HT2 - Managing Consumers: Consumer Behaviour and Consumption

Question 1

Aaker (1997)

Answer 1

brand personality = set of human characteristics associated with a brand
also includes demographic characteristics such as gender, age, class
tends to serve a symbolic or self-expressive function
e.g. Coca-Cola: cool, all American, real
if a person can identify itself with the brand personality, it prefers the brand
Personality traits: sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication, ruggedness

Question 2

Belk (1988)

Answer 2

possessions are part of ourselves when we can exercise power over them – extended self
as possessions become incorporated into the sense of self, they help define the meaning of life and identity
we learn, define, and remind ourselves of who we are by our possessions - we are what we have

Question 3

Chernatony & McDonald (2003)

Answer 3

with a powerful brand, cutomers are buying an augmented solution to their problem: it has sufficient added value to pay a premium over the other alternatives
brand: result of a coherent organisational and marketing approach using all elements of the marketing mix - strategic thinking
successful brands are valuable because they guarantee future income streams
4 levels of branding: generic, expected, augmented, potential
brands are non-verbal ways of communicating with peers, they provide physical and psychological comfort
functions of a brand: differentiator, functional device, symbolic device, risk reducer, legal device, strategic device
added values of a brand: experience, reference group effects, appearance, belief that brand is effective

Question 4

Muniz & O’Guinn (2001)

Answer 4

brand communities: a specialised, non-geographically bound community, based on a structured set of social relationships among admirers of a brand
legitimacy: differentiating between true members- shared consciousness
loyalty: opposition towards competition- own rituals and traditions
sharing brand stories: sense of moral responsibility and connection to assisting the brand and one another
advantages: consumers have a greater voice collectively, spread of information, social benefits to members
branding process: consumer-brand-consumer triad: consumers can also cancel brands
brand equity: perceived quality, brand loyalty, awareness, associations

Question 5

Holt (2003)

Answer 5

a brand turns into an icon if it forges a deep connection with the culture
the contradictions between ideology and individual experience produce desires and anxieties, and a demand for myths
if a brand can facilitate a myth and the rebellion around it, it turns into an icon