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The Effect of Online Consumer Reviews and Brand Equity on the Consumer Decision Making ProcessAhmad, Fayez 12 1900 (has links)
This research aims to investigate the (1) review effects on consumer decision making process, (2) effects of negative reviews on brand equity, and (3) consumers' likely response to a brand's request for reviews. The objective of the first essay is to investigate the nature of the relationship between skepticism and consumer decision making in an online behavior context. Its second objective is to know whether people's belief on their abilities or their hedonic principle moderates the relationship between a person's skepticism toward online reviews and their reliance on online reviews. The objective of the second essay is to explore whether negative online reviews that focus on service quality specific dimensions have a different effect on a service organization's perceived brand equity. Its second objective is to analyze the role of emotional contagion in the relationship between negative reviews related to various service quality dimensions and its effect on perceived brand equity. The main objective of the third essay is to know whether consumers are more likely to write an online review for a brand when the request comes from a higher equity brand. This essay also investigates how message trust and persuasion knowledge influence the relationship between a brand's request to write online reviews and the likelihood of consumers to write reviews. These three essays altogether contribute to the online review and the brand equity literature by providing new insights about the intricate relationship between online reviews, brand equity, and consumer decision-making.
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Untangling the Brand Name from the Branded Entity: The Conceptualisation and Value of the Established Brand NameRound, G., Roper, Stuart January 2015 (has links)
Yes / Purpose – The purpose of this study was to investigate the value to consumers of the brand name element for established brands, given that the focus in the literature has been on new brands. To accomplish this, conceptual development was initially undertaken in order to illuminate the links between the brand name element and the brand entity and to provide a theoretical framework for looking at changes in value of the brand name element to consumers over time.
Design/methodology/approach – A conjoint analysis experimental approach was employed. This involved consumers making trade-off decisions between changes in brand name and changes in price for established brands, where they were active purchasers. This approach enabled isolation of the brand name element and obtained the relative value of the brand name element for each participant.
Findings – The mean value obtained for the importance of the brand name element for established products appeared to show substantial importance to consumers. However, further analysis identified a position where the majority of participants placed little value on the brand name element and a smaller but material group perceived its value as of overwhelming importance.
Originality/value – This paper advances branding theory through clarification of the relationship between the brand name element and the brand entity. It provides theoretical argument and empirical data for the value of the brand name element, to the consumer, differing between established and new brands.
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Contribuições ao estudo do brand equity integrado - perspectiva financeira e do consumidor - estudo de caso no mercado do futebol / Contributions to integrated brand equity study - financial and consumer perspective - soccer market case study.Louzada, Laura Mendes 03 July 2015 (has links)
A marca é um importante ativo intangível para as empresas, que pode contribuir para aumentar o valor e o sucesso no mercado. O bom gerenciamento da marca exige um sistema para entender e medir como o valor da marca é criado. Tratado, na maioria das vezes, como brand equity, existem diversas perspectivas nas quais ele é abordado. Alguns modelos abordam perspectivas exclusivamente financeiras. Outros, exclusivamente relacionadas ao consumidor. Outros ainda, convergem ambas perspectivas. O presente estudo defende a convergência perspectivas e buscou modelos integrados para analisar junto ao campo escolhido: o mercado do futebol. Que foi selecionado devido à representatividade no Brasil, às discussões para profissionalização e o envolvimento de um consumidor particular, o torcedor, movido pela paixão pelo clube. Como objetivo principal, busca-se entender a integração dos modelos de brand equity, sob a perspectiva financeira e do consumidor, no mercado do futebol. Foi desenvolvido um estudo exploratório, com entrevistas em profundidade, análise documental e registros em arquivos. As entrevistas realizaram-se com importantes stakeholders do mercado do futebol. Os dados obtidos foram triangulados, buscando encontrar padrões para a análise dos resultados, que será feita por meio da análise de conteúdo. Foi possível: analisar os modelos teóricos de brand equity e verificar aplicação das variáveis no mercado do futebol; analisar modelos práticos utilizados no mercado do futebol; verificar a integração financeira e do consumidor do brand equity no mercado do futebol; e avaliar a importância e as implicações gerencias e de marketing do brand equity no mercado do futebol. A contribuição teórica para o marketing está, principalmente, na ampliação do escopo dos modelos teóricos de brand equity integrado, tratando um consumidor particular, movido pela paixão. Além da proposição de um guideline, para o brand equity dos clubes de futebol brasileiros. / Brand is an important intangible asset for companies, which can help to increase the market value success. Brand management requires a system to understand and measure how to create brand equity. There are a number of perspectives in which brand equity is broached. Some of them address financial perspectives. Others, the consumer approach. Still others converge both perspectives. This article advocates for convergence and sought for integrated models to analyze within soccer market. Soccer was selected because its representativeness in Brazil, its professionalization discussions and supporters involvement, a particular consumer driven by his passion for the team. The main objective is to understand brand equity models integration, under financial and consumer perspectives, in soccer market. A exploratory study was developed, based on interviews, documentation and archival records. Interviews were held with key soccer market stakeholders. Data were triangulated to search for patterns to results analyzes. Results were obtained by content analysis. It was possible to analyze theoretical brand equity models and to verify its variables application in the soccer market. I addition, practical soccer market brand equity models were analyzed. Soccer market brand equity models were examined in terms of financial and consumer perspectives integration. Soccer market brand equity importance, managerial and marketing implications were evaluated. In terms of marketing contribution, it was possible to expand theoretical integrated brand equity models scope, based on a particular consumer. In addition, it was possible to propose a guideline for Brazilian soccer clubs brand equity.
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Retailers’ perceptions of product brand equity: an empirical study of Vietnamese independent grocersTran, Quan Ha Minh Unknown Date (has links)
In the literature on product branding, significant attention has been paid to brand equity in the consumer context, but relatively little attention has been paid to the application of the concept of brand equity to the business-to-business context. Even less research has been conducted on the role of brand equity in the retailing context. Retailers are assumed to be irrelevant to the source of brand value for manufacturers, with the result that manufacturers do not target retailers to help them build strong brands. Therefore, there is potential for some channel conflict to occur between manufacturers and retailers. On the one hand, retailers may tend to focus on building their own, private brands to differentiate themselves from other retail competitors and to increase their power in relation to manufacturer brands. On the other hand, retailers also need to create a good image in the consumer marketplace by selling famous, manufacturer-branded products. In other words, retailers often have to sell famous brands even if they would prefer to sell other brands, or their own. Manufacturers therefore tend to focus on building strong brand associations in consumers’ minds, in order to control retailers’ power.There is an argument that traditional ways of thinking about brands, i.e. only from the consumer perspective, has produced ‘both an incomplete analysis of branding from an academic perspective and incomplete management of the brand from a company perspective’ (Webster 2000). The relationship between manufacturers and retailers should be viewed as a partnership instead of competition for consumer loyalty (Narus & Anderson 1986). Powerful consumer brands not only provide value to manufacturers and consumers, but they also offer many obvious benefits to retailers. These benefits include an established consumer demand; favourable consumer attitudes towards the branded product found in their store; a commitment from manufacturers to promote their products; and the credibility and image of the brand itself as an enhancement of the retailer’s own credibility and image(Webster 2000). Brand equity, therefore, needs to be investigated from the retailers’ perspective, in order to provide a more complete understanding of the role of branding in marketing strategies. This research attempts to bridge this gap by exploring the customer-based brand equity concept from the retailers’ perspective. It aims to explore how consumer-based brand equity theory translates to the retailer context, incorporating the key constructs of brand association, brand trust, brand loyalty, manufacturer support and the performance of the brand.The study was conducted in the context of the Vietnamese independent retail grocery sector. This context was chosen on the basis that there has been limited research conducted on branding in the Vietnamese context and due to the prominence of the independent grocery sector in the retail industry of Viet Nam. A survey questionnaire was developed based on the review of the relevant branding and retail literature and was administered to a sample of 400 independent grocery retailers in Ho Chi Minh City. This sample was drawn from a commercial mailing list of independent retailers. Selected retailers were contacted by phone and invited to participate in the research by completing the questionnaire during a face-to-face interview at their premises. They were asked to respond to the survey in relation to a major brand of soft drink sold within their product range. The soft drink product category was selected for this study due to it being one of the most common types of products sold by the independent retail sector in Viet Nam, which would ensure that all participants could easily share their opinions of the value of brands.Following a pilot study testing the survey instrument, the main data collection phase resulted in 355 completed and useable surveys being available for analysis. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the relationships between the branding constructs of interest. The findings show that the theoretical model has fit with the data. Nine out of twelve hypotheses are supported to answers four research question.The finding indicates that brand equity plays an important role in the retailing context, and it is comprised of three dimensions - brand association, brand trust and brand loyalty. Brand association is reflected in the positive image of a brand in the retailer’s perception, related to their needs and wants. This leads to a positive feeling towards that brand, which is the trust a retailer holds in a manufacturer’s brand. As the result of a strong brand, retailers commit to a long-term business relationship with the brand’s manufacturer. Two of these three dimensions of retailer-based brand equity, (brand association and brand loyalty) are positively and significantly related to the brand’s performance at the retail outlet. Manufacturer support, including advertising, sales promotion and trade promotions has been confirmed by this study to be an antecedent of retailer-based brand equity. Moreover, this study indicated that there is a difference between the retailer-based brand equity model for local brands compared to international brands, in that brand association is the most important factor in retailer-based brand equity in the international brands model while brand loyalty is the most important factor in the local brands model.
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Hur påverkar sponsring ett varumärkes Brand Equity? : En studie av Brynäs IF:s sponsorer. / How does sponsorship influence Brand Equity? : A study of Brynäs IF’s sponsors.Rajala Malmgren, Emil, Lövgren, Peter January 2009 (has links)
<p><strong>Syfte:</strong> Syftet med uppsatsen är att genom empirisk undersökning besvara frågan vilken mätbar effekt sponsring har på varumärkets värde, Brand Equity. Genom att besvara den frågan är också syftet att utveckla en modell som visar vilka faktorer samt vilka delar i varumärket som påverkas av sponsring.</p><p><strong>Metod:</strong> Vi har valt att genomföra detta arbete genom att använda fallstudier. Dessa har vi genomfört med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer med representanter för Gevalia, Läkerol och Länsförsäkringar Gävleborg, vilka samtliga sponsrar Brynäs. Vi har bearbetat intervjuerna för att sedan analysera dem mot vår teoretiska referensram. Vi har valt att dela upp analyserna efter huvudområden som rör sponsring och varumärke.</p><p><strong>Resultat & slutsats: </strong>Vi har utvecklat en modell som visar sponsringens effekter på Brand Equity, men dessa är dock inga tydliga mätbara effekter då vi inte kunnat uttyda några genom studien. Modellen bygger istället på antaganden som vi kommit fram till genom vår forskning. Modellen visar kopplingar mellan A-ERIC modellen och Brand Equity. Den visar också hur ett varumärke kan påverkas av sponsringen, bland annat genom att associationer skapas via upplevelsen i samband med ett event och att medvetenheten ökar genom exponering. </p><p><strong>Förslag till fortsatt forskning: </strong>Som fortsatta studier tycker vi att det skulle vara intressant att göra en jämförande studie för att kunna bekräfta eventuella samband mellan sponsring och dess påverkan på Brand Equity. </p><p><strong>Uppsatsens bidrag:</strong> Studien bidrar till en ökad kunskap om samspelat mellan sponsring och Brand Equity. Studien bidrar också till kännedom om Gevalias, Läkerols och Länsförsäkringar Gävleborgs sponsringsrelation till Brynäs samt hur detta påverkar respektive varumärke.<strong> </strong></p> / <p><strong>Aim:</strong> The purpose of this study is to answer, through an empirical research, which measurable effects sponsorships have on Brand Equity. The purpose is also to develop a model that shows the effects.</p><p><strong>Method:</strong> We have chosen to use case-studies in this research. We have done them through qualitative interviews with representatives for Gevalia, Läkerol and Länsförsäkringar Gävleborg, who are all sponsors of Brynäs IF. We have processed the interviews to be able to analyze them against our theory. We have chosen to divide the analysis into main parts according to sponsoring and brands. </p><p><strong>Findings & Conclusions:</strong> We have developed a model that shows the sponsoring effect on Brand Equity, but those are not clearly measurable because we didn't find any in the study. The model is instead developed through assumptions that we have found in our research. The model clarifies connections between the A-ERIC model and Brand Equity. It also shows how a brand can be affected through sponsorship, e.g. by associations that are created through the experience of an event and that the awareness increases through exposure. </p><p><strong>Suggestions for future research:</strong> For further research we suggest a comparative study in order to confirm possible connections between the sponsoring effect and Brand Equity.</p><p><strong>Contribution of the thesis: </strong>This<strong> </strong>study has in particular conduced to knowledge about the connection between sponsoring and Brand Equity. The study also gains knowledge about Gevalia's, Läkerols's and Länsförsäkringar Gävleborg's sponsoring relationship to Brynäs IF and how that influences the brands.</p>
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Hur påverkar sponsring ett varumärkes Brand Equity? : En studie av Brynäs IF:s sponsorer. / How does sponsorship influence Brand Equity? : A study of Brynäs IF’s sponsors.Rajala Malmgren, Emil, Lövgren, Peter January 2009 (has links)
Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att genom empirisk undersökning besvara frågan vilken mätbar effekt sponsring har på varumärkets värde, Brand Equity. Genom att besvara den frågan är också syftet att utveckla en modell som visar vilka faktorer samt vilka delar i varumärket som påverkas av sponsring. Metod: Vi har valt att genomföra detta arbete genom att använda fallstudier. Dessa har vi genomfört med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer med representanter för Gevalia, Läkerol och Länsförsäkringar Gävleborg, vilka samtliga sponsrar Brynäs. Vi har bearbetat intervjuerna för att sedan analysera dem mot vår teoretiska referensram. Vi har valt att dela upp analyserna efter huvudområden som rör sponsring och varumärke. Resultat & slutsats: Vi har utvecklat en modell som visar sponsringens effekter på Brand Equity, men dessa är dock inga tydliga mätbara effekter då vi inte kunnat uttyda några genom studien. Modellen bygger istället på antaganden som vi kommit fram till genom vår forskning. Modellen visar kopplingar mellan A-ERIC modellen och Brand Equity. Den visar också hur ett varumärke kan påverkas av sponsringen, bland annat genom att associationer skapas via upplevelsen i samband med ett event och att medvetenheten ökar genom exponering. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Som fortsatta studier tycker vi att det skulle vara intressant att göra en jämförande studie för att kunna bekräfta eventuella samband mellan sponsring och dess påverkan på Brand Equity. Uppsatsens bidrag: Studien bidrar till en ökad kunskap om samspelat mellan sponsring och Brand Equity. Studien bidrar också till kännedom om Gevalias, Läkerols och Länsförsäkringar Gävleborgs sponsringsrelation till Brynäs samt hur detta påverkar respektive varumärke. / Aim: The purpose of this study is to answer, through an empirical research, which measurable effects sponsorships have on Brand Equity. The purpose is also to develop a model that shows the effects. Method: We have chosen to use case-studies in this research. We have done them through qualitative interviews with representatives for Gevalia, Läkerol and Länsförsäkringar Gävleborg, who are all sponsors of Brynäs IF. We have processed the interviews to be able to analyze them against our theory. We have chosen to divide the analysis into main parts according to sponsoring and brands. Findings & Conclusions: We have developed a model that shows the sponsoring effect on Brand Equity, but those are not clearly measurable because we didn't find any in the study. The model is instead developed through assumptions that we have found in our research. The model clarifies connections between the A-ERIC model and Brand Equity. It also shows how a brand can be affected through sponsorship, e.g. by associations that are created through the experience of an event and that the awareness increases through exposure. Suggestions for future research: For further research we suggest a comparative study in order to confirm possible connections between the sponsoring effect and Brand Equity. Contribution of the thesis: This study has in particular conduced to knowledge about the connection between sponsoring and Brand Equity. The study also gains knowledge about Gevalia's, Läkerols's and Länsförsäkringar Gävleborg's sponsoring relationship to Brynäs IF and how that influences the brands.
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The case of Geely acquiring Volvo Car : A study on low brand equity acquiring high brand equityZheng, Xiaoshu, Shi, Yuan January 2013 (has links)
Much previous research has studied high brand equity acquiring high brand equity or high brand equity acquiring low brand equity. However, very little research has been conducted to understand how that low brand equity acquiring high brand equity changes the low brand equity especially in China. This paper is on the case of Geely Group acquiring Volvo Car which was a typical acquisition of a high brand equity company by a low brand equity company. The aim of the paper is to verify whether this type of acquisition could increase the acquirer’s brand equity evaluated by consumers. This paper selects two brand strategies, ‘the house of brands strategy’ and ‘the endorsed brand strategy’, as the study objects of post-acquisition brand integration, and attempts to find the differences on consumers’ expectations and what is better suited for the new joint company. Therefore, a survey research strategy was used in this paper. A conceptual framework which included brand loyalty and perceived quality was developed from a review of the existing literature. Samples of data collected from Chinese consumers have been analyzed for the changes of consumers’ evaluation on the brand equity of Geely after its successful acquisition. Our research result proved that, a low brand equity company could enhance its brand value through acquiring an internationally known brand. After the acquisition, no matter what brand strategy applied, consumers had a more positive attitude towards the brand. The conclusion reached was that firms should be careful to choose an acquisition strategy by considering its strengths. But when faced with a decision of acquisition, the most important thing is to focus on the final success of the acquisition, while the brand integration strategy might be adjusted flexibly.
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Varumärkespositionering i serviceföretag : En studie om skillnader mellan banker och fastighetsmäklarföretagMalmström, Hans-Magnus, Rydberg, Rebecka January 2014 (has links)
Bakgrund: De flesta är medvetna om att vi matas med och påverkas av varumärken, men sällan om det arbete som ligger bakom ett varumärkes uppbyggnad. Därför är det av stor vikt vid varumärkesuppbyggnaden att förankra de värderingar som företaget vill positionera sig med. För att i sin position kunna differentiera sig gentemot konkurrenter med ett starkt varumärke måste företaget kommunicera samma värderingar, både i den interna och externa marknadsföringen för. Det finns de som anser att man kan utföra detta genom marknadsföring på två skilda sätt, genom att agera “marknadsförare” eller att agera “försäljare” gentemot sina kunder, där “försäljare” ofta är bättre på att skapa relationer där kunden rekommenderar företaget vidare än en “marknadsförare”. Därför finns det anledning att undersöka om företag av olika art skiljer sig i arbetet med sina kunder för att bygga upp sitt varumärke på olika sätt. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka tjänsteproducerande företags varumärkes-positionering. Metod: Denna studie har genomförts med en kvalitativ metod där vi har gjort en fallstudie som består av elva intervjuer med företag inom både bank och fastighetsmäklarbranschen. Vi har sedan använt oss av en tematisk analys för att finna samband och skillnader i genomförandet hos de olika branscherna. Slutsats: I dagens konkurrensutsatta marknader har det varit svårt att positionera tjänster, där traditionella marknadsföringsaktiviteter blir mindre viktigt och det krävs att företagen arbetar för att skapa långsiktiga relationer med sina kunder. Vi finner i vår studie att den personliga kontakten blir en viktig del av att positionera de immateriella tjänsterna då ingen fysisk produkt kan visas upp eller undersökas, men att detta även skiljer sig mellan de två branscherna. Vår undersökning tyder på att dessa skillnader beror på att hos en bank köper du en tjänst och hos ett fastighetsmäklarföretag betalar du någon för att hjälpa dig med en tjänst. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Denna uppsats har sitt fokus på två olika branscher inom service sektorn. Genom att studera fler företag inom dessa skulle man kunna generalisera uppsatsens bidrag genom vidare forskning. Uppsatsen kan även vara en utgångspunkt i att studera fler branscher för att se vilka skillnader som finns där. Fokus har även varit med utgångspunkt ur företagens synvinkel, vidare forskning kan studera fenomenet ur kundens perspektiv. Uppsatsens bidrag: Forskningen syfte är att bidra till en större förståelse inom företagsekonomiska områden för varumärkesuppbyggnaden inom olika branscher som kan användas av marknadsförare inom dessa branscher. / Background: Most people have awareness that we are fed with communication from and are influenced by brands, but rarely do we possess awareness surrounding the work behind brand-building. Therefore it is of great importance to the concept of brand building, to anchor the values with which the company wishes to position itself. In order to position itself within the marketplace by presenting a strong brand, to differentiate itself from competitors. The company must communicate the same values, with consistency both in the internal and external marketing efforts. Some commentators have the belief that this can be accomplished by marketing, using two specific separate methods, by acting as a "marketer" or acting as a "salesman" towards customers. Within these approaches the "salesman" approach is often better at creating relationships, in which customers are more likely to recommend the company much further than if a "marketer" approach is used. Therefore, there is need to examine whether firms which differ in nature differ in their work with their clients to build their brand in different ways. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine service companies branding positioning. Method: This study was carried out with a qualitative approach, through conducting a case study, consisting of eleven interviews with companies within banking and real estate broking markets. We then used a thematic analysis to identify correlations and differences in the implementation processes of the various businesses. Conclusion: Todays intensive market competition has created complexity when firms attempt to position their services. A consequence is that traditional marketing activities have become less effective and it now requires that companies are working to create longer-term relationships with their customers. We conclude within our study that personal contact is an important part of positioning intangible services, when no physical product can be displayed or explored, but also that this differed between the two industries studied. Our study indicates that these differences are due to that within banking, customers purchase a service product, whereas at a real estate brokerage firm, customers pay individuals to consult and assist them with a service. Suggestions future research: This paper focuses on two different branches of the service sector. By studying more companies within these sectors, there would be an opportunity for further generalization by undertaking further research. This paper can also be utilized as starting point in the study of more industries to see what differences exist comparatively. The Focus has been conducted from a business perspective, possible further research could be achieved by undertaking a study of the phenomenon from the customer's perspective. Essay submissions: The research aims to contribute to a greater understanding in business administration areas for brand building within different industries, which can be used by marketers within these industries
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Middagsfrid Vs. Linas Matkasse : betydelsen av hur ett varumärke förmedlasNordling, Malin, Sellén, Evelina January 2014 (has links)
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate why Linas Matkasse has greater success in terms of market share than Middagsfrid despite the similarities of their concepts. The study will also examine potential and existing customers' image of the brands and corporate brand awareness. Method: This study is based on a triangulation in which both quantitative and qualitative methods are treated in the form of personal interviews and a questionnaire survey. Theoretical perspectives: Four theories are addressed in this study and they treat the brand from different aspects. The theories process how to create value, personality dimensions, how companies should act and strategies around brand. Empiricism: The empirical material consists of five interviews, one of which was with the brand manager at Middagsfrid. Then two interviews were conducted with consumers of Linas Matkasse and two interviews with consumers of Middagsfrid. A questionnaire survey has also been conducted. In addition to this secondary data was gathered from the Internet and corporate websites to see how the companies promote themselves. Conclusion: The study shows that the brand is of more importance than the product when comparing the brands Linas Matkasse and Middagsfrid.
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Retailers’ perceptions of product brand equity: an empirical study of Vietnamese independent grocersTran, Quan Ha Minh Unknown Date (has links)
In the literature on product branding, significant attention has been paid to brand equity in the consumer context, but relatively little attention has been paid to the application of the concept of brand equity to the business-to-business context. Even less research has been conducted on the role of brand equity in the retailing context. Retailers are assumed to be irrelevant to the source of brand value for manufacturers, with the result that manufacturers do not target retailers to help them build strong brands. Therefore, there is potential for some channel conflict to occur between manufacturers and retailers. On the one hand, retailers may tend to focus on building their own, private brands to differentiate themselves from other retail competitors and to increase their power in relation to manufacturer brands. On the other hand, retailers also need to create a good image in the consumer marketplace by selling famous, manufacturer-branded products. In other words, retailers often have to sell famous brands even if they would prefer to sell other brands, or their own. Manufacturers therefore tend to focus on building strong brand associations in consumers’ minds, in order to control retailers’ power.There is an argument that traditional ways of thinking about brands, i.e. only from the consumer perspective, has produced ‘both an incomplete analysis of branding from an academic perspective and incomplete management of the brand from a company perspective’ (Webster 2000). The relationship between manufacturers and retailers should be viewed as a partnership instead of competition for consumer loyalty (Narus & Anderson 1986). Powerful consumer brands not only provide value to manufacturers and consumers, but they also offer many obvious benefits to retailers. These benefits include an established consumer demand; favourable consumer attitudes towards the branded product found in their store; a commitment from manufacturers to promote their products; and the credibility and image of the brand itself as an enhancement of the retailer’s own credibility and image(Webster 2000). Brand equity, therefore, needs to be investigated from the retailers’ perspective, in order to provide a more complete understanding of the role of branding in marketing strategies. This research attempts to bridge this gap by exploring the customer-based brand equity concept from the retailers’ perspective. It aims to explore how consumer-based brand equity theory translates to the retailer context, incorporating the key constructs of brand association, brand trust, brand loyalty, manufacturer support and the performance of the brand.The study was conducted in the context of the Vietnamese independent retail grocery sector. This context was chosen on the basis that there has been limited research conducted on branding in the Vietnamese context and due to the prominence of the independent grocery sector in the retail industry of Viet Nam. A survey questionnaire was developed based on the review of the relevant branding and retail literature and was administered to a sample of 400 independent grocery retailers in Ho Chi Minh City. This sample was drawn from a commercial mailing list of independent retailers. Selected retailers were contacted by phone and invited to participate in the research by completing the questionnaire during a face-to-face interview at their premises. They were asked to respond to the survey in relation to a major brand of soft drink sold within their product range. The soft drink product category was selected for this study due to it being one of the most common types of products sold by the independent retail sector in Viet Nam, which would ensure that all participants could easily share their opinions of the value of brands.Following a pilot study testing the survey instrument, the main data collection phase resulted in 355 completed and useable surveys being available for analysis. Structural equation modeling was used to explore the relationships between the branding constructs of interest. The findings show that the theoretical model has fit with the data. Nine out of twelve hypotheses are supported to answers four research question.The finding indicates that brand equity plays an important role in the retailing context, and it is comprised of three dimensions - brand association, brand trust and brand loyalty. Brand association is reflected in the positive image of a brand in the retailer’s perception, related to their needs and wants. This leads to a positive feeling towards that brand, which is the trust a retailer holds in a manufacturer’s brand. As the result of a strong brand, retailers commit to a long-term business relationship with the brand’s manufacturer. Two of these three dimensions of retailer-based brand equity, (brand association and brand loyalty) are positively and significantly related to the brand’s performance at the retail outlet. Manufacturer support, including advertising, sales promotion and trade promotions has been confirmed by this study to be an antecedent of retailer-based brand equity. Moreover, this study indicated that there is a difference between the retailer-based brand equity model for local brands compared to international brands, in that brand association is the most important factor in retailer-based brand equity in the international brands model while brand loyalty is the most important factor in the local brands model.
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