When and why does the name of the brand still matter? Developing the temporal dimension of brand name equity theory

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to fill a current gap in the literature, through the development of theory concerned with changes that occur over time to the functions and importance of the brand name element of a branded entity. Design/methodology/approach – An initial theoretical conceptualisation was developed from the existing literature. Study participants whose behaviour was found not to conform to this initial conceptualisation were included in subsequent research in order to obtain greater understanding. The study method employed was a series of interviews, with the obtained qualitative data analysed using template analysis. This resulted in the development of a revised theoretical conceptualisation. Findings – Various functions of the brand name element, identified as connotation, denotation, linking and branded entity constancy are ongoing important providers of brand equity to some consumers for established branded entities. This challenges a position obtained from existing literature that the brand name element of an established branded entity becomes of minimal importance over time. Originality/value – Value generating functions of the brand name element that persist over time were identified, leading to the development of a theoretical conceptualisation of the change in the importance of brand name equity over time

Untangling the brand name from the branded entity

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the value to consumers of the brand name element for established brands, given that the focus in the literature has been on new brands. To accomplish this, conceptual development was initially undertaken to illuminate the links between the brand name element and the brand entity and to provide a theoretical framework for looking at changes in value of the brand name element to consumers over time. Design/methodology/approach – A conjoint analysis experimental approach was used. This involved consumers making trade-off decisions between changes in brand name and changes in price for established brands, where they were active purchasers. This approach enabled isolation of the brand name element and obtained the relative value of the brand name element for each participant. Findings – The mean value obtained for the importance of the brand name element for established products appeared to show substantial importance to consumers. However, further analysis identified a position where the majority of participants placed little value on the brand name element and a smaller but material group perceived its value as of overwhelming importance. Originality/value – This paper advances branding theory through clarification of the relationship between the brand name element and the brand entity. It provides theoretical argument and empirical data for the value of the brand name element to the consumer differing between established and new brand

Exploring consumer brand name equity: Gaining insight through the investigation of response to name change

Purpose: Academic literature generally regards the brand name element as central to consumer brand equity. Unfortunately scant research has been carried out to justify such a position for established products and services. The purpose of this study is to address this research gap. Design/methodology/approach: A series of 25 semi-structured qualitative interviews was carried out with consumers, exploring functions performed by brand name for established products and services. In order to isolate the brand name element this focused on global marketing induced brand name changes. Findings: Many of the corporate-led functions performed by brand name within the literature received validation. This suggests that a concept of consumer brand name equity for established products and services can be justified. The study also indicated that a material proportion of the equity from a brand name was determined by the consumer. It revealed that many consumers had created their own associations for the brand name, positive and negative, independent of and different from those driven by the corporation. Originality/value: It provides needed empirical support for the concept of consumer brand name equity for established products and services. It also suggests that this may be usefully considered as a co-creation between corporation and consumer. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Creative destruction? Exploring the deliberate destruction of possessions by consumers

The purpose of this article is to explore consumption practices that involve the deliberate destruction of meaningful possessions; in particular, what motivates consumers to do so, why they choose it over other divestment options and what value creation do they expect from this. This is a consumer choice acknowledged but lacking in extant research, theoretical or empirical. From the existing literature a qualitative study was developed, consisting of a series of exploratory interviews with consumers who considered that they had engaged in possession destruction. From analysis of the identified themes, we developed a temporal process, where possession destruction creates self-wellbeing for the consumer, through the elimination of negative symbolic value associated with the possession. The existence of ritualistic and taboo behaviour suggests that this type of consumption can also be conceptualised as a social, violent, and sacrificial process