响。     

Why Does PSM Lead to Higher Work Stress? Exploring the Role that Organizational Identity Theory has on the Relationship between Public Service Motivation and External-Related Stress among Federal Government Employees

Public Organization Review - This study explored the effects that organizational identity and perceptions of prestige have on the relationship between public service motivation (PSM) and public...     

价格促销对消费者品牌选择的影响研究

本文通过实验方法探索性地研究了价格促销对消费者品牌选择的非对称影响。研究表明:消费者对不同产品的价格敏感性有所不同;较贵重的笔记本电脑、手机等耐用消费品行业中的低端品牌在与高端品牌的短期价格竞争中会获得更多市场份额,而对较廉价的洗发水等非耐用消费品来说,高端品牌将会在降价促销时获益更多。本文研究结论与国外同类研究结论有所不同,对企业的定价决策有重要的理论指导意义。     

Negative spillover effects in brand cooperation

This research investigates negative spillover effects on brand trust and purchase intentions due to violations of implicit or explicit rules within brand cooperation (transgressions). In particular, this research examines a joint new product launch activity of a focal brand and a partner brand. Study 1, an experimental study with brand community members of the focal brand and different transgression scenarios, reveals fewer spillover effects on the focal brand when the partner brand is responsible for the transgression, and discovers more negative spillover effects on the partner brand when the focal brand causes the transgression. In other words, brand community members transfer the responsibility for the transgression to an external cause. Study 2 explores different forms of crisis communication in the context of a product launch delay and finds that a denial by the focal brand is more effective with respect to image restoration than a denial by the partner brand. However, when both brands deny responsibility at the same time, the denial negatively influences trust in both brands.     

Stakeholder-oriented brand management: A Venn-diagram approach to monitor brand associations

Adopting a multi-stakeholder perspective on brand management, this paper discusses different methodological approaches that allow for a cross-stakeholder evaluation of associations the brand triggers. Our main contribution is the proposal and illustration of a Venn-diagram approach as a simple-to-implement, yet insightful methodology to visualize findings from free association questions. This approach helps brand management understand and compare the associations attached to a brand by multiple stakeholders and their degree of match with management-desired brand associations. We illustrate the managerial relevance of this approach with results from an international study comparing brand associations desired by the management of a company with brand associations elicited by customers and employees, with some 1500 respondents respectively. For the particular case investigated, we find that management-desired associations may not (yet) be top-of-mind for customers, employees or both groups, while these groups hold (and partly share) associations not desired by the organization. The findings also show that specific types of associations are more likely to be top-of-mind with multiple stakeholders than others. We discuss how brand management should use the insights gained via this Venn-diagram approach in their brand-building efforts.     

基于CBBE视角的品牌年轻化研究：以品牌个性和品牌忠诚为视角

通过借助基于顾客的品牌资产模型来分析和研究品牌个性与品牌延伸在品牌年轻化过程中的作用,并利用调研设计方法来研究其他品牌因素.同时,在5个中国代表性城市:北京(北部)、深圳(南部)、上海(东部)、成都(西部)和武汉(中部)进行了调研.研究结论表明:鲜明的品牌个性和向年轻人市场延伸的举措,能够起到提升品牌形象和扩大品牌知名度的作用.从而使品牌重新获得品牌资产,让已老化的品牌得以年轻化.     

品牌权益影响股东价值的实证研究

市场营销活动对企业股东价值的影响是品牌价值链研究的重要方面。近年来营销学者为了向企业经理证实营销活动能够为企业带来长远效益,不断探索各个营销环节和营销活动对企业股东价值的影响。从品牌的视角探讨营销活动对股东价值的影响,探索品牌权益对股东价值的影响途径和中介变量以及这些影响在不同行业之间的差异;以世界品牌实验室关于品牌价值评估的数据作为品牌权益的测量,以网易网站和东方财富网站的财务数据计算Tobin′sQ作为企业股东价值的测量,采用2005年～2007年的数据进行面板数据分析。研究结果表明,品牌权益能够正向影响股东价值,企业利润是品牌权益和股东价值的中介变量,品牌权益对股东价值的影响受企业所在行业的调节。     

In-Store Experimental Approach to Pricing and Consumer Behavior

This study assessed how, and to what extent, it is possible to use behavioral experimentation and relative sales analysis to study the effects of price on consumers' brand choices in the store environment. An in-store experiment was performed in four stores to investigate the effects of different prices of a target brand on consumers' relative buying behavior using an alternating treatment design with baseline. The intervention consisted of periodically reducing the target brand's price by 17–26%. Price reductions generally had none or minor effects. However, data for one store showed lower relative sales for the price reduction condition. These are surprising results and they underline the need to examine all of the marketing mix factors, not only price.     

如何应用国家文化原型实现品牌的国际化传播——基于中国品牌海外社交媒体广告的多案例研究

本文基于中国品牌海外社交媒体广告的多案例研究,深入探讨了基于国家文化原型的品牌国际化传播策略,并检验了不同应用策略在不同情景下消费者反应的差异。研究表明:(1)国家文化原型资源可以根据文化层次和文化类属分为4种不同的组合方式,相应地,品牌文化原型应用策略也可分为工具性审美、差异化表现、目标消费者认同、全球共识意义获取四种类型;(2)东道国类型(文化距离近vs.远)、企业国际化发展阶段(初期vs.快速发展期)以及企业的传播诉求(产品vs.品牌)会对不同应用策略的传播效果产生影响。本研究不仅丰富了品牌国际化的研究成果,还可为新兴市场企业如何应用国家文化原型助力品牌的国际化传播提供指导和借鉴。     

CEO-COB prestige distance and change in diversification: Exploring a curvilinear relationship

This study investigates how the prestige distance between a new chief executive officer (CEO) and the chairperson of the board (COB) can influence changes in the firm’s level of diversification. We draw on social comparison theory and activity theory to argue that the prestige distance between a CEO and COB alters the interaction and communication between the two leaders, and accordingly influences the firm’s ability to change its diversification posture. We test our hypotheses on a dataset of 135 firms and find that the prestige distance in CEO-COB dyads has a U-shaped relationship with the change in the firm’s level of diversification. Our results reveal that low CEO-COB prestige distance, and to a lesser extent high CEO-COB prestige distance, creates conditions for greater changes in the firm’s level of diversification. Further, we find that this U-shaped relationship is more pronounced when the CEO-COB dyad has greater age differences and flattens when the dyad shares age similarity.