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Showing papers on "Brand equity published in 2001"


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, 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).
Abstract: 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.

5,428 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report the results of a multistep study to develop and validate a multidimensional consumer-based brand equity scale (MBE) drawn from Aaker's and Keller's conceptualizations of brand equity.

2,489 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe a model for managing brands through narrowing the gap between a brand's identity and its reputation and identify three key factors that affect brand perceptions and brand performance.
Abstract: Corporate branding necessitates a different management approach. It requires greater emphasis on factors internal to the organisation, paying greater attention to the role of employees in the brand building process. This paper explores the implications of corporate branding for the management of internal brand resources. We describe a model for managing brands through narrowing the gap between a brand’s identity and its reputation and, building on this, identify three key factors that affect brand perceptions and brand performance. Finally, we review some of the mechanisms that may be used to facilitate greater congruence of brand perceptions within the brand team and communication of a brand’s identity to employees.

858 citations


01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: Keller et al. as mentioned in this paper proposed a Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) model to assist management in their brand-building efforts, which consists of four steps: establishing the proper brand identity, establishing breadth and depth of brand awareness, creating the appropriate brand meaning through strong, favorable, and unique brand associations, eliciting positive, accessible brand responses, and forging brand relationships with customers that are characterized by intense, active loyalty.
Abstract: and others at both organizations for their support and valuable input. Special thanks to Grey Advertising's Ben Arno who suggested the term brand resonance. Additional thanks to workshop participants at Duke University and Dartmouth College. MSI was established in 1961 as a not-for profit institute with the goal of bringing together business leaders and academics to create knowledge that will improve business performance. The primary mission was to provide intellectual leadership in marketing and its allied fields. Over the years, MSI's global network of scholars from leading graduate schools of management and thought leaders from sponsoring corporations has expanded to encompass multiple business functions and disciplines. Issues of key importance to business performance are identified by the Board of Trustees, which represents MSI corporations and the academic community. MSI supports studies by academics on these issues and disseminates the results through conferences and workshops, as well as through its publications series. This report, prepared with the support of MSI, is being sent to you for your information and review. It is not to be reproduced or published, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the Institute and the author. Building a strong brand has been shown to provide numerous financial rewards to firms, and has become a top priority for many organizations. In this report, author Keller outlines the Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) model to assist management in their brand-building efforts. According to the model, building a strong brand involves four steps: (1) establishing the proper brand identity, that is, establishing breadth and depth of brand awareness, (2) creating the appropriate brand meaning through strong, favorable, and unique brand associations, (3) eliciting positive, accessible brand responses, and (4) forging brand relationships with customers that are characterized by intense, active loyalty. Achieving these four steps, in turn, involves establishing six brand-building blocks—brand salience, brand performance, brand imagery, brand judgments, brand feelings, and brand resonance. The most valuable brand-building block, brand resonance, occurs when all the other brand-building blocks are established. With true brand resonance, customers express a high degree of loyalty to the brand such that they actively seek means to interact with the brand and share their experiences with others. Firms that are able to achieve brand resonance should reap a host of benefits, for example, greater price premiums and more efficient and effective marketing programs. The CBBE model provides a yardstick by …

745 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the dimensions of brand image, focusing on the functions or value of the brand as perceived by consumers, have been analyzed in the context of the Spanish sports shoes market.
Abstract: This paper studies the dimensions of brand image, focusing on the functions or value of the brand as perceived by consumers. In this way, four categories of functions are identified: guarantee, personal identification, social identification and status. By way of hypotheses, it has been proposed that these functions have a positive influence on the consumer’s willingness to recommend the brand, pay a price premium for it and accept brand extensions. The hypotheses have been tested in the Spanish sports shoes market and were partially supported. The results obtained confirm the convenience of analyzing brand associations separately and enable the ascertaining of the brand associations that are the most relevant in order to attain certain consumer responses.

557 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report a study which operationalizes brand equity and empirically tests a conceptual model adapted from the concept of brand equity for the management of a company's brand.
Abstract: Brand equity has been criticized by some for an alleged lack of managerial relevance. This paper reports a study which operationalizes brand equity and empirically tests a conceptual model adapted ...

539 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the effect of brand personality on brand asset management by using the concept of consumers' identification with a brand and found that there are positive relationships between attractiveness, distinctiveness, and self-expressive value of a brand personality.
Abstract: This study investigated the effect of brand personality on brand asset management by using the concept of consumers' identification with a brand. The focus was on one important type of high-technology product, the cellular phone. The authors develop a conceptual framework to explain the effect of brand identification on brand loyalty. The important variables of this framework include the attractiveness of the brand personality, the distinctiveness of the brand personality, the self-expressive value of the brand personality, positive word-of-mouth reports of the brand, and brand loyalty. The empirical results indicated that there are positive relationships between attractiveness, distinctiveness, and self-expressive value of brand personality. These relationships had a statistically significant effect on consumers' identification with a brand. Furthermore, brand identification had a direct effect on word-of-mouth reports and an indirect effect on brand loyalty. The theoretical and managerial implications of the empirical results are presented, and suggestions are made regarding both the limitations of the present study and future directions for research.

499 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a framework illustrating the role of social identification in the construction of brand equity for services marketers, focusing on one service industry, the sports marketplace, an industry typified by exceedingly high levels of identification between consumer and market offering.
Abstract: This article forwards a framework illustrating the role of social identification in the construction of brand equity for services marketers. Services markets are proposed to exist along an identification continuum based upon levels of consumer commitment and emotional involvement. We illustrate the impact of social identification by focusing on one service industry, the sports marketplace, an industry typified by exceedingly high levels of identification between consumer and market offering. The authors examine four characteristics of the services environment (group experience, history/tradition, physical facility, rituals) that marketers can leverage to enhance consumers’ identification with a service and, ultimately, increase brand equity.

413 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report on a qualitative study of 12 "cities" in the UK which sought to explore the role which branding plays in the marketing of these locations.
Abstract: The practice of branding geographic locations such as countries, regions, cities and towns is increasing, yet there is a paucity of published research on the topic. The literature, such as it is, suggests that branding in such cases is at best complex and at worst impossible. This paper reports on a qualitative study of 12 ‘cities’ in the UK which sought to explore the role which branding plays in the marketing of these locations. The study purposefully excluded large cities such as London, Manchester and Glasgow, which have received extensive media attention. The results suggest that branding as a concept was seen as relevant but not always understood or applied effectively. The study provides insights into the key factors which affect the development of locations as brands. The four factors identified as being of particular significance were organisational complexity and control, the management of partnerships, product complexity and the measurement of success. The study concludes, nevertheless, that the branding of locations is not impossible and recommends an agenda for future research to address the key factors identified.

408 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored how managers view the brand-equity-building capabilities of their sponsored linked marketing programs over time and found that the use of advertising and promotion to support the sponsorship, and active management involvement are significant predictors of both the perceived differentiation of the brand from its competitors and adding financial value to the brand.
Abstract: Sponsorship of sporting and other events has become an increasingly popular marketing communications vehicle. However, little research has investigated how sponsorship participation is beneficial to a firm and its brands. This study explores how managers view the brand-equity-building capabilities of their sponsorship linked marketing programs over time. In a two-phase survey, fifty managers report on the value of sponsorships in building brand equity. Findings show that “leverage,” the use of advertising and promotion to support the sponsorship, and active management involvement are significant predictors of both the perceived differentiation of the brand from its competitors and adding financial value to the brand.

375 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper showed that industrial firms attribute a brand's strength partly to its intangible associations, corroborating much of the consumer goods-derived theory on brand equity, and extended the enquiry to establish whether industrial firms in the 1990s agree with the basic tenets of brand value theory.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that advertisements that give consumers product information should primarily affect consumers who have never tried the brand, whereas advertisements that create prestige or image effects should affect both inexperienced and experienced users.
Abstract: This article introduces techniques to empirically distinguish different effects of brand advertising in nondurable, experience goods markets. I argue that advertisements that give consumers product information should primarily affect consumers who have never tried the brand, whereas advertisements that create prestige or image effects should affect both inexperienced and experienced users. I apply this empirical argument to consumer-level data on purchases of a newly introduced brand of yogurt. Empirical results indicate that the advertisements for this brand primarily affect inexperienced users of the brand. I conclude that the primary effect of these advertisements was that of informing consumers. Copyright 2001 by the RAND Corporation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors assess the extent to which brand attitude, a key component of brand equity, has value relevance, that is, helps predict future earnings and thus firm value in high-technology markets.
Abstract: The authors assess the extent to which brand attitude, a key component of brand equity, has value relevance—that is, helps predict future earnings and thus firm value—in high-technology markets. Using data for firms in the computer industries, the authors find that changes in brand attitude are associated contemporaneously with stock return and lead accounting financial performance. The study also provides insights into the drivers of brand attitude. The authors find that both product attributes and peripheral cues shape brand attitudes in high-technology markets.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify the types of brand association and examine the relationship between association characteristics and brand equity, and find that the core of the brand association, instead of total association, is the key factor of driving brand equity building.
Abstract: The purposes of this study are to identify the types of brand association and examine the relationship between association characteristics and brand equity. Based on a literature review, two types of brand association are identified. One is product association including functional attribute association and non‐functional attribute association. The other is organizational association including corporate ability association and corporate social responsibility association. An empirical study measures the numbers of association, deriving from free association, and examines its differences between three pairs of high and low equity brands. We found that the corporate social responsibility association is almost absent across four high equity brands from subject’s free associations. Based on the other three contents of brand association, we use its total number of association to identify the orientation of association for each brand. The results are the same as that of using the favorable association. In addition, we also found that the number of brand association and total association have a significant relationship with brand equity. But the core of the brand association, instead of total association, is the key factor of driving brand equity building. The greater the numbers of the core brand association, the higher the brand equity. However, there is no significant difference for the other brand associations between the high and low equity brands. Marketers should develop the core association to position its brand strategy to create competitive advantages.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used a literature review and three mini-case studies to explore the issues in the branding debate and to illustrate how brand management is changing in response to market and environmental changes.
Abstract: Recent academic work has introduced a series of innovative concepts to the branding debate. In particular, the concept of brands that are embedded throughout the organisation has come to the fore. This paper uses a literature review and three mini‐case studies to explore the issues in the branding debate and to illustrate how brand management is changing in response to market and environmental changes.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors empirically test whether brand equity is more important for services than for tangible goods, and assess whether consumer knowledge of a product category has an effect on the importance of brand equity across product types.
Abstract: While the brand equity associated with tangible goods has received a great deal of attention in the literature, a basic understanding of the nature of brand equity for services has yet to emerge. Most of what is known about brand equity for services is based on theoretical or anecdotal evidence. In addition, the presumed differences in brand equity associated with search‐dominant, experience‐dominant, and credence‐dominant services has yet to be empirically examined. The objectives of this study are threefold: to empirically test whether brand equity is more important for services than for tangible goods, to test whether the presumed differences in brand equity for search‐, experience‐, and credence‐dominant services can be confirmed in an empirical examination, and to assess whether consumer knowledge of a product category has an effect on the importance of brand equity across product types. Contrary to suppositions in the literature, the results indicate that brand equity is more important for tangible ...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of brand loyalty as a primary measure of effective brands marketing and a partial measure of brand equity has been discussed, however, progress in providing a practical measure of the construct has been very limited.
Abstract: There has been much written about the role of brand loyalty as a primary measure of effective brands marketing and a partial measure of brand equity. To date, however, progress in providing a practical measure of the construct has been very limited. In this empirical study of grocery brands, such a measure was developed in which both brand commitment and brand support were found to be necessary and sufficient conditions for loyalty to exist. Based on this measure, four consumer purchasing styles were identified and characterized as 'loyals', 'habituals', 'variety seekers' and 'switchers'. The strategic implications of segmenting grocery markets on this basis is discussed in both the context of the marketing of brands and managing brand equity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore the development of an e-business marketing model that capitalizes on customer participation and the likely consequences of such efforts, principally site brand loyalty, and show that creating site brand loyalties leads to predictable affective, cognitive, and behavioral outcomes from customers, such as repeat visits to and patronage of the site, fewer intentions to defect to competitors, and more favorable attitudes toward the site.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined the relationship between brand associations and brand loyalty in US professional sport and found positive relationships between fan identification, escape, nostalgia, and product delivery, and negative relationships were found between tradition, star players, and peer group acceptance.
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between brand associations (anything in the consumer's mind linked to a specific team brand) and brand loyalty in US professional sport. To study the relationship between 13 brand association dimensions and brand loyalty, a survey of professional sport consumers was completed (N = 929). Results of multiple regression analysis revealed positive relationships between fan identification, escape, nostalgia, and product delivery, and brand loyalty. Negative relationships were found between tradition, star players, and peer group acceptance, and brand loyalty.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors conducted interviews with 28 leading brand consultants to understand how to develop and sustain successful services brands with their unique characteristics, and found ways of circumventing the problems of intangibility and heterogeneous quality.
Abstract: Little has been published about services brands, even though we are in a services economy. The literature shows services have unique characteristics, but their implications for brand building have not been explored. To understand how to develop and sustain successful services brands with their unique characteristics, we undertook in depth interviews with 28 leading brand consultants. They have brand categorisations, which provide rich inspirations for services brand strategies. Ways of circumventing the problems of intangibility and heterogeneous quality were elicited and opportunities for relationship building were identified. Services branding, unlike product branding, is more about internal consistency, places more emphasis on managing the total services brand experience and is more about social processes. It stresses the need for accepting the brand inside and outside the organisation.

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the relationship between brand associations (anything in the consumer's mind linked to a specific team brand) and brand loyalty in US professional sport and found positive relationships between fan identification, escape, nostalgia, and product delivery, and negative relationships were found between tradition, star players, and peer group acceptance.
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between brand associations (anything in the consumer's mind linked to a specific team brand,) and brand loyalty in US professional sport. To study the relationship between 13 brand association dimensions and brand loyalty, a survey of professional sport consumers was completed (N = 929). Results of multiple regression analysis revealed positive relationships between fan identification, escape, nostalgia, and product delivery, and brand loyalty Negative relationships were found between tradition, star players, and peer group acceptance, and brand loyalty. Keywords: Brand management, Brand loyalty, Professional sport Executive Summary This research broadens the understanding of brand management in professional sport by examining the relationship between brand associations (anything in the consumer's mind linked to a specific brand) and brand loyalty. Specifically, this study utilized Keller's (1993) conceptual framework on brand equity to identify dimensions of brand association in sport. Thirteen different factors were identified as potential brand association dimensions in sport. To study the relationship between these brand dimensions and brand loyalty, a survey of US professional sport consumers was completed (N=929). Data were collected from respondents that allowed for the creation of a brand loyalty measure that accounted for both behavioral loyalty (the propensity to repeatedly attend a team's games or follow the team through the media) and attitudinal loyalty (possessing a consistently favorable attitude toward the team). Information was collected such that this study focused on fans that were already highly committed to a particular team. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between brand associations and brand loyalty. Results demonstrated that seven of the 13 brand association dimensions were significant predictors (four positively related and three negatively related) of brand loyalty among the highly-committed fans involved in this study. In identifying these relationships, this study begins to provide a deeper understanding as to what aspects of the team brand can be focal points when creating marketing strategies geared toward highly- loyal fans. Interestingly, team success was not significantly related to brand loyalty among highly-committed fans. This finding is consistent with both other research and with the notion that brand-loyal fans will provide a stable stream of revenue, regardless of the team's performance. However, fan identification (the ability of a team to provide a vehicle for consumer attachment, particularly when the team wins) was strongly predictive of brand loyalty. This highlights the i mportance of providing an optimal experience and special access to players, coaches, and other team executives as a means of making the highly-identified fan feel like a part of the team. In addition, the ability of a sport team to provide nostalgic memories was also strongly predictive of brand loyalty, underscoring the need to understand the catalysts of nostalgic memories among highly-committed fans. The need for an escape from the daily rigors and routine of life was positively related to brand loyalty. This finding underscores the need to increase the frequency (through such vehicles as fantasy leagues and draft parties) with which the team provides an escape for the highly-committed fan. Finally, efforts geared toward enhancing the entertainment experience are supported by the fact that delivery of the sport product (both the game and peripheral elements) was positively related to brand loyalty. The use of marketing strategies that highlight a tradition of success, a star player, or acceptance by a grou p of peers by virtue of following a team is not supported by this research, given the negative relationships that occurred between these dimensions and brand loyalty. Introduction Two years removed from their last championship, the Chicago Bulls continue to thrive. …

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a classification of brand loyalty based on varying market types is proposed, where the authors argue against a single brand loyalty measure for all market types and argue that marketing practitioners wishing to predict future levels of loyalty would need to use different loyalty measures.
Abstract: Seeks to enhance our understanding of the suitability of loyalty measurement techniques by proposing a classification of brand loyalty based on varying market types. Distinguishing between market types is important because the very nature of markets indicates that the measures used to capture loyalty should be very different. This paper, in effect, argues against a single brand loyalty measure for all market types. Marketing practitioners wishing to predict future levels of loyalty would need to use different loyalty measures. In consumable markets where the market is stable and where there is high switching and low involvement and risk, behavioral measures are appropriate for predicting future brand loyalty levels. However where the market is not stable, there is a propensity towards sole brands and attitudinal measures may be better predictors of future behavior in such cases.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examine the way firms have developed international brand architecture and the drivers that shape the architecture and discuss implications for the design and management of the firm's international Brand Architecture.
Abstract: Brands play a critical role in establishing a firm’s visibility and position in international markets. Building a coherent international brand architecture is a key component of the firm’s overall international marketing strategy, because it provides a structure to leverage strong brands into other markets, assimilate acquired brands, and integrate strategy across markets. The authors examine the way firms have developed international brand architecture and the drivers that shape the architecture. The authors discuss implications for the design and management of the firm’s international brand architecture.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a model to grow and sustain brands strategically, which adopts a more balanced perspective than existing models, since it builds on the asset of knowledgeable and committed staff whose values ideally align with the brand's values.
Abstract: This paper presents, then explains, a model to grow and sustain brands strategically. It adopts a more balanced perspective than existing models, since it builds on the asset of knowledgeable and committed staff whose values ideally align with the brand's values. The model encourages a multifunctional brand team progressing through the phases of strategy to tactics to implementation.

Book
01 Jan 2001
TL;DR: A balanced perspective on brands The diverse interpretations of 'brand' A strategic process for building integrated brands Brand visioning The importance of organizational culture on brands Setting brand objectives Auditing the brandsphere Synthesising the nature of a brand Implementing and resourcing brands Brand evaluation.
Abstract: A balanced perspective on brands The diverse interpretations of 'brand' A strategic process for building integrated brands Brand visioning The importance of organizational culture on brands Setting brand objectives Auditing the brandsphere Synthesising the nature of a brand Implementing and resourcing brands Brand evaluation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors suggest that consumers have a part to play in influencing how a brand personality is perceived, which is in contrast to other research and propositions, which suggest that brand personality was created by how marketers and advertisers intend to project it.
Abstract: Considerable research into consumer behaviour has examined the self-expressive role of brands, but has found little support for the premise that brand personality has an influence on consumer attitudes. This paper thus proposes that consumers have a part to play in influencing how a brand personality is perceived. This is in contrast to other research and propositions, which suggest that brand personality is created by how marketers and advertisers intend to project it. The findings suggest that when a brand commands a high preference, the preferred personality of the consumers actually has an influence over its perceived brand personality — provided that the consumer has built a positive relationship with the brand and then reinforces his/her personality on to the brand. The research also illustrated that the individualist's ‘self’ has a stronger positive influence on the perceived personality of their preferred brand as compared to collectivists. The findings from this research shed light on the self-expressive use of brands, and the effects of the cultural orientation of consumers in influencing the relationship between their self and the perceived brand personality of their preferred brand. Marketers must strategically position their brands to provide a vehicle for consumers to experience emotional benefits, subsequently leading to stronger brand equity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper decompose the rating into two components: brand-specific associations and general brand impressions, and focus on disentangling the sources of bias that may be present in brand ratings.
Abstract: Although brand ratings capture the favorability of brand associations, they often do not enable marketing managers to disentangle brand-specific associations from other effects. In this article, the authors present a decompositional model for analyzing brand ratings that addresses this nagging problem and provide insights for understanding the sources of brand equity. Starting with consumers’ perceived level of a brand on an attribute, the authors decompose the rating into two components: brand-specific associations and general brand impressions. Brand-specific associations refer to features, attributes, or benefits that consumers link to a brand and that differentiate it from the competition. General brand impressions refer to general impressions about the brand that are based on a more holistic view of the brand. In this article, the authors focus on two principal issues: (1) How can the sources of bias that may be present in brand ratings be disentangled? and (2) Do these putatively biasing ef...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used theories of brand equity to develop cellar door strategies, which is supported by previous research into product involvement with wine, which shows that high and low involvement wine buyers behave differently.
Abstract: Wine tourism is a major public relations medium and for many wineries a major source of revenue. This article uses theories of brand equity to develop cellar door strategies. These theories are supported by previous research into product involvement with wine, which shows that high and low involvement wine buyers behave differently. The two segments must be catered for differently if a winery is to build its overall reputation and brand equity. Wineries can enhance their long‐term market‐based assets through building customer relationships at cellar door. Strategies and examples are provided.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present further empirical results on the convergent and predictive ability of a selection of consumer-based brand equity measures, and conclude that managers should now have more confidence in selecting from a range of brand-equity measures, many of which can be collected easily and at minimal cost.
Abstract: Presents further empirical results on the convergent and predictive ability of a selection of consumer based brand equity measures. An underlying assumption in this study was that choice was an indicator of brand equity. It is a replication and extension of work carried out by Agarwal and Rao in 1996. Their work is the only study that has attempted to consolidate existing research on consumer based brand equity. Overall, the results generally concurred with those of Agarwal and Rao. Most of the measures were found to be convergent, and to estimate choice. The results mean that managers should now have more confidence in selecting from a range of brand equity measures, many of which can be collected easily and at minimal cost. More empirical studies, however, need to be carried out in a range of different markets to assess the wider performance of these brand equity measures.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors have replicated Aaker and Keller's (1990) study and extended it to the services domain, finding that consumers use complementarity to the original category as a major cue to evaluate extensions.
Abstract: Branding decisions are becoming increasingly important in services, but little service-specific research has focused on this domain so far This is surprising, as the service industry accounts for an ever-growing share of the global economy, whereas service aspects have become increasingly important for all goods Marketing managers may want to capitalize on previously acquired brand equity by extending a reputable brand to a new category Little is known, however, about the extent to which consumerbased brand equity transfers to unrelated categories in a services context The authors have replicated Aaker and Keller’s (1990) study and extended it to the services domain Our data set provides evidence that in a services context, consumers use complementarity to the original category as a major cue to evaluate extensions As a consequence, brand extension strategies could probably be used most successfully in cases where a significant similarity in service delivery processes exists