To be or not to be a brand: the author name

International audienceThe aim of this research is to determine whether or not the author name is of the same nature as a brand namein readers’ eyes, in order to understand whether there is a limit, a boundto the scope of the branding concept. The case of the literary fiction writer is especially interesting since literature is on the boundary between commerce and the arts, and accordingly on the boundary of the profane and the sacred, given the sacralization process from which the arts have benefited since the sixteenth century. To this end, aqualitative studywas conductedamong 18 regular readersin France. The findings of the studys how that, although the author name (the signature) plays the role of a brand name, the author (the writer) is not a brand for consumers, who develop diverse strategies to cope with the commercial aspects of the book industry. The results help to formulate recommendations for authors and publishers, but also for brand managers

Les facteurs-clés de succès d’une substitution de marques du point de vue des consommateurs

International audienceLa stratégie qui consiste à remplacer une marque par une autre sur un produit ou une gamme de produits est devenue une pratique de plus en plus courante au cours de ces quinze dernières années. Or, une telle opération est extrêmement dangereuse pour l’entreprise. En effet,le risque de baisse durable des ventes et de la part de marché est très élevé en cas d’échec. Afin d’aider les responsables marketing à mieux évaluer les risques et les opportunités d’un projet de substitution de marques, cet article présente les résultats d’une étude menée auprèsde quatre cents consommateurs. Cette étude permet d’identifier les facteurs-clés de succès d’une substitution de marques du point de vue des consommateurs

Consumer reaction to service rebranding

International audienceThe aim of this research is to understand consumers׳ reactions to brand name changes in the service sector. To this end, a quantitative study was conducted of 320 customers and eight cases of service rebranding. The results show that three variables explain the change in attitudes toward the service after its rebranding: (1) proximity between the new brand name and the service, (2) difference in image between the old and the new brand names, and (3) attachment to the service place. These results help us to identify the key factors for successful brand name substitution in services

On The Boundary of the Sacred and the Profane: The Author Name

International audienceThe aim of this research is to determine whether or not the author name is of the same nature as a brand name in readers‟ eyes, in order to understand whether there is a limit, a bound to the scope of the branding concept. The case of the literary fiction writer is especially interesting since literature is at the frontier of commerce and the arts, and accordingly at the frontier of the profane and the sacred, given the socialization process from which the arts have benefited since the sixteenth century. To this end, two qualitative studies were conducted among respectively 31 and 18 readers in France. The findings of the studies show that, although the author name (the signature) plays the role of a brand name, the author (the writer) is not a brand for consumers, who develop diverse strategies to cope with the commercial aspects of the book industry. The results help to formulate recommendations for authors and publishers, but also for brand managers

Overcoming resistance to product rebranding

International audiencePurpose – The purpose of this article is to understand how and why consumers resist or accept product rebranding. It seeks to identify and to quantify the drivers of attitudes toward this marketing practice to guide marketing managers in the execution of an effective changeover. Design/methodology/approach – The research is conducted in three stages. First, a qualitative study is run among 45 consumers to identify variables that might influence attitudes toward product rebranding. Second, a review of literature on the emotion of surprise is carried out to specify the relationships between the variables previously identified and to formulate hypotheses. Third, a quantitative study is conducted among 480 consumers to test the hypotheses and to quantify the impact of each variable. Findings – Surprise impacts attitudes toward product rebranding through a three-way process (automatic, higher-order cognitive, higher-order affective): a direct negative effect, an indirect effect mediated by incomprehension about the reasons for the change and an indirect effect mediated by the negative emotions generated by the change. Moreover, trust in firms diminishes the negative effects of anger, fear and sadness on attitudes toward product rebranding. Research limitations/implications – The research offers a better understanding of processes involved in the building of consumer attitudes toward brand name change. However, it only constitutes a first step in the attempt to understand the phenomena. Practical implications – This practice of brand name change is increasingly popular, but marketing managers are skeptical about the best way to implement it. The paper provides a better understanding of consumer reactions to product rebranding, so that marketing managers can make better decisions. It reveals guidance for successful brand name changes. Originality/value – This paper is the first to propose and to test a comprehensive model of the mental processes involved in the building of consumer attitudes toward product rebranding

La labellisation « Fabrication française » des PGC : Un signal positif pour l’économie et l’environnement, mais pas pour la qualité

International audienc

« Fabrication française » : quels effets sur l’intention d’achat et le consentement à payer ?

International audienceThis research focuses on the effect of the indication of origin “Made in France” on the buying intention and willingness to pay for a FMCG according to two types of characteristics: those related to the brand (brand equity and brand origin) and those related to the individual (ethnocentrism and national identity). It relies for that on the theoretical framework of co-branding, considering that the indication “Made in France” is similar to a co-brand that interacts with the product brand. An experiment conducted with 293 French consumers shows that the buying intention of the product increases significantly with the presence of the indication “Made in France”, which is not the case of the willingness to pay. This positive effect on buying intention is greater when: (1) the product is signed by a brand whose brand equity is weak rather than strong, (2) the consumer’s ethnocentrism is high, and / or (3) the consumer is strongly attached to his/her French national identity. These results help to identify the conditions under which the strategy of indicating the national origin of the product can succeed.Cette recherche s’intéresse à l’effet de la mention d’origine « Fabrication française » sur l’intention d’achat et le consentement à payer d’un produit de grande consommation en fonction de deux types de caractéristiques : celles liées à la marque (capital-marque et origine de la marque) et celles liées à l’individu (ethnocentrisme et identité nationale). Elle s’appuie pour cela sur le cadre théorique du co-marquage, en considérant que la mention « Fabrication française » s’apparente à une co-marque qui interagit avec la marque du produit. Une expérimentation menée auprès de 293 consommateurs français montre que l’intention d’achat du produit augmente de manière significative avec la présence de la mention « Fabrication française », ce qui n’est pas le cas du consentement à payer. L’effet positif sur l’intention d’achat est plus important lorsque : (1) le produit est signé par une marque dont le capital est faible plutôt que fort, (2) l’ethnocentrisme du consommateur est élevé, et / ou (3) le consommateur est fortement attaché à son identité nationale française. Ces résultats aident à identifier les conditions dans lesquelles la stratégie consistant à mentionner l’origine nationale du produit peut réussir

Products labeled as “made in domestic country”: the brand matters

International audiencePurpose The purpose of this paper is to better understand an increasingly widespread practice consisting, of a brand, in signaling the domestic origin of its products aimed at domestic consumers, that is, the “made in the domestic country” (MIDC) strategy. To this end, it is proposed to analyze the MIDC label as a cue interacting with the brand’s characteristics (brand equity and country of origin of the brand). Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects experiment is conducted among 293 French consumers on four different brands of pasta. The overall design is a 2 (with/without the MIDC label) × 2 (high/low brand equity) × 2 (domestic/foreign brand) mixed design. Findings The results show that intention to buy the product increases significantly with the presence of the MIDC label, but not so willing to pay. The positive effect on buying intention is greater when: the product has rather low brand equity, consumer ethnocentrism is high and/or consumers are strongly attached to their national identity. Research limitations/implications The present research extends the literature on country-of-origin effects by taking into account the role of the brand equity of the product. However, the study focused on only one low-involvement product category (pasta) and one country (France). Practical implications This study shows that adding an MIDC label to the product is empirically justified. Originality/value While moderate or high scores on “patriotic” variables reinforce the positive impact of the MIDC label, low scores reverse the trend, that is, cause rejection