Mark S. Glynn

The service brand and the service-dominant logic: missing fundamental premise or the need for stronger theory?

It is increasingly being recognized that brands play a major role in contributing to the value of service businesses (e.g. Berry, 2000; de Chernatony, 2003). However, in their award-winning article about the emerging service-dominant logic, Vargo and Lusch (2004) pay little attention to branding. This article explores the case for integrating branding into the service-dominant logic (S-D logic). We review how diverse perspectives of brands relate to the S-D logic and then examine Rust, Zeithaml and Lemons (2000) claim that brand equity is a component of the concept of customer equity. Next we review some recent research about brands in relationships and then examine whether there is a missing fundamental premise in the S-D logic about the service brand. Finally we consider the development of stronger underlying theory that integrates the concepts of brand equity, customer equity and network equity into the S-D logic.

Towards a Theory of Marketplace Equity Integrating Branding and Relationship Thinking with Financial Thinking

In the last two decades the term ‘equity’ has been used in marketing to describe the asset value of brands, customers, channels, and other marketing relationships. We examine the alternative uses of the term and how they relate together. We also explore issues involved in developing a more general theory of marketplaceequity that integrates branding and relationship thinking with financial thinking. What would be the basis for such a theory? How do existing concepts about brands and relationships relate to a more general theory of marketplace equity and value?

Consumer-factors Moderating Private Label Brand Success: Further Empirical Results

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the category‐level differences of both risk perception and brand loyalty effects on consumer proneness towards buying private label brands (PLBs).Design/methodology/approach – This paper extends the work of Batra and Sinha by also examining the PLB effects of brand loyalty and price‐quality by product category using a mall‐intercept survey.Findings – The results indicate that quality variability, price consciousness, price‐quality association and brand loyalty influence consumer proneness to buy PLBs. In addition, income, education and household size are moderators of PLB purchasing.Research limitations/implications – This research confirms the importance of price consciousness and quality variability on PLB purchasing. The importance of these determinants depends on both the product category and the PLB market share within the category.Practical implications – Retailers and manufacturers need to consider the effects of PLB in relation to the product categ...

The importance of brand‐specific associations in brand extension: further empirical results

This paper reports a replication of Broniarczyk and Alba’s study of the influence of brand‐specific associations on brand extensions. The results broadly support the original study showing brand‐specific associations ( i.e. attributes which differentiate a brand from the competition)can dominate the effects of the parent brand to the point where they reverse extension evaluations. Thus the study provides further evidence to challenge the commonly held assumption that the effect associated with the original brand name and product category is automatically transferred to the brand extension.

How retail category differences moderate retailer perceptions of manufacturer brands

Abstract This article examines how the type of product category influences manufacturer-retailer relationships involving manufacturer brands. Category management is a key retailer management mechanism, but this topic has not been addressed in the context of purchasing manufacturer brands. This study examined retailer perceptions of manufacturer brands across eight product categories and the effects on retailer relationship outcomes including satisfaction, trust, commitment and performance. A significant difference in model parameters was initially identified between the two liquor and six grocery categories. The effect of this difference on the retailer relationship outcomes with manufacturer brands was then assessed using multi-group structural equation modelling. There were no differences between the categories in terms of the effect of brand benefits on retailer satisfaction with the brand and the subsequent effect of satisfaction on retailer commitment and trust. However, the impact of retailer satisfaction with the brand on brand performance expectations was greater for liquor brands than for brands in the grocery categories. The results indicate a retailers assessment of a brands performance within the store environment depends on the role of the category as well as satisfaction with the brand.

Private label personality: applying brand personality to private label brands

Private label brands (PLBs) are an important facet of the retail offering within the supermarket sector. Although research has focused on the risk factors of private label purchasing, there has been little research that explores the brand management of private labels including the development of a brand personality. In this study, we investigate how the Aaker brand personality scale applies to a PLB available in two different retail chains and examine its effect on customer attitudes towards private label quality. A factor analysis of these brand personality measurement items shows that five dimensions, confidence (a new dimension), sincerity, ruggedness, excitement and competence are relevant for PLBs. Although much of the original Aaker scale was included in the analysis, one factor, sophistication, was not evident. A regression analysis shows that all private label personality dimensions influenced the private label quality measure with the confidence and sincerity dimensions having the greatest impact.

Chapter 1 Introduction to Business-to-Business Marketing Management: Strategies, Cases, and Solutions

Following this introduction, the Chapter 2, “A Note on Knowledge Development in Marketing,” by Amjad Hajikhani and Peter LaPlaca, examines four themes in the development of marketing management knowledge. The discussion initially considers the scientific basis for the marketing discipline, then the academic divide between academic researchers and marketing managers.

Chapter 1 Effective business-to-business brand strategies: introduction to business-to-business brand management

Collectively these papers address most aspects of the marketing mix for B2B and industrial marketers. Each of the papers provides valuable brand management insights for managers.