Editorial

Citation

Leventhal, R.C. (2013), "Editorial", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 22 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbm.2013.09622caa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Product & Brand Management, Volume 22, Issue 3

The realization that when a company is engaged in a global competitive marketplace there has to be a brand management strategy created before actual entry into a specific marketplace is an ongoing challenge that must not only be overcome, but also constantly monitored. Each culture and its ensuing marketplace is constantly changing, and providing more opportunities that must be recognized and dealt with. A company cannot always assume that current sales are a strong indicator of what lies ahead.

Moosmayer and Fuljahn examine the concept of cause related marketing, which has gained popularity in Europe within the last decade. The authors investigate corporate motives and the fit of a company brand with the CRM cause as determinants of a campaign’s success. Based on the authors’ findings, the recommendation is made that exploring the fit of CRM campaigns in more detail is called for. A company should think twice before using CRM as a means of profit maximization. When selecting an adequate cause, attention should be paid to the company brand and to a product’s potential impact upon society. Moreover, the donation type (money versus product) should be chosen in a way to clearly support the cause and to avoid potential allegation of aiming at an increased distribution of a company’s product.

Leingpibul, Broyles and Kohli examined the concept that until the relatively recent past, retailer brands performed poorly with respect to their quality, positioning, and psychological benefits offered to customers. As a result, manufacturer brands are pressed to find ways to differentiate their brands from those of their retail competitors. The authors found a positive relationship for the mediated relationship between customers’ loyalty to retailers’ brands and their propensity to switch to retail brands. There was a direct impact of customers’ attitude concerning store brands and their propensity to switch retail brands. The authors also found that there is a positive direct relationship between loyalty towards retail brands and their propensity to switch to retail brands.

Beneke, Flynn, Greig and Mukaiwa studied the influence of perceived quality, relative price and risk, respectively, on perceived product value and, ultimately, consumers’ willingness to buy private label household cleaning products. The results indicated that establishing a value perception is critical in the buying process. Tangible cues exhibiting high quality (e.g. packaging, shelf space, media placement, etc) needs profound attention. Furthermore, the authors also suggest that risk (which plays an important part in the consumer decision process) is minimized through optimal retail service quality and customer reassurances.

Godey, Pederzoli, Aiello, Donvito, Wiedmann and Hennigs analyze perception of luxury and luxury brands among an international sample of young consumers. International luxury companies should take into consideration the multi-faceted concept of luxury in general, but also the main differences between countries in the continuum between “status” and “emotional” dimensions of luxury. Luxury companies cannot adopt a global strategy when addressing various countries that they compete in.

Veloutsou, Christodoulides and de Chernatony identify the components of consumer based brand equity from the perspective of experts in brand management in the UK, Germany and Greece. The findings suggested four categories of measure, which can be used to define brand equity. In addition, although the focus of this study is Europe, data was only collected form the UK, Germany and Greece, countries representing three of the five European cultural clusters. The resultant taxonomy adds to the fragmented literature on brand equity measurement by proposing four categories to gauge brand equity.

In this issue you will also find our Pricing Strategy & Practice section, as well as our Book Review section.

Richard C. Leventhal