Exploring the emotional territory for brands

It has become a truism that brand marketing is in the business of selling emotional connections rather than product benefits. Because of the relatively small number of primary emotions, however, brands in the same categories often end up standing for the same sort of emotions. Let us face facts: telecoms brands either connect or empower people; most whisky brands tend to occupy the emotional territories of maturity or discernment; cleaning product brands have at their core the idea of the good carer, be it mother/father/spouse/self; many vodka and pre‐mix vodka brands play within the territory of transgression. Therefore, the key questions to ask about these brands are: What kind of connecting or empowerment? What kind of maturity? What kind of carer? What kind of transgression? It is this specific differentiated expression within an emotional territory that makes the difference between success and failure for brands. This paper highlights a different approach to exploring these emotional territories through using research stimulus (called Brandcepts) that can actively help respondents to make the sort of fine distinctions in the world of emotional territories that they would never be able to make on their own. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications.     

Dimensions of brand purchasing behaviour: consumers in the 18–24 age group

This paper reports the results of a study of brand selection and loyalty within the 18–24 age group. The study explores brand loyalty behaviour across different product categories, and investigates the dimensions that drive loyalty behaviour within this age group. First, the construct of brand loyalty is defined, followed by an overview of key research in the area. Finally, the study itself is detailed. The study concludes that there is a significant difference in the degree of brand loyalty exhibited by the 18–24‐year‐old respondents across product categories. The dimensions of brand selection also vary by product type. Brand heritage in terms of parental influence was evident in coffee and toothpaste purchase, with brand as a reflection of self‐image being something that is important to clothing brands. Value and variety are important attributes of cereal brand selection. Copyright © 2004 Henry Stewart Publications Ltd.     

品牌人格研究述评

就像每个人都有独特的人格特征,使自己与别人不同一样,品牌也有自己的人格特征。近年来,市场竞争日趋激烈,出现了越来越多的品牌。同类产品的属性通常类似,这时,“身份”、“形象”或“品牌人格”就成为消费者区分产品的唯一因素。品牌人格概念越来越受到研究者的重视,但由于缺乏统一的概念和测量,研究受到了局限。本文总结了不同研究者提出的品牌人格概念,讨论了品牌人格测量方法和量表,并对今后的研究方向作了探讨。     

Prosocial behavior increases perceptions of meaning in life

Finding meaning in life is a fundamental personal need, and motivating prosocial behavior is a fundamental societal need. The present research tests whether the two are connected – whether helping other people can increase helpers’ perceptions of meaning in life. Evidence from a nationally representative data-set and two experiments support this hypothesis. Participants who engaged in prosocial behaviors – volunteering and spending money to benefit others – reported experiencing greater meaning in their lives (Studies 1–3). Study 3 also identifies increased self-worth as the mechanism – participants who spent money to benefit other people felt higher personal worth and self-esteem, and this mediated the effect of prosocial behavior on meaningfulness. The present results join other findings in suggesting that the incentives for helping others do not necessarily depend on the prospect of others’ reciprocity. Prosocial behavior can be incentivized through the psychological benefits it creates for prosocial actors.     

品牌不安全感的危害机制与化解策略

品牌不安全感是指消费者对某品牌存在潜在或现实威胁的主观感知和担忧。以往文献中, 与品牌不安全感有关的研究主要隐含在两个领域：一是以产品伤害危机为中心的品牌心智变化研究; 二是以企业伦理责任为中心的品牌心智变化研究。但这两个领域都尚未揭示消费者品牌不安全感的实质、心理表征、危害机制和预警功能等。品牌不安全感是消费者回避或拒绝某品牌的心理根源之一。因此基于产品伤害事件频发的事实和品牌心智理论, 有必要对品牌不安全感作系统研究, 具体探索品牌不安全感的本质内涵、导致品牌不安全感的威胁源、品牌不安全感的心理表征、危害机制、预防和化解策略、以及品牌心理安全管理理论等问题。     

网络环境下广告怀旧有助于品牌的口碑传播吗?基于情感双维度视角

怀旧型情感广告是企业常用的广告策略, 现有的研究主要从怀旧广告的情感性出发, 而忽略了广告的认知性。本研究从情感处理的两个维度(情感和认知), 探究了怀旧广告和非怀旧广告在不同品牌情境下对消费者口碑传播的影响。通过二手数据和实验研究发现：对温暖型品牌而言, 怀旧(vs非怀旧)广告会降低消费者的口碑传播, 孤独感和满足感起到连续中介作用; 对效能型品牌而言, 怀旧(vs非怀旧)广告会提高消费者的口碑传播, 历史感和信任感起到连续中介作用。     

顾客间互动影响服务品牌象征价值的心理机制

象征价值是品牌赋予消费者的心理收益, 强化服务品牌的象征价值成为企业提升消费者心理满足感的重要途径。鉴于顾客间互动是现有消费心理研究中重要而尚未得到足够重视的研究视角, 研究试图在文献回顾的基础上, 尝试综合运用访谈法和关键事件法, 构建顾客间互动与服务品牌象征价值的影响关系模型; 拟基于人际关系的三维需求理论, 深入挖掘顾客角色内外互动行为与象征价值之间的作用机制。未来的实证研究中拟运用实验和调研等方法对理论模型进行验证, 以期为服务企业激发顾客的象征消费行为提供理论依据。     

语义相关性对副中央凹-中央凹效应的影响

阅读时词汇加工的注意分配是序列的还是平行的,是所有眼动控制模型需解答的关键问题。对此,可通过分析副中央窝-中央窝效应（POF效应）进行解释。以往研究结果的争议在于POF效应是否为误差眼跳。本研究为控制眼跳误差,采用分心阅读范式,考察词n与词n－1的语义相关性对词n－1加工的影响,探讨中文阅读的POF效应。实验以26名大学生为被试,选取高频双字词为词n－1,低频双字词为词n。结果发现当词n－1与词n语义相关性高时,词n－1的凝视时间更短,再注视率更低,出现同向的POF效应。本研究在一定条件下支持SWIFT模型为代表的平行加工假设。     

The Effect of Mental Simulation (Process‐ Versus Outcome‐Focus) on Extension Evaluation:A Bipolarized Fit Perception

The present research investigates perceived fit effects according to the focus that consumers place when evaluating brand extensions. Process‐focus encourages consumers to focus their thoughts on the process of reaching an outcome, thereby affecting extension evaluations on the basis of the process similarity between the original brand and its extensions. Conversely, outcome‐focus encourages consumers to focus their thoughts on the final outcome, thereby affecting extension evaluations on the basis of the final outcome similarity between the original brand and its extensions. With this conceptual framework, the present research demonstrated that for the process‐focus condition, the extension was evaluated more favorably when the similarity between the process of the original brand and the process of its extension was present (Study 1). By contrast, for the outcome‐focus condition, the extension was evaluated more favorably when the similarity between the final outcome of the original brand and the final outcome of its extension was present (Study 2).     

消费者自我构念、独特性需求与品牌标识形状偏好

市场上品牌标识形状各具形态,它们已成为吸引消费者眼球的重要品牌要素,如何设计出科学实效的品牌标识形状已成为营销策略中基础而又关键的内容。什么形状的品牌标识更能获得目标群体的偏爱?本文从自我构念的水平视角出发,推论认为不同自我构念的个体在"独特性需求"上具有显著差异,由此形成对多角和圆润的品牌标识形状的偏好差异,独特性需求在自我构念与品牌标识形状偏好之间起中介作用。文章通过4个实验,一致证实独立型自我构念的消费者独特性需求更高,偏爱多角的品牌标识;相依型自我构念的消费者,独特性需求更低,偏爱圆润的品牌标识。但上述效应只存在于公开产品购买情境,当消费者购买和使用私人产品时,无论个体的自我构念是独立型还是相依型,他们对品牌标识多角与圆润的偏好没有显著差异。本文推进了自我构念、独特性需求、品牌标识形状等领域的理论研究,为企业在设计、调整品牌标识形状及制定配套营销策略方面提供了丰富的战略启示。