Kevin Lane Keller

Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity

The author presents a conceptual model of brand equity from the perspective of the individual consumer. Customer-based brand equity is defined as the differential effect of brand knowledge on consu...

Consumer evaluations of brand extensions.

Two studies were conducted to obtain insights on how consumers form attitudes toward brand extensions, (i.e., use of an established brand name to enter a new product category). In one study, reacti...

Brand Synthesis: The Multidimensionality of Brand Knowledge

The increased priority placed on branding by marketers in recent years offers an opportunity for consumer researchers to provide valuable insights and guidance. In particular, in highly competitive marketplaces, marketers often must link their brands to other entities, for example, people, places, things, or other brands, as a means to improve their brand equity. Understanding this leveraging process requires understanding consumer brand knowledge and how it changes from such associations. In this essay, I identify some promising and productive current research on this topic, and I suggest some important issues for future research. I conclude that adopting broader, more holistic perspectives that synthesize the multidimensionality of brand knowledge is critical to advance branding theory and practice, both in general and with brand leveraging in particular.

Building Brand Equity Through Corporate Societal Marketing

Marketers have shown increasing interest in the use of corporate societal marketing (CSM) programs. In this article, the authors describe six means by which CSM programs can build brand equity: (1) building brand awareness, (2) enhancing brand image, (3) establishing brand credibility, (4) evoking brand feelings, (5) creating a sense of brand community, and (6) eliciting brand engagement. The authors also address three key questions revolving around how CSM programs have their effects, which cause the firm should choose, and how CSM programs should be branded. The authors offer a series of research propositions throughout and conclude by outlining a set of potential future research directions.

Effects of Quality and Quantity of Information on Decision Effectiveness

Providing attribute information about alternatives can both help and hinder consumers evaluate products. We separate attribute information into two components: information quality and information quantity. We hypothesize, all else being equal, that the former component improves decision effectiveness while the latter component decreases decision effectiveness. The results of an experimental investigation designed to estimate the marginal effects of these factors were compatible with these premises. In addition, evaluations were also found to suffer in situations where high levels of information quality were made available. Insights into these and other observed effects are suggested after exploring the process by which subjects used the available information.

The effects of brand name suggestiveness on advertising recall

The authors report the results of a laboratory experiment examining the effects of the meaningfulness of brand names on recall of advertising. The findings indicate that a brand name explicitly con...

The Effects of Ingredient Branding Strategies on Host Brand Extendibility

A decision of increasing importance is how ingredient attributes that make up a product should be labeled or branded, if at all. The authors conduct a laboratory experiment to consider how ingredient branding affects consumer acceptance of a novel line extension (or one that has not been introduced before) as well as the ability of the brand to leverage that ingredient to introduce future category extensions. The authors study two particular types of novel line extensions or brand expansions: (1) slot-filler expansions, in which the level of one existing product attribute changes (e.g., a scent in Tide detergent that is new to the laundry detergent category) and (2) new attribute expansions, in which an entirely new attribute or characteristic is added to the product (e.g., cough relief liquid added to Life Savers candy). The authors examine two types of ingredient branding strategies by branding the target attribute ingredient for the brand expansion with either a new name as a self-branded ingredient (e.g., Tide with its own EverFresh scented bath soap) or an established, well-respected name as a cobranded ingredient (e.g., Tide with Irish Spring scented bath soap). The results indicate that with slot-filler expansions, a cobranded ingredient facilitates initial expansion acceptance, but a self-branded ingredient leads to more favorable subsequent category extension evaluations. With more dissimilar new attribute expansions, however, a cobranded ingredient leads to more favorable evaluations of both the initial expansion and the subsequent category extension. The authors offer interpretation, implications, and limitations of the findings, as well as directions for further research.

Relating Brandand Customer Perspectives on Marketing Management

What is the difference between brand equity and customer equity? Does the distinction matter? Is there a difference between the firm’s brand asset and customer asset? What are the implications of taking a brand perspective versus a customer perspective when designing and implementing marketing programs? The objective of this article is to examine these two perspectives in depth so that researchers and managers can improve their understanding and use of customer and brand perspectives on marketing. The authors seek to determine the relationship between the two assets and perspectives in terms of similarities and differences. They examine the development of customer and brand perspectives and describe how each adds value to the firm and to the customer. Subsequently, they delineate possible approaches for measuring marketing assets. They discuss key issues researchers and practitioners should consider in managing marketing assets, particularly for multibrand companies. They conclude by suggesting future research directions.

Communication Strategies for Brand Extensions: Enhancing Perceived Fit by Establishing Explanatory Links

Abstract This research examines the proposition that high perceived fit of a brand extension results when consumers can establish explanatory links that connect the parent brand and the extension. Explanatory links are created when salient parent brand associations are seen as relevant in the extension context. The salience and relevance of associations depends, in part, upon the dominant parent brand associations, the brand-to-extension relationship, and the communication strategy used to introduce the extension. Results indicated that extensions were poorly rated when the parent brands dominant association was inconsistent with the extensions dominant association. Specifically, brands with dominant attribute-based associations (e.g., physical features) received lower evaluations than brands with dominant non-attribute-based associations (e.g., brand users) when extended to a category with no physical attributes in common. In this case, evaluations were improved with an elaborational communication strategy that provided information about worrisome extension attributes. On the other hand, brands with dominant non-attribute-based associations received lower evaluations than brands with dominant attribute-based associations when extended to a category with physical attributes in common. In this case, extension evaluations were improved with a relational communication strategy that raised the salience of the physical relationship between the categories.

Linking Brand Equity to Customer Equity

Customer equity and brand equity are two of the most important topics to academic researchers and practitioners. As part of the 2005 Thought Leaders Conference held at the University of Connecticut, the authors were asked to review what was known and not known about the relationship between brand equity and customer equity. During their discussions, it became clear that whereas two distinct research streams have emerged and there are distinct differences, the concepts are also highly related. It also became clear that whereas the focus of both brand equity and customer equity research has been on the end consumer, there is a need for research to understand the intermediary’s perspective (e.g., the value of the brand to the retailer and the value of a customer to a retailer) and the consumer’s perspective (e.g., the value of the brand versus the value of the retailer). This article represents general conclusions from the authors’ discussion and suggests a modeling approach that could be used to investigate linkages between brand equity and customer equity as well as a modeling approach to determine the value of the manufacturer to a retailer.