What is brand mimicry? a conceptual investigation in the luxury brand industry

Copying, imitation, counterfeiting and knock-offs have been considered to be detrimental to the global economy and to innovation. While Mimicry has been applied to various areas of sciences such as engineering, biomimetics and behavioural sciences or even in areas of Management, it is however rarely applied in Marketing. Based on the Theory of Mimicry, the mimicry phenomenon that animals use in nature is a direct reflection of what is occurring in our marketplace, specifically the luxury brand industry. It can be observed that copying extends beyond direct counterfeiting and there are established and well known luxury brands who are participants of various degrees of brand mimicry - which is the copying of style, design or even product. The presence of mimicry can be applied to facets of the marketplace. It is of interest that the study examines whether mimicry inhibits innovation, or which type of mimicry would be better evaluated. As such, mimicry in Marketing is defined and various levels of mimicry reflected in our marketplace will be categorized according to the biological definitions. Real life marketing examples will serve as the stimulus through an experimental design. A conceptual model is developed which can be applied and test across various types of mimicry. The model also explores how the degree of mimicry would affect perception of luxury and consumer evaluations between the original and the mimic brand. Various theories from biology, sociology and psychology are used to explain the mimicry phenomenon. The implications of the study will contribute conceptually, methodologically and managerially

What moderates attitudes and purchase intentions in a luxury brand counterfeits context?

The study aims to understand the moderators that would enhance the relationship between attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands and purchase intentions of Chinese consumers. Data collection was conducted in a major shopping complex in downtown Shanghai. A response rate of 14% was recorded. Findings reveal that both social and personality factors enhance the relationship of attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands and purchase intentions. However, only value consciousness was found to be insignificant moderator. Various implications were derived and limitations and future directions of the study were also delineated

Determining factors of attitudes and intentions towards downloading: an australian perspective

Digital piracy has been a rampant phenomenon that has attracted attention both from major corporations, policy makers and the media. This study investigates the factors influencing "illegal" downloading of movies and TV series through P2P networks to gain a better understanding of downloaders. Specifically, it examines how social and ethical orientations of university students and their attitudes towards downloading impact on downloading intentions. The data analysis of 284 useable responses produced several significant relationships. Neutralisation theory and the theory of planned behavior are used to explain some of the results. Facilitating conditions and personal moral obligation were found to predict attitudes towards downloading. Personal moral obligation and attitudes towards downloading are also found to influence intentions to download. Findings derived from this study can provide useful managerial implications for marketers and policy makers to have a better understanding of down-loaders and help developed better measures to a problem which is likely to persist

Buyer and non buyer of counterfeits of luxury brands: examining their differences in behavioural outcomes

The purpose of the study is to examine the behavioural differences between non-buyer and buyer of counterfeits of luxury brands. Data was collected using a mall intercept in downtown Shanghai, China. 202 useable responses were retained for analysis. Findings revealed that there are differences between both group of consumers. Social and personality factors do influence attitudes and purchase intentions towards counterfeits of luxury brands. Managerial implications were also discussed

Brand mimicry of luxury brands

This research extends the theory of mimicry from the discipline of biological and natural sciences to the luxury brand context. Three brand mimicry scales namely Wicklerian-Eisnerian, Vavilovian and Pouyannian mimicry were developed and validated. A conceptual model is developed to test the influences of the three types of brand mimicry across four categories of luxury products. The findings provide academics, practitioners and policy makers with valuable insights into mimicry in the luxury brand industry

?Are you a peer to peer pirate?? attitudes towards downloading movies and TV series through P2P networks

This study sets out to investigate how collectivism and personal moral obligation may influence young consumers' attitudes towards the ethical stance of downloading of movies and TV series from the Internet and subsequent downloading behaviour. Data were collected using a convenience sampling method and 282 usable responses were used for analysis. The two factors were found to be significant predictors of attitudes, and in turn, attitudes is a significant predictor to intentions to download. Implications of the study and the corresponding recommendations are presented and discussed

The influence of personality factors on attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands and purchase intention

This paper examines how personality factors influence attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands and purchase intention. Attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands is found to influence purchase intention. A factor analysis of the scale "attitudes towards counterfeiting of luxury brands" revealed two factors, which are "perceptions of counterfeits" and "social consequences". Status consumption and integrity are strong influencers of purchase intention, whereas personal gratification, value consciousness, and novelty seeking had weaker influencing relationships. The research findings can be used to formulate strategies to better counter counterfeiting

An investigation into young consumers' motives and perceptions towards SMS advertising

The purpose of this study is to examine young consumers' motives for using SMS, their SMS usage frequency, and their attitudes towards SMS advertising. Factor analysis on the motives to use SMS messaging revealed seven factors, namely convenience, social involvement, enjoyment, escape, personal communication, economical reasons, and public expression. The findings show that convenience and economical reasons influence SMS usage frequency. Social involvement influences attitudes towards SMS advertising. Managerial implications and limitations are presented

A conceptual investigation into brand mimicry in the luxury brand industry

Copying, imitation, counterfeiting and knock-offs have been considered to be detrimental to the global economy and to innovation. While Mimicry has been applied to various areas of sciences such as engineering, biomimetics and behavioural sciences or even in areas of Management, it is however rarely applied in Marketing. Based on the Theory of Mimicry, the mimicry phenomenon that animals use in nature is a direct reflection of what is occurring in our marketplace, specifically the luxury brand industry. It can be observed that copying extends beyond direct counterfeiting and there are established and well known luxury brands who are participants of various degrees of brand mimicry – which is the copying of style, design or even product. The presence of mimicry can be applied to facets of the marketplace. It is of interest that the study examines whether mimicry inhibits innovation, or which type of mimicry would be better evaluated. As such, mimicry in Marketing is defined and various levels of mimicry reflected in our marketplace will be categorized according to the biological definitions. Real life marketing examples will serve as the stimulus through an experimental design. A conceptual model is developed which can be applied and test across various types of mimicry. The model also explores how the degree of mimicry would affect perception of luxury and consumer evaluations between the original and the mimic brand. Various theories from biology, sociology and psychology are used to explain the mimicry phenomenon. The implications of the study will contribute conceptually, methodologically and managerially

Devil wears (counterfeit) Prada: a study of antecedents and outcomes of attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands

The paper examines how social and personality factors influence Chinese consumers' attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands and how these two sets of variables influence purchase intention. It provides a profile of buyers and non-buyers of counterfeits of luxury brands. A self-administered questionnaire was designed using established scales. A survey was conducted in downtown Shanghai through the "mall intercept" method. A variety of statistical techniques was used to analyse the data. Status consumption and integrity are strong influencers of purchase intention, whereas normative susceptibility, information susceptibility, personal gratification, value consciousness, novelty seeking had weaker influencing relationships. The attitude towards counterfeiting of luxury brands is found to influence purchase intention. Collectivism does not influence attitudes nor purchase intentions towards counterfeits of luxury brands. The findings are only limited to Chinese consumers in Shanghai, which cannot be generalized across whole of China. Further, only luxury brands are considered. Other cultural contexts and product categories should be investigated in future. This research provides an in depth understanding of Chinese consumers' attitudes towards counterfeits of luxury brands. The research findings can be used to formulate strategies for academia, practitioners and more importantly policy makers to help eradicate or at the very least curb counterfeiting activities.The majority of previous studies focused on counterfeiting and piracy of music and other optical media whereas this paper focussed exclusively on luxury brands. Status consumption is also added as an antecedent towards attitudes and purchase intention of counterfeits