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Article
Publication date: 2 April 2021

Rico Piehler, Ayla Roessler and Christoph Burmann

This study aims to investigate the brand-oriented leadership of a city’s mayor and city online brand communication as brand management-related antecedents of residents’ city brand…

1212

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the brand-oriented leadership of a city’s mayor and city online brand communication as brand management-related antecedents of residents’ city brand commitment. It thus examines if city brand managers can apply internal branding concepts from the corporate branding domain in a city branding context.

Design/methodology/approach

The relationships between the brand management-related antecedents and the internal city branding (ICB) objective are tested through structural equation modeling using cross-sectional survey data of 414 residents of a German city.

Findings

Both the brand-oriented leadership of the mayor in terms of acting as a role model by living the city brand and its identity and by showing commitment to the brand and the city’s online brand communication in terms of its quality have positive effects on residents’ city brand commitment. Moderation analyses reveal no significant differences between the path estimates for age, place of birth, duration of residency and education. However, the results differ significantly for gender.

Research limitations/implications

As this study’s sample is limited to only one city in Germany, further research needs to investigate the relationships in different cities and other countries to ensure the generalizability of the results. Future studies might also include other aspects of city brand communication, as well as cognitive and behavioural ICB objectives.

Practical implications

To increase residents’ city brand commitment, city brand managers should ensure that a city’s online brand communication is adequate, complete, credible, useful and clear. Furthermore, through creating awareness for the importance of a mayor’s brand-oriented leadership and through educating and training the mayor to engage in this specific form of brand-oriented transformational leadership, city brand managers can increase residents’ emotional attachment with the city brand.

Originality/value

This study integrates internal branding research from the corporate branding domain with place and city branding research. It confirms that certain aspects of internal branding (i.e. brand-oriented leadership, brand communication and brand commitment) are applicable not only in the corporate branding domain but also in other branding contexts such as city branding if adapted properly.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 30 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

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Article
Publication date: 29 October 2019

Rico Piehler, Michael Schade, Ines Hanisch and Christoph Burmann

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of explanation and compensation, as specific accommodative management responses to negative online customer reviews, on…

1538

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of explanation and compensation, as specific accommodative management responses to negative online customer reviews, on potential customers.

Design/methodology/approach

The scenario-based online experiment with 306 participants investigates the effects of explanation and compensation on potential customers’ purchase intentions in the hotel segment of the hospitality industry.

Findings

The results reveal that combining an explanation with compensation is the most effective management response; providing neither an explanation nor compensation is the least effective. The effects of management responses that entail providing only an explanation or compensation do not differ significantly.

Research limitations/implications

Continued research should investigate the effects of specific accommodative management responses in other service industries and other cultural settings and consider different kinds of explanations and compensation.

Practical implications

Hotel managers in the hospitality industry should reply to negative online customer reviews by combining an explanation with compensation. Service providers that currently lack structures and procedures to identify service failures and their causes or that cannot take corrective actions should provide compensation. Service providers that currently have limited financial resources should provide explanations.

Originality/value

This study analyses the effects of explanation and compensation on potential customers’ purchase intentions. In addressing the effects on potential customers, instead of on complainants, the conceptual framework represents a novel combination of management responses from service recovery research with signalling theory, the search-experience-credence framework and risk reduction methods.

Details

Journal of Service Theory and Practice, vol. 29 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2055-6225

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Article
Publication date: 13 November 2018

Michael Schade, Rico Piehler, Andreas Müller and Christoph Burmann

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of city brand benefits (cost efficiency, job chances, social life, recreation and self–brand connection) on highly skilled…

1145

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of city brand benefits (cost efficiency, job chances, social life, recreation and self–brand connection) on highly skilled, potential residents’ attitudes toward the city brand.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature analysis and qualitative study inform a conceptual model, which is tested with structural equation modelling using 354 evaluations of the six largest German cities by 294 highly skilled, potential residents, in terms of their perceptions of city brand benefits and attitudes.

Findings

Social life and self–brand connection positively affect the city brand attitudes of highly skilled, potential residents. In contrast, cost efficiency, job chances and recreation do not affect these attitudes.

Research limitations/implications

The relevance of city brand benefits might be specific to a country or culture, so further research should test the conceptual model in other settings, including smaller cities. Further studies might compare the relevance of the effects for actual and potential residents.

Practical implications

Social life emerged as the most important city brand benefit, so cities must ensure they offer and communicate a rich social life. Cities also should identify and communicate congruent characteristics between the city and the self-concepts of relevant target groups.

Originality/value

This study identifies relevant and irrelevant city brand benefits for highly skilled, potential residents. In addition, it establishes self–brand connection as symbolic benefit that previous research into potential residents has not considered.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 27 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

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Article
Publication date: 4 December 2024

Gaki Wangmo, Rico Piehler and Chris Baumann

Brand competitiveness as a brand’s outperformance of competing brands is receiving growing attention in the literature. This study aims to provide a theoretical underpinning for…

109

Abstract

Purpose

Brand competitiveness as a brand’s outperformance of competing brands is receiving growing attention in the literature. This study aims to provide a theoretical underpinning for the construct’s relevance, introduce customer-based brand competitiveness (CBBC) as a customer-based perspective and develop a scale to measure the construct.

Design/methodology/approach

The scale development process comprises three stages, with a literature search and a qualitative consumer study (n = 20) in the scale construction stage, interviews and a survey with academic branding experts (n = 21) in the scale refinement stage and three quantitative studies with consumers (n = 1,157), resulting in 2,078 brand evaluations across five industries, in the scale validation stage.

Findings

This study develops a seven-item CBBC scale, representing a powerful yet parsimonious tool for measuring brand competitiveness. The superiority of the new over the existing brand competitiveness scale was validated through structural equation modelling by comparing the performance in explaining customer-based brand equity and purchase intentions.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to develop a brand competitiveness scale following a scholarly scale development process. The CBBC scale advances the relative perspective in brand performance measures, considering the relativity at the individual customer level. This study offers a theoretical underpinning for the construct’s relevance and further insights into brand competitiveness by investigating the customer-based perspective. Finally, this study suggests and empirically validates customer-based brand equity and purchase intentions as outcomes of CBBC, extending research into the nomological network of brand competitiveness.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

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Article
Publication date: 26 October 2018

Michael Schade, Rico Piehler, Claudius Warwitz and Christoph Burmann

This study aims to investigate the influence of advertising value and privacy concerns on consumers’ intention to use location-based advertising. It also explores if brand trust…

1531

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the influence of advertising value and privacy concerns on consumers’ intention to use location-based advertising. It also explores if brand trust toward location-based advertising providers and consumers’ privacy self-efficacy reduce privacy concerns.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the privacy calculus and expectancy theory, a conceptual model is developed and empirically tested through structural equation modeling using cross-sectional data of 1,121 actual smartphone users from Germany.

Findings

Advertising value positively and privacy concerns negatively affect consumers’ intention to use location-based advertising. As expected, brand trust and consumers’ privacy self-efficacy can reduce consumers’ privacy concerns.

Research limitations/implications

Further research should test and validate the proposed framework in other cultures to gain insights into the culturally specific relevance of privacy concerns and their antecedents. The current study includes sociodemographics as potential moderators; additional studies could investigate other potential moderators (e.g. personality, values).

Practical implications

To reduce consumers’ privacy concerns, location-based advertising providers should make their offers transparent and give consumers control, to increase their privacy self-efficacy. They also should work to strengthen their brand, monitor brand trust trends and avoid any trust-damaging behavior.

Originality/value

This study introduces brand trust toward location-based advertising providers and privacy self-efficacy as factors to reduce consumers’ privacy concerns. It also encompasses a broader, general sample of consumers, which increases the generalizability and practical relevance of the results and supports an initial investigation of sociodemographic factors as potential moderators in this context.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 27 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

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Article
Publication date: 16 April 2019

Rico Piehler, Michael Schade, Barbara Kleine-Kalmer and Christoph Burmann

This paper aims to investigate word of mouth as a consequence and information, entertainment, social interaction and remuneration motivations as antecedents of consuming…

2336

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate word of mouth as a consequence and information, entertainment, social interaction and remuneration motivations as antecedents of consuming, contribution and creating behaviours as consumers’ online brand-related activities (COBRAs).

Design/methodology/approach

As an empirical test of the proposed conceptual model, the quantitative research features an online survey of a sample of 359 German Facebook users.

Findings

Word of mouth benefits from consuming behaviour but not contributing or creating behaviours. Therefore, brand-related outcomes can be realised solely through the consumption of brand-related content. Consuming behaviour is positively affected by social interaction and entertainment motivations.

Research limitations/implications

Further research could investigate the conceptual model in other social networks, as well as validate the findings in other cultural settings. Potential moderators also should be considered in further research.

Practical implications

In addition to tracking contributing and creating behaviours, brand managers should measure consuming behaviour. This paper provides new insights into how consumer motivations influence different COBRA types.

Originality/value

This study is the first to analyse the distinct effects of consuming, contributing and creating behaviours of SNS brand page followers on word of mouth as an offline brand-related consequence. It also represents the first study to investigate the unique effect of creating behaviour on an offline brand-related outcome. Furthermore, this study is the first to analyse the effects of all four types of motivations on any COBRA type quantitatively with an appropriate statistical analysis that allows distinguishing relevant from irrelevant motivations.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 53 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

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Article
Publication date: 8 June 2021

Frank Alpert, Mark Brown, Elizabeth Ferrier, Claudia Fernanda Gonzalez-Arcos and Rico Piehler

This study aims to investigate marketing managers’ views on the existence and nature of the academic–practitioner gap in the branding domain.

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate marketing managers’ views on the existence and nature of the academic–practitioner gap in the branding domain.

Design/methodology/approach

Using a purposive sampling method, the researchers conduct semi-structured qualitative interviews with 20 experienced marketing managers from a wide range of industries and organisations, whose roles are focussed on the planning, implementation and management of broad marketing and branding strategies.

Findings

Branding practitioners have little or no contact with academics and their theories-in-use with regard to brand management suggest they do not consider academic research relevant to their work.

Research limitations/implications

The process of describing and explaining the gap provides valuable insights into bridging the gap; it provides actionable branding strategies that include raising awareness, building relationships, improving the benefits offer and communicating more effectively.

Practical implications

This research has practical implications for branding academics. The interviewed practitioners confirm the gap, viewing it as academics’ (not practitioners’) problem and responsibility. They characterise it as a branding problem that academics can overcome using branding strategies, to establish themselves as credible sources of branding expertise for practitioners. Key areas for increasing collaboration stem from practitioners’ desire for independent, credible, ethical and timely third-party advice on branding issues; relevant, timely and shorter professional branding education across their organisations; and closer connections with universities to identify new branding talent and ideas.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first to empirically examine and recommend solutions to the academic-practitioner gap in the branding domain by studying marketing professionals with branding responsibilities, using in-depth interviews.

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 31 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

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Article
Publication date: 12 September 2016

Rico Piehler, Ceridwyn King, Christoph Burmann and Lina Xiong

This study aims to develop comprehensive definitions, conceptualizations and measures of four internal brand management (IBM) outcomes, namely, brand understanding, brand…

8164

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to develop comprehensive definitions, conceptualizations and measures of four internal brand management (IBM) outcomes, namely, brand understanding, brand identification, brand commitment and brand citizenship behaviour (BCB). In doing so, it also aims to propose a model, which considers the relationships across these outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected via an online survey of 375 employees who work in service organizations, sourced from an Australian, Web-based market research list.

Findings

In addition to the indirect effect of brand understanding on BCB via affective IBM outcomes (i.e. brand identification and brand commitment), the study exposes a direct effect of brand understanding on BCB. Therefore, the study shows that BCB is affected by cognitive and affective antecedents.

Research limitations/implications

Because this study focuses on IBM outcomes, future studies could propose and test relevant antecedents and moderators. As the empirical basis of this study comes primarily from the tourism and hospitality industry in one domestic market, the study should be replicated in other industries and countries to ensure the generalizability of the identified relationships.

Practical implications

This study not only delivers IBM outcome measures but also empirically validates that employees’ understanding of the brand is a foundation for affective and behavioural IBM outcomes. Therefore, managers, especially in service organizations, should provide sufficient IBM practices to enable such brand understanding.

Originality/value

This study contributes to IBM literature by developing comprehensive definitions, conceptualizations and measures of four important IBM outcomes. This study is the first to include brand understanding, brand identification, brand commitment and BCB simultaneously.

Details

European Journal of Marketing, vol. 50 no. 9/10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0309-0566

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 3 August 2021

Holger J. Schmidt, Nicholas J. Ind and Oriol Iglesias

2022

Abstract

Details

Journal of Product & Brand Management, vol. 30 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1061-0421

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Article
Publication date: 29 April 2020

Sven Tuzovic and Jörg Finsterwalder

127

Abstract

Details

Journal of Service Theory and Practice, vol. 30 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2055-6225

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