Editorial

Citation

Leventhal, R.C. (2010), "Editorial", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 19 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/jpbm.2010.09619baa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Journal of Product & Brand Management, Volume 19, Issue 2

Although much has been examined in terms of how important a brand name is, the fact remains that a company must have the proper branding strategy if it is to succeed in the global marketplace today. There are several examples of powerful and successful brand names in the global marketing arena today (such as Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Tesco and IBM, to name a few), but many more companies are having a difficult time in not only establishing a profitable presence but also being able to maintain their share of the markets. A strong brand can turn out to be one of the most valuable assets that a corporation can have, for without this it may be difficult to generate the necessary profit margins or maintain a competitive channel advantage.

Walsh, Winterich and Mittal believe that logos are a critical component of brand aesthetics. Frequently companies redesign their logos, and many redesigns result in more rounded logos. How do such redesigns affect consumers’ brand attitudes? The authors explore the role of brand commitment on consumer response to logo shape redesign. The authors reveal that consumers most committed to the brand have stronger and more negative reactions (in terms of brand attitude) to redesign efforts. Conversely, weakly committed consumers react positively to such changes. The authors caution that attempting to change brand elements should be aware of the potentially negative impact upon their most important customers – those having the strongest brand commitment.

Liang, Cherian and Fu examine whether the follower extensions with superior alignable differences can overcome the pioneer extensions. Two factors may affect this situation – the perceived fit between the parent brand and extensions and order of market entry. The authors’ findings may allow marketing managers to better determine whether and how to introduce brand extensions as a pioneer or follower.

Quester and Fleck identify how community members of a long established service brand (Club Med) negotiate the strategic decision made by management to substantially alter the brand positioning. Brand community members responded differently to the repositioning of the brand according to the core benefit or value they first sought by using the Club’s products/services, form the functional and practical to the emotional or experienced reward. The authors warn against unilateral decisions made without due consideration of the brand community which may have developed around the traditional meanings associated with the brand.

Olson and Thjomoe examine the rise and fall of General Motor’s brands. This case study not only represents this company but parallels are drawn to other firms that have had similar brand issues. Firms with multiple brands need top management leadership to ensure each brand has a unique mission with minimal overlap and adequate resources for product development, innovation, and communications to achieve its mission.

Louis and Lombart offer a model that incorporates both direct and indirect effects of brand’s perceived personality on three major relational consequences of this construct: trust, attachment and commitment to the brand. In addition to the links between brand personality and its relational consequences, the interdependence links amongst these consequences are also considered. The authors find that brand personality affects the type and strength of the relationship that consumers maintain with brands. Relational paths from brand personality to the variables trust, attachment and commitment are suggested.

In this issue you will also find a case that focuses on the best practices that have emerged during the worldwide economic slowdown and how one company capitalized on its partners insights. In addition you also find reviews of some books that might be of interest to our readers.

Richard C. Leventhal