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1 – 10 of over 20000Thomas Bamert and Hans Peter Wehrli
Brand equity has been a topic of interest in consumer goods markets for many years. Several studies suggest that existing consumer‐based measures of brand equity, which have…
Abstract
Purpose
Brand equity has been a topic of interest in consumer goods markets for many years. Several studies suggest that existing consumer‐based measures of brand equity, which have traditionally been used in the consumer goods markets, can also be used to capture brand equity in the services markets. The purpose of this research is to assess the quality dimension in consumer‐based measurers of brand equity in the context of services and to compare it with consumer goods.
Design/methodology/approach
A pilot and a main study were conducted. Nine different brands were tested in a consumer‐based experimental online survey. Each participant was assigned randomly to one brand.
Findings
In the consumer goods markets customer service can be considered as a marketing instrument. In the services markets customer service is a part of the perceived quality of a service.
Research limitations/implications
The implication leads to the question whether existing measures of brand equity in consumer goods markets should be used without adaptation in services markets. The findings show that the consumer‐based brand equity should be measured different in these markets. Concerning the differences the findings show also that customer service can be seen as a marketing instrument in consumer goods markets and a part of the perceived service quality in services markets.
Originality/value
There is a lack of research in the difference of measuring brand equity between consumer goods and services. This paper explores this difference of measuring brand equity.
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Many practitioners and researchers believe that differences exist between service and product markets, which warrant different marketing practices. The branding literature…
Abstract
Many practitioners and researchers believe that differences exist between service and product markets, which warrant different marketing practices. The branding literature, however, remains biased towards products. This is especially true in the realm of brand equity. Brand equity, however, like many of the branding concepts, has an equally important role in the service markets. For this reason, this study applied ten existing consumer based measures of brand equity to a financial services market (credit cards). The convergent and predictive validity of these measures was assessed, which in turn helped to determine whether these measures that have typically been applied in product markets can be used to capture brand equity in a service market. The results found that most measures were convergent and correlated highly with market share in the predicted direction, where market share was used as an indicator of brand equity. Brand recall and familiarity, however, were found to be the best estimators of brand equity in the credit card market.
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Ryan C. White, Sacha Joseph-Mathews and Clay M. Voorhees
This research aims to provide insight on the interactive effects of service quality and e-service quality on perceptions of retailer brand equity and also extend and test the…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to provide insight on the interactive effects of service quality and e-service quality on perceptions of retailer brand equity and also extend and test the efficacy of Baker ' s service environment typology in both offline and online service experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
A within-subjects, simulated shopping experience immerses consumers in both offline and online shopping environments and, subsequently, consumers are surveyed regarding both offline and online quality as well as aggregated evaluations of retailer brand equity.
Findings
Results demonstrate that consumer perceptions of offline and online service quality have a positive effect on retailer brand equity and service quality and e-service quality interact, such that e-service quality has a stronger effect on brand equity offline quality is low. The results also support the application of offline service environment frameworks for online retailing.
Research limitations/implications
The results demonstrate the applicability of Baker ' s typology in both online and offline environments and reveal that customer perceptions of offline and online operations can interact to affect global attitudes toward the retailer.
Practical implications
The results suggest that retailers can improve quality perceptions by enhancing both their offline and online service environments and that these quality improvements can result in enhanced consumer perceptions of brand equity.
Originality/value
This study provides a first look at the applicability of offline frameworks for the service environment in an online context. Moreover, the results provide an initial assessment of how consumers update global attitudes toward a brand by consolidating perceptions across both offline and online interactions.
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Balaji C. Krishnan and Michael D. Hartline
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…
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 goods than for services. In addition, the results do not support the presumed differences between service types as brand equity for search‐dominant services is more important than for both experience‐ and credence‐dominant services. The same pattern of results is achieved when consumer knowledge of each product category is included as a covariate.
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Narumon Kimpakorn and Gerard Tocquer
The aims of this article are to measure the brand equity of service firms (luxury hotels) using a customer perspective, to identify factors that predict customers’ brands…
Abstract
Purpose
The aims of this article are to measure the brand equity of service firms (luxury hotels) using a customer perspective, to identify factors that predict customers’ brands relationships and to explore the links between service brand equity and employee brand commitment
Design/methodology/approach
Two surveys were conducted to achieve the research objectives. The first survey objective was to measure brand equity using a sample of 250 international customers of five‐star hotels in Bangkok. The second survey objective was to collect information regarding employee brand commitment in each selected hotel using a sample of 250 employees.
Findings
Results show that hotels belonging to the same category have different brand equity and that brand differentiation and brand trust are the variables that have the major influence on customer brand relationships. Perceived service quality and associations related to hotel core services are not related to brand relationships. High hotel brands equity have a stronger level of employee brand commitment that low hotel brands equity.
Research limitations/implications
For hotel managers the research findings illustrate the importance of brand differentiation and trust for international hotels chains and illustrate the importance of employee brand commitment in the process of building a strong band. Therefore this research has an implication not only for marketing but also for human resource managers and for hotel general managers.
Originality/value
The value of this research resides in the exploration between service brand equity and employee brand commitment. The literature on service marketing emphasizes the link between employee and service quality but to the authors' knowledge little research has explored the link between the service brand and its employees.
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The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of brand equity in handling service failure and examine the effects of brand equity on service recovery.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of brand equity in handling service failure and examine the effects of brand equity on service recovery.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual framework is proposed which includes that satisfaction, as a mediator, accounts for the relationship between service recovery attributes (distributive, procedural, and interactional justice) and post‐recovery behavior (repatronage intentions and word‐of‐mouth behavior). More importantly, brand equity is used to serve as the moderator in the hypothesized research model. Structural equation modeling techniques are applied to data collected from a field study in Taiwan to test the framework.
Findings
Results from the current field study found that strong brand equity provides an overall advantage over weak brands in increasing service recovery satisfaction and behavior intentions (repatronage intentions and word‐of‐mouth behavior).
Research limitations/implications
The data used in this study were collected in a single metropolitan area in Taiwan. Future research might be conducted in a variety of countries.
Practical implications
Service recovery strategies in responding to service failures are part of the critical task for service managers. This paper suggests that building brand equity is a means by which post‐failure satisfaction and behavioral intentions may be enhanced.
Originality/value
This is the first study to completely compare the high brand equity with low brand equity in the effect of service recovery.
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Fayez Ahmad and Francisco Guzmán
Despite the growing consensus that consumers extensively use online reviews and that negative reviews can significantly damage brand equity, it remains uncertain whether negative…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite the growing consensus that consumers extensively use online reviews and that negative reviews can significantly damage brand equity, it remains uncertain whether negative online reviews that focus on different aspects of a service have a similar or differential effect on brand equity. This study aims to fill this gap and explores the mediating role of emotional contagion and what kind of response helps better deter their negative effect.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is conducted through a one-panel study and three experimental studies. SAS enterprise miner is used for text mining analysis and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Process macro models are used to analyze the experimental data.
Findings
Negative reviews related to the tangibility, responsiveness and empathy dimensions have a more detrimental effect on brand equity than negative reviews related to the assurance and reliability dimensions. The results also provide evidence that emotional contagion is more prevalent when consumers read reviews that are specific to the empathy and responsiveness dimensions. Finally, accommodative responses from the service provider are more effective in deterring the effect of a negative online review on brand equity.
Research limitations/implications
The generalizability of this study is limited to the restaurant and hotel industry.
Practical implications
The findings will also help the brand manager in understanding the comparative effect of service quality-specific negative reviews on brand equity and also the type of responses that brand managers should give to negative reviews.
Originality/value
Despite online reviews receiving increased attention in academic research, Service quality (SERVQUAL) dimension-specific reviews have not been studied until now. This study contributes to the service quality-related literature by providing evidence that not all negative online reviews related to different Service quality (SERVQUAL) dimensions equally affect brand equity.
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Jing Zhang, Yanxin Jiang, Rizwan Shabbir and Miao Zhu
The paper aims to explore how brand orientation impacts brand equity via internal branding, presented brand, word-of-mouth and customer experience from stakeholder interaction…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to explore how brand orientation impacts brand equity via internal branding, presented brand, word-of-mouth and customer experience from stakeholder interaction perspective in industrial services context. Brand orientation has emerged as an attractive business philosophy for industrial service companies who believe that brand plays an influential role in delivering customer value and improving firm’s performance. However, the impact of brand orientation upon brand equity is not clear yet, and the active roles of multiple stakeholders in co-creating brand equity are largely neglected in business-to-business (B2B) branding literature.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey was conducted among 258 pairs of firms located in mainland China. A total of nine research hypotheses related to how brand orientation impacts B2B service brand equity were examined by structural equation modeling technique.
Findings
The research findings indicate: a company with high level of brand orientation will both actively communicate its brand to customers and implement internal branding among employees; internal branding enhances willingness and skills of service employees so that they can provide customers with excellent service experience, which will lead to positive word-of-mouth; effective brand communication, pleasant customer experience and favorable word-of-mouth can result in positive brand association in the mind of customers and finally build up corporate brand equity.
Research limitations/implications
The major limitation of this paper is that some other potential stakeholders and additional interactive processes among organization, employees and customers, which have potential to impact brand equity, are not included in the model.
Originality/value
This study makes theoretical contribution by addressing the gaps in the branding literature with respect to industrial services context and stakeholder interaction perspective. It also provides practical implications for B2B service firms as to how to develop a strong brand by implementing brand orientation within the network of core stakeholders.
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The purpose of the study is to examine three significant components of service brand equity – i.e. perceived service quality, brand loyalty, and brand image – and analyze…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study is to examine three significant components of service brand equity – i.e. perceived service quality, brand loyalty, and brand image – and analyze relationships among the components of brand equity and also their relationship with brand equity, which is still to be theorized and developed in the healthcare literature.
Design/methodology/approach
Effective responses were received from 206 respondents, selected conveniently from the localities of Jammu city. After scale item analysis, the data were analyzed using factor analysis, correlations, t‐tests, multiple regression analysis and path modeling using SEM.
Findings
The findings of the study support that service brand equity in the healthcare sector is greatly influenced by brand loyalty and perceived quality. However, brand image has an indirect effect on service brand equity through brand loyalty (mediating variable).
Research limitations/implications
The research can be criticized on the ground that data were selected conveniently from respondents residing in the city of Jammu, India. But at the same time the respondents were appropriate for the study as they have adequate knowledge about the hospitals, and were associated with the selected hospital for more than four years. Furthermore, the validity and reliability of the data are strong enough to take care of the limitations of the convenience sampling selection method.
Originality/value
The study has unique value addition to the service marketing vis‐à‐vis healthcare literature, from both theoretical and managerial perspectives. The study establishes a direct and significant relationship between service brand equity and its two components, i.e. perceived service quality and brand loyalty in the healthcare sector. It also provides directions to healthcare service providers in creating, enhancing, and maintaining service brand equity through service quality and brand loyalty, to sustain competitive advantage.
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Kevin Kam Fung So and Ceridwyn King
The purpose of this paper is to provide hotel brand managers with a robust measure to evaluate brand equity as an outcome of brand strategies, as well as to gain insight into what…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide hotel brand managers with a robust measure to evaluate brand equity as an outcome of brand strategies, as well as to gain insight into what contributes to hotel brand equity.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative methodology was adopted including the development of a survey questionnaire that allows for the measurement of the six constructs contained within Berry's service‐branding model. The development of the survey instrument followed a two‐stage process. In the initial stage, pretested items were generated from the research literature. The second stage involved conducting focus groups to identify and eliminate deficiencies of the questionnaire. Data were collected using a self‐administered survey via central location intercept across multiple tourist attractions in a major tourist destination in Australia. The sample of the present study consisted of 288 respondents who have previously stayed in a hotel organisation.
Findings
Using Berry's service‐branding model as a conceptual framework, a robust measure of hotel brand equity has been developed and validated. In doing so, the results of this paper indicate that for experienced hotel customers, service experience is most influential in determining brand meaning (i.e. the customer's dominant perceptions and impression of the brand). Such brand meaning in turn serves as the primary contributor to brand equity. The effect of brand awareness on brand equity is however found to be not significant.
Research limitations/implications
In establishing effective brand management practices and to realise positive and sustainable brand equity, hotel brand managers, need to have an equal focus on managing the brand internally as well as externally.
Practical implications
The findings provide a sound conceptual framework and robust measure through which hotel brand managers can effectively build, measure and manage hotel brand equity from the customer's perspective.
Originality/value
The paper provides an empirical examination of Berry's service‐branding model. In doing so, it provides hotel brand managers with a robust service brand measure to assess brand equity as an outcome of brand strategies. Further, the results give insight into the process by which hotel brand equity is built.
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