GLOBRAND

Relating Company Efforts to Consumer Perceptions: A Contingency Framework

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Global brands are among the most important intangible assets a company can have. According to the Interbrand/BusinessWeek Study (2004), the financial value of the top 100 global brands exceeds 1 trillion USD. Accordingly, many researchers have investigated different aspects of branding and global branding. Dr. Tasoluk would like to investigate how a “systems model of brand antecedents and consequences,” proposed by Keller and Lehmann (2006) works in the context of global corporate brands. In theory, brand building starts with company actions, which cause consumers to hold perceptions about the brand. Consumer perceptions lead consumer actions and financial market impact. This research will investigate how company actions are related to consumer perceptions. The focal concept is corporate brand image. Investigating the relationships between the company efforts of setting a corporate image and consumer perceptions will provide information on the marginal impact of corporate communications actions on consumer perceptions of corporate image. Identifying what companies do at present will help to analyze the current situation and come up with suggestions for future. The international nature of the study will also be of great importance to the scholars and managers in identifying the differences across countries. Specifically, Dr. Tasoluk will investigate four related research questions: 1) Is there a consistent “communications channels-image type” match used by companies? Which channels (e.g., advertising, PR, endorsements, etc.) do corporations use in order to build which type of a corporate brand image (e.g., functional, emotional)? 2) Which channels are more effective and efficient to build which types of images in the minds of consumers? 3) Are there certain corporate associations that are perceived as being more favorable and that have a greater positive impact on consumer attitude towards the company? 4) How do these relationships vary across different countries?'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Understanding the perceptions and mechanisms behind product branding, as well as the most effective mechanisms to upgrade brands, could make companies more competitive.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

The EU-funded 'Relating company efforts to consumer perceptions: a contingency framework' (Globrand) project is investigating the relationships between company efforts, corporate image and consumer perceptions. Likewise, the team is exploring the relationship between communications channels used by companies and brand image, detailing channels used as well (e.g. advertising, PR and endorsements).

Globrand wants to identify the more effective and efficient channels to build types of images in the minds of consumers. Another important consideration is how these relationships vary across different countries.

The project team conducted an extensive review of existing literature on the subject to address these questions. Relevant papers in different journals on business, marketing and consumer research were analysed, focusing on corporate image and corporate reputation.

Globrand then prepared a document which introduces the project and summarises the project objectives for the benefit of concerned stakeholders. It designed an interview protocol which provides the general framework for interviews in the business world that can help shed light on the project's questions. The interviewees include global companies with significant presence in Europe, followed by interviews with senior managers who are responsible for corporate image building.

One of the firms being interviewed for this research project is a multinational content protection technology company with 900 employees. Others include an IT service provider with about 400;000 employees across 170 countries, as well as a fast-moving consumer goods company with over 138;000 employees in over 80 countries.

The results of the Globrand study are important in keeping both small and large firms competitive, building brand image and improving their marketing initiatives. In a world where economic difficulties are on the minds of many businesses, the project results may represent a welcome blessing.