Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Typicality
Author(s): Sharon Ng
Source: Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Feb., 2010), pp. 186-198
Published by: American Marketing Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20618964
Accessed: 21-07-2016 18:55 UTC
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SHARON NG*
This research examines cross-cultural differences in brand dilution
effects and the moderating role of motivation and extension typicality.
Drawing from recent findings that indicate that culture affects the way peo
ple treat conflicting information, this research predicts that Easterners and
Westerners react differently to failures by a brand extension. In contrast
to previous findings that have suggested that failure in a typical extension
leads to less brand dilution for Westerners when they are highly motivated
(than when they are less motivated), this study argues that Easterners
exhibit greater brand dilution when they are less motivated (than when
they are highly motivated). The opposite pattern of results should emerge
when the extension is atypical. Three studies provide support for these
predictions and the underlying processes.
Keywords: brand dilution, culture, self-construal, motivation, extension
typicality
Extension Typicality
The introduction of brand extensions or new products
using an established brand name is one strategy by which
firms leverage a brand's goodwill (Aaker and Keller 1990;
Boush and Loken 1991). This strategy enables firms to
introduce new products at much lower risks and costs.
The proliferation of brand extensions in the marketplace
testifies to the value firms place on this strategy. How
ever, using a brand extension strategy is not without draw
backs. Although successful brand extensions help enhance
the equity of a brand, the converse is true as well: Should
an extended product fail, the negative affect or associations
it generates may filter back to the parent brand, thereby
"diluting" its equity (Loken and John 1993; Milberg, Park,
and McCarthy 1997). Thus, firms need to be cautious when
making brand extension decisions and understand how var
ious factors, such as culture, may affect consumers' reac
tions to extension success and failure.
ISSN: 0022-2437 (print), 1547-7193 (electronic) 186 Vol XLyn (Febmary 201Q)> lg6_19g
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research.
Loken, and Joiner (1998) find that flagship products are rel
atively immune to negative feedback from extended prod
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Extant Literature on Brand Feedback Effects
To renew consumers' interest in their products and keep
pace with changing consumer tastes, firms must introduce
new products in the marketplace. However, the manner in
which new products should be introduced remains a critical
Wegener 1999).
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on attitudes.
motivation is high.
Hlb: For an atypical extension, when Westerners perceive an
extended product's performance on an attribute as below
expectations, they evaluate the parent brand lower on that
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motivation is high.
ate attitudes than those who read only one of them. This
finding suggests that participants who read about the two
contradictory studies took into account both perspectives,
as reflected in their attitude. Evidence for greater toler
ance of inconsistency in Eastern cultures also emerges from
other domains. For example, Bagozzi, Wong, and Yi (1999)
show that unlike Americans, who are more likely to experi
ence only one form of emotions, both negative and positive
emotions can coexist for Chinese people. Cousins (1989)
also shows that Easterners consider both dispositional traits
and contextual cues when making a judgment; Westerners
take into account only the dispositional traits. Thus, sig
nificant evidence shows that unlike Westerners, who zoom
in on a particular aspect, Easterners are chronically more
likely to take information from varied perspectives into
account.
2It is argued that only people who take into account both existing
(positive) brand information and (negative) extension failure information
exhibit a different attitude from those who consider only one piece of
information. It is not argued that existing brand information and extension
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STUDY I
Method
Design. The objective of Study 1 is to examine whether
people across cultures exhibit different brand dilution
effects. In particular, it focuses on how extension failure
on a key parent brand attribute affects consumers' subse
quent parent brand beliefs about that attribute.3 To test the
hypotheses, a 2 (cultural prime: U.S. culture versus Chinese
culture) x 2 (motivation: low versus high) between-subjects
to each condition.
dilution in the general affect toward the brand (e.g., Keller and Aaker
1992) or dilution in a person's perception of specific attribute beliefs (e.g.,
Two independent judges coded these responses with regard to whether the
participants linked the two studies together. Almost all the participants
believed the story and did not link the two studies.
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Sony's image.
To assess whether the negative information had any
impact on actual product choice, participants indicated
which brand of MP3 player (Sony or Creative Zen) they
would like to receive, should their names be drawn in a
lucky drawing promoted as part of the experiment. An MP3
player provides the choice option because it is another prod
the two MP2 players (MSony = 5.66; F(l, 24) = .69, p > .1);
p>.\).
.80, p > .1; F(l, 101) = .03, p > .1, respectively). How
Results
Manipulation checks. For the motivation manipulation
check, participants responded to a two-item, seven-point
scale about how interested and involved they were when
completing the questionnaire (with 7 = "highly involved,"
"interested"). A full-factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA)
performed on the mean of the two-item scale shows that
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EVALUATION
5
H Low motivation
4.5
H High motivation
>? 4
CO
3
O 3.5
' 3B
<
CO
2.5
(/) 2
*? 1.5
CO
ce 1
predictions.
5H
U.S. Prime
Chinese Prime
tion (MAcontrol group = 1.18, SE = .32; p < .01, CIs = .40 and
1.96). However, the attitudes of those in the Chinese prime
low motivation and U.S. prime-high motivation conditions
were not significantly lower than those of the control group
mean (both p > .1). Thus, dilution occurred only in the Chi
nese prime-high motivation and U.S. prime-low motivation
conditions.7
Discussion
The results from this study provide support for the
proposition that Easterners and Westerners differ in the
way they process extension failure information and that this
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manipulated.
How can manipulation of typicality determine the accu
racy of the two explanations? The two process explana
tions make slightly different predictions in contexts that
STUDY 2
Method
Study 2 aimed to fulfill two objectives: to examine
whether consumers behave differently when the extension
processing styles.
Participants and design. One hundred nineteen students
Results
Manipulation checks. To confirm the success of the pro
cessing style manipulation, participants responded to a list
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Figure 2
5.5
m Low motivation
75
5
3
High motivation
O
S? 4.5 i
3
*-*
CL
CO
M
Z 3.5
O)
c
(0
ir
2.5
Discussion
The findings from Study 2 support the hypotheses that
the typicality of an extension affects the degree of dilution
exhibited by Easterners and Westerners. The findings also
provide evidence contrary to the alternative explanation that
the results obtained in Study 1 were a function of Eastern
ers' reliance on parent brand equity in the low motivation
condition.
STUDY 3
Method
Analytic Holistic
Processing Style
5.5
H Low motivation
& 5
75
High motivation
O
3
4.5
CO
To
o
"5 3-5
O)
c
CC 3
2.5
Analytic Holistic
Processing Style
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ket. The complicated user interface means you would have to spend much
time learning how to use the camera. Not good for novice users or anyone
dilution condition, it read, "Dell Digito also comes with a range of auto
Results
Manipulation and confounding check. The manipulation
checks showed that the motivation manipulation was suc
cessful. A full-factorial analysis indicated that only the
main effect of motivation was significant (Mlow = 3.08,
SE = .27; Mhigh = 4.13, SE = .28; F(l, 109) = 7.35, p < .01).
5.78, p < .05) (see Figure 3).9 All other main effects and
interaction effects were not significant (p > .1). To decipher
the three-way interaction, the interaction effects of brand
enhancement and brand dilution conditions were examined
separately.
Specifically, the two-way interaction between culture and
motivation was not significant in the brand enhancement
CIs = .13 and 1.36). The enhancement effects were not sig
nificant in the low motivation conditions (both p > .1).
matic preset shooting modes that makes it more user-friendly than other
models in the market. The uncomplicated user interface means you won't
spend much time learning how to use the camera. Perfect for novice users
or anyone looking for a point-and-shoot camera with extra features."
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Figure 3
5.5 H
incongruent information.
5n
+
JiJ
?
O 4.5
?)
CO
H High motivation
CO
3
?.
-i
4H
GENERAL DISCUSSION
A brand extension is an effective way for firms to lever
age their brand's equity (Keller 2003). Extant literature has
3.5
U.S. Prime
Chinese Prime
High motivation
(0
3
J?
4H
o 3.5 H
O)
-E
CC
2.5
U.S. Prime
El Low motivation
> 4.5 H
Chinese Prime
Theoretical Implications
(MAcontrol group = 1.11, SE = .36; p < .01, CIs = .40 and 1.83).
The other two comparisons were not significant (both with
p > .1), in support of the hypotheses.
Discussion
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products.
However, these recommendations only take into account
dilution.
Managerial Implications
Implications for brand management. These results have
important implications for brand managers operating in a
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REFERENCES
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