Conclusion articles
Article: Keller (1993): “Conceptualizing, Measuring and Managing Customer-Based Brand
Equity”
The article presents a framework for understanding brand equity from the consumer’s perspective,
focusing on the concept of customer-based brand equity (CBBE). The central idea is that brand equity
reflects how a brand influences consumer response to marketing efforts, based on brand knowledge.
Studying brand equity can be for financial reasons or strategy based motivation to improve
marketing.
Customer-based brand equity is defined as the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer
response to the marketing of the brand.
- Differential effect
- Brand knowledge shows what comes to mind for a customer.
- Consumer response to the marketing consumers respond more positively when there is a
brand to a product
Brand knowledge exists of 2 main components:
Brand awareness – Strength of the brand node, memory
- Brand recall relates to consumers' ability to retrieve the brand when given the product
category, the needs fulfilled by the category, or some other type of probe as a cue.
- Brand recognition relates to consumers' ability to confirm prior exposure to the brand
when given the brand as a cue
Brand awareness increases the likelihood that the brand will be in the consideration set. And it is a
necessary condition for developing brand image and associations.
Brand image – Show the perceptions of a brand, also relating to the associations to the brand.
o Attributes how to describe the product
o Benefits what way does the product help the customer?
o Attitudes how to describe the brand
The different types of brand associations and they can vary according to their favorability, strength
and uniqueness.
Nodes are stored information connected by links that vary in strength. A "spreading activation"
process from node to node determines the extent of retrieval in memory.
A brand exists as a "node" in memory with linked associations.
The strength, favorability, and uniqueness of these associations play a critical role in creating brand
equity. For instance, strong associations enhance brand recall, while unique and favorable
associations encourage positive consumer attitudes and loyalty.
Measuring CBBE:
- Indirect approach: measuring brand equity
via other brands, examining brand awareness
and brand associations.
- Direct approach: measuring brand
knowledge by comparing consumer
response to marketing.
, Article: Plessis et al (2024): “Continuous Trinity Model Linking Brand Associations to
Learning Processes”
It redefines how brand associations form by integrating principles from consumer learning research
and cognitive psychology. This model is organized around three core types of brand associations:
expectations, meanings, and affect, each shaped by distinct learning processes: predictive learning,
referential learning, and direct affect transfer. These processes differ in their dependency on
awareness, efficiency, intentionality, and controllability, and together, they map a spectrum from high
cognitive engagement (System 2) to more automatic, less controlled reactions (System 1).
Brand Expectations (Predictive Learning):
- Operating principle = Brand expectation (S-O) associations are formed when consumers learn
to associate a particular outcome or experience with the brand/ stimulus. Consumers learn
an association between a stimulus and an outcome (S-O)
- Operating process = Predictive learning forms associations between a brand and anticipated
outcomes, driven by consistent, cause-effect experiences with the brand. For example,
consumers learn to expect sweetness or energy from Coca-Cola. Predictive learning requires
awareness and is intentional, relying on repeated experiences to form stable associations.
Brand Meaning (Referential Learning):
- Operating principle = Brand meaning associations are formed when a brand is associated
with stimuli that give it meaning, personality, or identity. Consumers learn an association
between a stimulus and another concept or stimulus (S-S)
- Operating process = Referential learning connects a brand with other stimuli or symbols,
fostering identity or personality elements without explicit expectations of outcomes. This
association relies less on awareness and focuses on the consistent presence of symbolic
stimuli, like Coca-Cola’s connection with Christmas, building identity and stability over time.
Brand Affect (Direct Affect Transfer):
- Operating principle = Brand affect associations are formed when consumers associate a
particular affective response with the brand. consumers learn an association between a
brand and a physiological response (the unconditioned response, UR) generated by a paired,
unconditioned stimulus (the US), denoted as an S–R association.
- Operating process = Direct affect transfer occurs when a brand inherits emotional responses
from stimuli, such as positive feelings from a celebrity endorsement. This process relies on
co-occurrence, bypasses logical awareness, and operates more automatically, making it
particularly resilient and less controllable.
The CTM provides insight into when each learning process will operate. It specifies the extent to
which each process is reliant on awareness (i.e., of the CS–US pairing), and is efficient (i.e., reliant on
cognitive resources), intentional (i.e., dependent on the learning goal), and controllable (i.e., can be
stopped or altered by the consumer).
Article: Keller (1993): “Conceptualizing, Measuring and Managing Customer-Based Brand
Equity”
The article presents a framework for understanding brand equity from the consumer’s perspective,
focusing on the concept of customer-based brand equity (CBBE). The central idea is that brand equity
reflects how a brand influences consumer response to marketing efforts, based on brand knowledge.
Studying brand equity can be for financial reasons or strategy based motivation to improve
marketing.
Customer-based brand equity is defined as the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer
response to the marketing of the brand.
- Differential effect
- Brand knowledge shows what comes to mind for a customer.
- Consumer response to the marketing consumers respond more positively when there is a
brand to a product
Brand knowledge exists of 2 main components:
Brand awareness – Strength of the brand node, memory
- Brand recall relates to consumers' ability to retrieve the brand when given the product
category, the needs fulfilled by the category, or some other type of probe as a cue.
- Brand recognition relates to consumers' ability to confirm prior exposure to the brand
when given the brand as a cue
Brand awareness increases the likelihood that the brand will be in the consideration set. And it is a
necessary condition for developing brand image and associations.
Brand image – Show the perceptions of a brand, also relating to the associations to the brand.
o Attributes how to describe the product
o Benefits what way does the product help the customer?
o Attitudes how to describe the brand
The different types of brand associations and they can vary according to their favorability, strength
and uniqueness.
Nodes are stored information connected by links that vary in strength. A "spreading activation"
process from node to node determines the extent of retrieval in memory.
A brand exists as a "node" in memory with linked associations.
The strength, favorability, and uniqueness of these associations play a critical role in creating brand
equity. For instance, strong associations enhance brand recall, while unique and favorable
associations encourage positive consumer attitudes and loyalty.
Measuring CBBE:
- Indirect approach: measuring brand equity
via other brands, examining brand awareness
and brand associations.
- Direct approach: measuring brand
knowledge by comparing consumer
response to marketing.
, Article: Plessis et al (2024): “Continuous Trinity Model Linking Brand Associations to
Learning Processes”
It redefines how brand associations form by integrating principles from consumer learning research
and cognitive psychology. This model is organized around three core types of brand associations:
expectations, meanings, and affect, each shaped by distinct learning processes: predictive learning,
referential learning, and direct affect transfer. These processes differ in their dependency on
awareness, efficiency, intentionality, and controllability, and together, they map a spectrum from high
cognitive engagement (System 2) to more automatic, less controlled reactions (System 1).
Brand Expectations (Predictive Learning):
- Operating principle = Brand expectation (S-O) associations are formed when consumers learn
to associate a particular outcome or experience with the brand/ stimulus. Consumers learn
an association between a stimulus and an outcome (S-O)
- Operating process = Predictive learning forms associations between a brand and anticipated
outcomes, driven by consistent, cause-effect experiences with the brand. For example,
consumers learn to expect sweetness or energy from Coca-Cola. Predictive learning requires
awareness and is intentional, relying on repeated experiences to form stable associations.
Brand Meaning (Referential Learning):
- Operating principle = Brand meaning associations are formed when a brand is associated
with stimuli that give it meaning, personality, or identity. Consumers learn an association
between a stimulus and another concept or stimulus (S-S)
- Operating process = Referential learning connects a brand with other stimuli or symbols,
fostering identity or personality elements without explicit expectations of outcomes. This
association relies less on awareness and focuses on the consistent presence of symbolic
stimuli, like Coca-Cola’s connection with Christmas, building identity and stability over time.
Brand Affect (Direct Affect Transfer):
- Operating principle = Brand affect associations are formed when consumers associate a
particular affective response with the brand. consumers learn an association between a
brand and a physiological response (the unconditioned response, UR) generated by a paired,
unconditioned stimulus (the US), denoted as an S–R association.
- Operating process = Direct affect transfer occurs when a brand inherits emotional responses
from stimuli, such as positive feelings from a celebrity endorsement. This process relies on
co-occurrence, bypasses logical awareness, and operates more automatically, making it
particularly resilient and less controllable.
The CTM provides insight into when each learning process will operate. It specifies the extent to
which each process is reliant on awareness (i.e., of the CS–US pairing), and is efficient (i.e., reliant on
cognitive resources), intentional (i.e., dependent on the learning goal), and controllable (i.e., can be
stopped or altered by the consumer).
