La première rencontre mémorable entre marque et consommateur et son influence sur la relation : exploration par une approche qualitative phénoménologique.

Comprendre comment les consommateurs découvrent, adoptent et tissent une relation avec des marques suscite un intérêt croissant parmi les chercheurs en comportement du consommateur. Une relation étant constituée d’une série d’interactions, les interactions clés entre marque et consommateur, notamment la première, parce qu’elles sont susceptibles de générer des biais,influencent tout le cours de la relation. Leur étude peut contribuer à comprendre le développement de la relation marque-consommateur. Cet article présente les résultats d’une étude qualitative phénoménologique explorant les configurations de première rencontre, définissant ce qu’est une rencontre mémorable, ses facettes, antécédents et conséquences sur la relation.Understanding how consumers discover, adopt and develop relationships with brands is of increasing interest in consumer research. A relationship being a series of interactions, key interactions between consumers and brands, especially the first one, because they can generate biases, cast their influence all over the course of the consumer-brand relationship. This article presents the results of a qualitative phenomenological inquiry exploring configurations of first encounters, defining what a memorable encounter is, its facets, antecedents and consequences on the relationship course.Consumer Culture Theory (CCT); Phenomenological interviews; Consumer-brand theory; Entretiens phénoménologiques; Relation marque-consommateur; Théorie culturelle du consommateur;

How Sustainability Ratings Might Deter “Greenwashing”: A Closer Look at Ethical Corporate Communication.

Of the many ethical corporate marketing practices, many firms use corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication to enhance their corporate image. Yet consumers, overwhelmed by these more or less well-founded CSR claims, often have trouble identifying truly responsible firms. This confusion encourages “greenwashing” and may make CSR initiatives less effective. On the basis of attribution theory, this study investigates the role of independent sustainability ratings on consumers’ responses to companies’ CSR communication. Experimental results indicate the negative effect of a poor sustainability rating for corporate brand evaluations in the case of CSR communication, because consumers infer less intrinsic motives by the brand. Sustainability ratings thus could act to deter “greenwashing” and encourage virtuous firms to persevere in their CSR practices.attribution theory; ethical corporate marketing; sustainability ratings; CSR communication;

How Sustainability Ratings Might Deter "Greenwashing": A Closer Look at Ethical Corporate Communication

Of the many ethical corporate marketing practices, many firms use corporate social responsibility (CSR) communication to enhance their corporate image. Yet consumers, overwhelmed by these more or less well-founded CSR claims often have trouble identifying truly responsible firms. This confusion encourages "greenwashing" and may make CSR initiatives less effective. On the basis of attribution theory, this study investigates the role of independent sustainability ratings on consumers' responses to companies' CSR communication. Experimental results indicate the negative effect of a poor sustainability rating for corporate brand evaluations in the case of CSR communication, because consumers infer less intrinsic motives by the brand. Sustainability ratings thus could act to deter "greenwashing" and encourage virtuous firms to persevere in their CSR practices.ethical corporate marketing, CSR communication, attribution theory, sustainability ratings

Building brand equity with environmental communication: an empirical investigation in France

International audiencePurpose Using Keller's (1993, 2003) brand equity framework, this paper investigates the impact of the firm's environmental communication on brand equity, and specifically its impact on brand image, through the strength and favourability of brand environmental associations. Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects experimental design tests the hypotheses with a generalisable sample of 165 French consumers. Findings Environmental communication positively influences the strength and favourability of brand environmental associations, therefore improving brand equity. Two moderators reinforce the impact of environmental communication on brand equity through the strength of brand environmental associations: the perceived congruence between the brand and the cause, and the perceived credibility of the claim. Practical implications In the context of greater consumer pressure regarding business ethics, managers should favour environmental arguments in their corporate communication to improve brand image through societal associations. Doing so, they should focus their communication on causes that are congruent with their brands to facilitate brand equity building, and ensure they are credible when proclaiming these arguments. Originality/value of paper Despite existing research on corporate social responsibility (CSR), no studies focus on the specific impact of CSR communication on brand equity. This research provides initial empirical evidence about the positive effect of environmental claims on customer-based brand equity

Communication sociétale des enseignes, le consommateur est-il toujours dupe ? le rôle de la réputation.

De nombreuses enseignes communiquent sur leurs engagements sociétaux afin d’améliorer leur image auprès des consommateurs. Néanmoins, face à la profusion d’arguments plus ou moins fondés, l’efficacité de la communication sociétale peut être questionnée. Mobilisant la théorie de l’attribution, cette recherche examine l’impact de la réputation de l’entreprise sur la façon dont le consommateur réagit à la communication sociétale. Les résultats valident l’absence d’impact de la communication sociétale sur le capital-marque lorsqu’une enseigne pâtit d’une mauvaise réputation. En revanche, en cas de bonne réputation, les consommateurs infèrent des motivations internes dans la prise de parole de l’enseigne, ce qui influence la sincérité perçue de celle-ci et in fine, son capital-marque.Many retailers communicate about their societal engagements to improve their image. Yet, overwhelmed by these more or less well-founded societal claims, consumers get troubles to identify truly responsible retailers, making societal communication probably less efficient. Based upon the attribution theory, this research examines the role of independent information regarding the retailer’s societal reputation on consumers’ response to societal communication. Results show the absence of impact of societal communication on brand equity in case of bad reputation, as consumers infer less internal motivations for the retailer to communicate, therefore decreasing its perceived sincerity as well as its brand equity.Communication sociétale; réputation; théorie de l’attribution; capital-marque; distribution; societal communication; reputation; attribution theory; brand equity; retailing;

Communication sociétale et capital-marque.

Différents travaux sur la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises (RSE) montrent que les consommateurs perçoivent plus favorablement les entreprises agissant de manière responsable, mais n'étudient pas spécifiquement les effets de la communication sociétale et de ses caractéristiques sur le capital-marque. Dans cette recherche, des hypothèses sont formulées à partir du cadre conceptuel du capital-marque proposé par Keller (1993) et testées expérimentalement. Les résultats montrent que la communication sociétale renforce le capital-marque, et que trois autres facteurs interviennent : la sensibilité sociétale des consommateurs, la congruence entre l'entreprise et la cause défendue, et l'interaction entre la crédibilité de l'information sociétale et le scepticisme du consommateur.Previous research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) generally acknowledges that consumers develop more favourable perceptions of responsible firms. Yet few empirical works have focused on the effects of the firm's societal communication and of its characteristics on brand equity. In this paper we draw on Keller's (1993) brand equity framework to derive hypotheses and test them using an experiment on 200 university students. The findings suggest that societal communication supports brand equity building, which also depends on the perceived congruency between the firm and the cause it supports, societal consciousness and the interaction between perceived claim credibility and consumer scepticism.communication sociétale; capital-marque; expérimentation; societal communication; brand equity; experiment;

Le rôle de la congruence entre l’enseigne et son engagement dans la construction du capital-marque par la communication sociétale : une approche par la théorie de l’attribution.

De nombreuses entreprises du secteur de la distribution communiquent sur leursengagements sociétaux afin d’améliorer leur image auprès des consommateurs. Néanmoins,face à la profusion d’arguments plus ou moins fondés, l’efficacité de la communicationsociétale des enseignes est remise en question. Pour mieux comprendre comment leconsommateur interprète l’information qu’il reçoit, notamment en ce qui concerne la naturede l’engagement de l’enseigne, la théorie de l’attribution offre un cadre opportun et permet deformuler des hypothèses qui sont ensuite testées expérimentalement. Les résultats valident lapertinence d’une route « attributionnelle » dans le traitement de la communication sociétalepar les consommateurs qui présentent une forte conscience sociétale.Many firms, especially retailers, communicate about their societal engagements toimprove their image. Yet, overwhelmed by these more or less well-founded societal claims,consumers get troubles to identify truly responsible retailers, making societal communicationless efficient. To better understand how consumers interpret societal information, especiallyabout the nature of retailers’ engagements, the attribution theory is well-suited and helps toderive hypotheses experimentally tested. Results confirm the role of the “attributional” routein explaining societal information treatment for consumers showing strong societalconsciouness.Communication sociétale; Congruence perçue; Capital-marque; Societal communication; Perceived congruency; Attribution theory; Brand equity; Retailing;

Societal communication and brand equity

Previous research works on corporate social responsibility (CSR) generally acknowledge that consumers develop more favourable perceptions of responsible firms. Yet next to nothing has been written on the effects of the firm's societal communication and its characteristics on brand equity. In this paper we draw on Keller's (2003) brand equity framework to derive hypotheses and test them using an experiment on a sample of 200 French University students. The findings suggest that societal communication supports brand equity building. From a more specific standpoint, when the brand communicates on its societal involvement, brand equity building depends on individual and situational variables, such as perceived congruency between the firm and the cause it supports, societal consciousness and the interaction between perceived claim credibility and consumer scepticism.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) ; Brand Equity ; Societal Communication ; Experiment

Societal communication and brand equity

Previous research on corporate social responsibility generally acknowledges that consumers develop more favourable perceptions of responsible firms. Yet few empirical works have focused on the effects of the firm's societal communication and of its characteristics on brand equity. In this paper we draw on Keller's (2003) brand equity framework to derive hypotheses and test them using an experiment on 200 university students. The findings suggest that societal communication supports brand equity building, which also depends on the perceived congruency between the firm and the cause it supports, societal consciousness and the interaction between perceived claim credibility and consumer scepticism.societal communication, brand equity, experiment

La première rencontre mémorable entre un consommateur et une marque.

Cette thèse définit et explore la première rencontre mémorable entre un consommateur et une marque. Sur le plan conceptuel, elle s'appuie sur les travaux pluri-disciplinaires sur la première rencontre et ceux sur le paradigme de la relation marque-consommateur. Une phase d'exploration empirique est ensuite menée à l'aide d'une étude qualitative phénoménologique (Etude 1) mobilisant différentes méthodes d'analyse (récits de vie, analyses factorielles des correspondances). Un schème général de la première rencontre mémorable est ainsi proposé, testé quantitativement par les études 2 et 3. L'étude 2 s'intéresse aux antécédents et facettes de la mémorabilité de la rencontre grâce à une méthodologie par incidents critiques. L'étude 3 teste l'effet des configurations de rencontre sur son caractère mémorable grâce à une expérimentation par scénario. Plusieurs résultats sont discutés : la compréhension des configurations de rencontre ainsi que les logiques individuelles de rencontre, la définition d'une rencontre mémorable et ses deux facettes (mémorabilité par l'objet et mémorabilité par le contexte), ses antécédents et ses conséquences.This doctoral research defines and explores the first memorable encounter between a consumer and a brand. The present research relies on two theoretical roots: multidisciplinary research works about the first encounter, as well as research from the consumer-brand relationship paradigm. Then, Study 1 offers an empirical exploration of the phenomenon, based on a phenomenological qualitative enquiry using different methods of analysis (life story analysis, factorial analysis of correspondence). A general pattern of the first memorable encounter is then developed. Studies 2 and 3 quantitatively investigate part of the pattern. Study 2 tests the antecedents and facets of the encounter¤s memorability using a critical incident technique. Study 3 tests the effect of encounters configurations thanks to an experimental design. Several results are discussed: the comprehension of encounters configurations as well as individual patterns of encounter, the definition of a memorable encounter and its two facets (object-driven memorability and context-driven memorability), its antecedents and consequences.Brand Choice; Consumers; Marques de commerce; consommateurs; marketing relationnel; expérience; Trademarks;