Measuring Sources of Brand Equity

Capturing the Consumer Mindset

Consumer Research
Using ethnographic methods to understand consumption cultures Studying consumers in their natural surroundings Developing unique qualitative research techniques to identify brand associations and sources of brand equity

Profiling brand associations

Free associations: What comes to mind with you think of Rolex? What does the Rolex name mean to you? Coding order of elicitation: Place of responses in brand sequence yields a measure of brand strength

Kelly repertory grid

Brand triads: Which two brands are most alike? Why? Ford BMW Mercedes Benz Chevy Saab BMW BMW VW Jaguar

Eliciting Brand Associations

Visual techniques (collages, photos) Projective techniques (brand as a car) Brand stories Usage associations (heavy/light; regular/non)

Projective Techniques
Couched in psychology

Types
Constitutive - subject imposes structure; clay modeling Constructive - using structures to create reality; building blocks Interpretive - subject ascribes meaning to stimulus; word association Cathartic - play techniques Refractive - subjects look back on behavior

Elicited material
Surface level
Word association Sentence completion Cartoon Object sorting

Moderate level
Object personification Shopping list Picture drawing Role playing

High level elicitation

Collage construction - ZMAT Story-starters, dream extensions Photo sorts Auto-driving Video elicitation

List Technique
Pound of hamburger 2 loaves Wonder bread Bunch of carrots Nescafe instant coffee 5 lbs. potatoes 2 cans Heinz catsup Pound of hamburger 2 loaves Wonder bread Bunch of carrots Starbucks coffee beans 5 lbs. potatoes 2 cans Heinz catsup

Archetype Research
Fundamental psychological association with a cultural object PT Cruiser - gangster car or hot rod? Cheese - alive (aged) in France or dead (body baggie) in US?

Focus Groups
5-12 category users in structured location Facilitator learns from respondents Protocol prepared Open-ended questions used Results used to identify themes Written report to client and creative team

Quantitative Techniques
Recognition measures T-scopes, eye tracking Package design Recall measures Probes to stimulate memory Unaided for all brands(top-of-mind) Aided uses cues - attribute & usage probes

Image research
Open-ended measures for strength, favorability, uniqueness Scaling techniques Likert scale for likeliness Free-choice for brand attribute association Ranking order of brands

Brand Responses
Purchase intention Action - buy for self or as a gift Target - types of products and brand Context - store, conditions, occasion Time - when, how soon

Brand Relationships
Behavior loyalty Brand substitutability Other brand resonance dimensions - wordof-mouth, on line

Your Turn
Your clients brand, Viagra, is losing some equity to Cialis brand. 1. Create a qualitative technique to learn about consumer perception about the brand 2. Develop a quantitative scaling measure to determine brand image.