The authors examine two aspects of brand loyalty, purchase loyalty and attitudinal loyalty, as linking variables in the chain of effects from brand trust and brand affect to brand performance (market share and relative price). The model includes product-level, category-related controls (hedonic value and utilitarian value) and brand-level controls (brand differentiation and share of voice). The authors compile an aggregate data set for 107 brands from three separate surveys of consumers and brand managers. The results indicate that when the product- and brand-level variables are controlled for, brand trust and brand affect combine to determine purchase loyalty and attitudinal loyalty. Purchase loyalty, in turn, leads to greater market share, and attitudinal loyalty leads to a higher relative price for the brand. The authors discuss the managerial implications of these results.

The Chain of Effects from Brand Trust and Brand Affect to Brand Performance: The Role of Brand Loyalty:

A. L. Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn, "culture: A critical review of concepts and definitions"

The purpose of the research reported here was to test empirically a conceptualization of brand associations that consists of three dimensions: brand image, brand attitude and perceived quality. A better understanding of brand associations is needed to facilitate further theoretical development and practical measurement of the construct. Three studies were conducted to: test a protocol for developing product category specific measures of brand image; investigate the dimensionality of the brand associations construct; and explore whether the degree of dimensionality of brand associations varies depending upon a brand’s familiarity. Findings confirm the efficacy of the brand image protocol and indicate that brand associations differ across brands and product categories. The latter finding supports the conclusion that brand associations for different products should be measured using different items. As predicted, dimensionality of brand associations was found to be influenced by brand familiarity.

The measurement and dimensionality of brand associations

WebQual is a method for assessing the quality of Web sites. The method has been developed iteratively through application in various domains, including Internet bookstores and Internet auction sites. In this paper we report on the application of a new version of WebQual to Internet bookstores: Amazon, BOL, and the Internet Bookshop. WebQual draws on previous work in three areas: Web site usability, information quality, and service interaction quality to provide a rounded framework for assessing e-commerce offerings. Although WebQual is grounded in the subjective impressions of Web site users, the data collected lends itself to quantitative analysis and the production of e-commerce metrics such as the WebQual Index. The reliability of the instrument is examined and core constructs of Web site quality identified using factor analysis. The role of WebQual in assessing an organizations e-commerce capability is discussed.

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An integrative approach to the assessment of e-commerce quality

We use data from a large-scale field experiment to explore what influences the effectiveness of online advertising. We find that matching an ad to website content and increasing an ad's obtrusiveness independently increase purchase intent. However, in combination, these two strategies are ineffective. Ads that match both website content and are obtrusive do worse at increasing purchase intent than ads that do only one or the other. This failure appears to be related to privacy concerns: the negative effect of combining targeting with obtrusiveness is strongest for people who refuse to give their income and for categories where privacy matters most. Our results suggest a possible explanation for the growing bifurcation in Internet advertising between highly targeted plain text ads and more visually striking but less targeted ads.

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Online Display Advertising: Targeting and Obtrusiveness

Advertising on the Web: Is There Response before Click-Through?

Understanding, measuring, and using brand equity

Online advertising has been with us for over 10 years. During that time two different paradigms have characterized the way the effectiveness of online advertising has been assessed: brand building or direct response. In general the direct response paradigm has become the yardstick of online advertising success due to the universal measurement of click-through. This article proposes that the two paradigms are not contradictory but are in fact complementary and that the applicability of either model depends on the mindset of the audience as much as the intent of the advertisement. The article outlines a conceptual framework that integrates an established brand equity model with different stages of the purchase process and then uses existing learning, new research data, and case studies to illustrate the various ways in which online advertising can help build brands and increase the probability of purchase. The article concludes that click-through is primarily a consequence of the brand building effect combined with a willingness to learn more about the specific brand as a result of an immediate need for a product or service of that type.

Ten Years of Learning on How Online Advertising Builds Brands

What do you want your brand to be when it grows up? Big and strong?

The primary “international advertising” topic over the past five decades is the question of whether, and to what degree, advertising can and should be standardized. This article begins with a discussion of the cumulative findings of this stream of research, followed by a look at major theories that have been applied to international advertising research, with a special focus on the application of culture9s use as a conceptual basis for advertising studies. An exploration of the recent trend toward considering advertising in the context of global branding strategies is followed by a discussion of methodological issues in international advertising research, focusing on problems that have been identified and “best practices” for researchers in overcoming these problems.

Nigel Hollis

Papers

Advertising on the Web: Is There Response before Click-Through?

Understanding, measuring, and using brand equity

Ten Years of Learning on How Online Advertising Builds Brands

What do you want your brand to be when it grows up? Big and strong?

The Tension between Strategy and Execution: Challenges for International Advertising Research: Globalization is Much More Than Universal Branding