Fredrik Lange

Let’s be strange: brand familiarity and ad‐brand incongruency

Reports on an experimental study where the effects of ad‐brand incongruency on a familiar brand and an unfamiliar brand, respectively, are measured. Building on theory on information incongruency, tests the notion that ads that are incongruent with the brand image may be more effective in raising brand interest and brand memorability. However, this depends on the familiarity of the brand: the incongruency reinforces the existing associations for a familiar brand by increasing elaboration of the brand message, whereas the incongruent associations may take the upper hand for an unfamiliar brand with weaker existing associations. The results show that ad‐brand incongruency enhances brand attitude and brand memorability and reduces ad memorability for the familiar brand. The only significant effect of ad‐brand incongruency for the unfamiliar brand is a reduced brand memorability.

A Disaster Is Contagious: How a Brand in Crisis Affects Other Brands

ABSTRACT Negative publicity is increasing in frequency to become part of the everyday lives of consumers and everyday business of brands. Previous research reports several negative effects on the focal brand and tests strategies to cope with ones own brand crisis. But one question needs examining: how does a brand crisis affect the product category and competing brands? This article reports two studies showing that a brand crisis changes consumer perceptions and the game rules of the entire product category. The effects on competing brands differ depending on similarity to the brand in crisis. Implications for advertising, positioning, and tracking are reported in the studys findings.

To Challenge or Not to Challenge: Ad-Brand Incongruency and Brand Familiarity

This study adds to the research on information incongruency in advertising by investigating the effects of ad-brand incongruency, that is, ads that are incongruent with the brand and its associations. A total of 728 (302 + 426) students participated in two experimental studies where ad congruency was manipulated for a familiar brand and an unfamiliar brand. The results showed that ad attitude and ad credibility were lowered whereas brand attitude was enhanced for the familiar brand. The effects were not significant for the unfamiliar brand. However, the associations from the incongruent ad were sustained at a delay for the unfamiliar brand but not for the familiar brand. Based on this, the authors argue that advertising should challenge familiar brands but not unfamiliar brands.

Effects of ad-brand incongruency

Abstract In this article, we add to the research on information incongruency in advertising with two studies of ad-brand incongruency. In the first study, subjects were exposed to either an ad that was congruent with the brand schema or an ad that was incongruent with the brand schema. Comparisons showed that the incongruent ad produced a lower ad attitude and ad credibility, but a higher brand attitude and more sophisticated processing of brand-related information. In the second study, the results of ad-brand incongruency on ad attitude, ad credibility and brand attitude were tested at one and two ad exposures. Furthermore, the impact of two moderating variables were tested: need for cognition (NFC), and attitude toward advertising. Theoretical and managerial implications from the two studies are discussed.

Real consumers in the virtual store

This article deals with shopping on the Internet. On a basis of environmental psychology theory, we examine the effects of this new retail interface on consumer shopping behaviour. In an empirical study, we contrast Web shopping with physical store shopping. The findings show discrepancies with regard to the amount and form of purchase planning. Internet shoppers plan their purchases better and seem to be less susceptible to marketing activities. However, these discrepancies can be attributed to differences in store stimuli, as the Web retail interface is not well designed in marketing terms. The mediating effect of shopping orientation was examined and found not to be significant. However, the distribution of shopping types has important implications.

When weaker brands prevail

When consumers fulfill consumption goals they make decisions on first, from which product category to buy, and second, which brand to purchase within the product category. In this article, the relative effects of product‐level typicality and brand‐level typicality on goal‐driven consumer choice are examined. Which level of typicality is more diagnostic of choice? Empirical results show that consumers are, in goal‐derived usage contexts, more likely to choose a less typical and less favored brand from a typical product category than a typical and more favored brand from a less typical product category. Consequently, brands that consumers perceive as inferior may be chosen over superior brands because of the link between product categories and usage contexts. Our results indicate that it may be fruitful for marketers to associate brands and product categories with usage contexts, and that they need to consider brand competitors from other product categories.

Bridging Theory and Practice in an Applied Retail Track

In this article, we present an educational approach that bridges theory and practice: an applied retail track. The track has been co-created by faculty and 10 partnering retail companies and runs in parallel with traditional courses during a 3-year bachelor’s degree program in retail management. The underlying pedagogical concept is to move retail education from simple dissemination of knowledge toward the production of learning by way of experiential, situated, and skill-based learning. Overall, we believe that this learning approach has helped to create a win-win-win situation for students, retailers, and faculty. Students gain unique insights from retail practice to complement their topically oriented course-based learning, thus enhancing their attractiveness to employers after graduation. Retailers gain in-depth knowledge about the competencies of young prospective employees, and faculty and retailers jointly benefit from exchanging ideas about contemporary challenges in retailing. This article describes the program’s main features and successes and offers recommendations for others seeking to implement all or some of its components.