Editorial

Citation

Leventhal, R.C. (2008), "Editorial", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 17 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbm.2008.09617baa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Editorial, Volume 17, Issue 2.

The ability to establish dominance amongst competing brands is a goal that many corporations in the global marketplace seek to achieve. Establishing a positive brand identity has become an integral part of any marketing strategy in the consumer marketplace. However, of paramount importance is the ability of a company to be able to establish the perceived benefits of that particular brand, as well as being able to communicate said benefits in a most effectual manner. To a degree, branding has become more of an emotional issue than ever before. The key to engaging in a successful branding strategy relates back to how well, we as marketers can understand how the consumer believes that a particular brand can satisfy their needs, and then to what degree this happens.

Pitta, Wood and Franzak explore the relationship between global brands and the emotional connections between consumers and the brand. Their research explores the requirements for global branding as well as the characteristics and advantages of global brands. The authors then go on to postulate a series of actions to build share of the heart to aid in taking brands global.

Saqib and Mancahnada investigate the effects of licensing brand alliances on consumers’ attitudes and brand evaluations. The authors reveal that licensing by a well-known brand considerably enhances consumers’ quality perception of a lesser-known brand and that licensing can be as effective a strategy as a brand extension when a well-known brand is involved.

Ross, Broyles and Leingpibul develop and test a model that enables examination of the cross-cultural comparative influence of the “meets expectations” versus “feeling state” perspectives of consumer satisfaction for a product or brand. The authors found that these are two distinct separate constructs with both American and Chinese consumers, and that their influence on future purchase intent doffers between cultures and brands. The results of their study provide a foundation for future cross-cultural consumer research, and provide empirical insights into the ongoing standardization versus localization marketing strategy debate.

Ojasalo, Natti and Olkkonen identified five special characteristics of brand building in software SMEs. The authors point out that there are specific strategies that software SMEs can follow if they are would like to achieve success in the marketplace with their software offerings. These recommendations are presented as part of their findings.

Please also pay careful attention to the Case Study, Beyond Product & Brand Management section, Pricing Strategy & Practice section and Book Review section.

Richard C. Leventhal