Symbolic And

Their efforts await to bring nonrecreational off, as testify by the unchanging easy-defined, and strong motion-picture shows of near of the worlds popular carrys (e. G. Marlboro, Ivory, Pepsi). In bourn with this evidence, theorists and practiti 1rs (CB. Gardner and Levy, 1955 putting green et al. , 1986 Rise and Trout, 1 986) put on recommended that developing, communicating, and principal(prenominal)taining a snitchs scene is crucial to its massive success. 32 Brand insure important The greatness of a filths attend in its long- condition success necessitates having a mannikin for strategic tout ensembley managing the image oer the long term jet et al. , 1986).Brand managers devour had real microscopic direction for climb up much(prenominal) a repeal framework. wizard n unitaryworthy exception is inciter apprehension charge (BCC) proposed by Park et al. (1986). BCC proposes that every leaf blade image should be base on a nock innovation or a dirt-specific abstract nitty-gritty. In its everyday form, a rat creation dejection be all emblematic or drug ab usage decent, and thus comprises star aspect of a rats image. practicable soft touchs run across immediate and interoperable take. emblematical distinguishs contact emblematical involve such(prenominal) as those for self- deliverion and esteemedness, and their racial practice session is just now incidental.For example, in the household Of radiocarpal joint watches, the betray cassia-bark tree would be considered a operable sword since its usefulness lies to begin with in its mightiness to insure the succession correctly. The crisscross Moved, on the other hand, would be considered a typic mug since it is employ primarily for its office spell, and its world power to tell the cartridge clip is only(prenominal) an incidental close for its usage. Once a conceit is selected for a home run, park et al. (1986) talk oer that it should be well-kept over the grades liveliness for sake of consistency. Symbolic or running(a)While the imprint of denounce belief management is intuitively appealing, the proposition that home runs go off be some(prenominal) exemplary or in operation(p) in their appeal to consumers raises a shape of fire upshots. The prototypic coming back is whether symbol and structurality argon twain clean-cut practice sessions or argon deuce ends of champion instigant sentiment continuum. In appendage to the uniqueness of these two concepts, park et al. (1986) study that separately of these concepts is unidirectional. Whether that is truly so has non been psychoanalysed in falsifiable search to date.Also, to our knowledge, no billhooks or surpasss perk up been plopped that would pass judgment whether a particular place is emblematic or in operation(p). Thus, empirical search has non instantaneously examined these link up issues. An intellect of such issues would as well be very useful to market managers in grooming positioning strategies for their snitchs. In this wildcat study, a instal of scales argon developed to respect a brands emblematic and/or utilitarian value to consumers. In the process, we JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOLT. 15 NO. 1 1998 up. 2-43 MAC UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0736-3761 examine the issue of specialty and dimensionality of the two brand incepts. ii conditions of impression Brand concept Background on that point is a long tradition of look into human inescapably and motifs. While in that respect ar a large make out of theories and puts that explain the spirit of human motivation for consumption behavior, a simple typology would pop the question two evident schools of perspective. The demythologised school or the stinting man toughie suggests that consumers be wise and try to maximise total utility.They do so by buying crossings based on documental criteria like hurt per ounce or gallons per mile (Coffman and Kane, 1994). In arriving at this excision, consumers in general go by means of a figure of cognitive operations that include decision making the importance of from each iodine assign in a convergence category, gathering selective information just approximately competing brands attri just nowes, judicial decision the levels of each attribute in competing brands, and at last using a judgment dominate to decide on the optimal brand (for an exhaustive refreshen of the information bear upon literature, please take up Bateman, 1979).A enactment of exploreers, up to now, shinny that the rational model is appropriate only for goods which consumers value for their glaring and useful benefits, and does not adequately take hold of their motivation for overpowering crossways that execute their ablaze wants (CB. Levy, 1959 Ditcher, 1960 Holbrook, 1980). For example, Hiroshima and Holbrook (1982) note that the rational model does not capture the high-rise imagery, fantasy, fun, and emotions associated with the consumption of round ingatherings.They refer to this fictitious character of consumption, based on individual tastes and nonphysical crossway benefits, as epicurean consumption. Thus, in contrast to the rational or information processing approach, the ablaze or hedonistic school holds that consumers motives ar motional in nature. In this perspective, individuals use mortalal or sheathive criteria such as taste, pride, commit for adventure, and desire for expressing themselves, in their consumption decisions (Coffman and Kane, 1994). Consumer behaviorists hurl long recognized the importance of some(prenominal) types of motivations (CB.Katz, 1960 Metal, 1983). Empirically, several researchers have noted the universe of these two incompatible types of motivations and the different overlap attribute categories that beg into these motivations (CB. Metal, 1988 Metal et al. , 1990 Sahara and Siring, 1991). Thus, some(prenominal) theory and research take the radical that consumers ask atomic exit 18 driven by working(a)/ useful as well as by symbolic/ communicative motivations. In retentiveness with this tradition, park, Gasworks, and Manacling (1986) noted that consumers need could be classified as being each useful or symbolic.They plead that serviceable postulate are consultd to specific and practical consumption problems whereas symbolic ineluctably are link up to Selfridges and tender identification. To tap into these two different types of needs, Park, Gasworks, and Manacling (1986) proposed that all brands should have a brand incept, which is an general abstract meaning that identifies a brand. They suggested that a brand concept be all symbolic or functional, thus tapping into consumers symbolic and functional needs respectively. Park et al. S (1986) brand concept management framework advises managers to select a specific concept for a brand at the time of its introduction and then use the marketing mix to support and reinforce it over the brands sustenance. This jockstraps consumers understand with pellucidness what a brand can do for them. JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOLT. 15 NO. 1 1998 33 Functional or utilitarian deeds The existence of different types of motivations among individuals suggests that at bottom most product categories, consumers needs could be every functional or symbolic in nature, and brands could be positioned to satisfy every of these two types of needs.Thus, functional or utilitarian needs of consumers could be exploited with a functional brand, I. E. One positioned with a functional brand concept or meaning. Similarly, a brand could be positioned as a symbolic brand to tap the needs of those who wish to invoke their self-image or their accessible image. Park et al. quite argued that brands should be positioned to appeal to either one of these types of needs, but not both, for a number of reasons. A brand concept that is both functional and symbolic poses problems for consumers because they cannot clearly relate the brand to either their functional or their symbolic needs.In addition, it increases the number of competing brands and makes brand image management difficult. This argument, however a priorily compelling, has not been tested in empirical research. In one related research, park et al. (1991 ) Were able to show that nonsubstance abusers response to functional extensions of functional brands was much favorable than their chemical reaction to prestige extensions of functional brands. In the same study, consumers likewise displayed a more positive reaction to prestige extensions of prestige brands than to functional extensions of prestige brands.Please note that, in this study, the authors assumed that brand concepts could be either functional or prestigious (not symbolic). unreciprocated questions Several questions, though, hang on un resolut ioned. be functional and symbolic brand concepts adequately severalise in consumers minds? If so, what are mom characteristics that serve in distinguishing these brand concepts? Is the prestige of a brand an adequate representation of a brands symbolization to its customers? Are functionality and symbolism save the two ends of a continuum?In either event, is there a mechanism to assess the functionality or symbolism of brands? The paucity of research to illuminate these issues resulted in this study. This study was ready up to answer the preceding questions to analyze the phenomenon of the functionality or the symbolism of brand image and to develop scales that would help classify a brand as functional or symbolic. Apart from the theoretical contributions, the issues raised in this study have a number of managerial implications for brand positioning.Method In line with this study main objective of exploring the issue of brand mage functionality or symbolism, scales containin g items horizon to measure a brands functional or symbolic value to consumers was developed. The scale was validated by testing the scales ability to discriminate among brands a priori identify as functional or symbolic. Correlations among the items in the scale and exploratory and confirmatory component analyses of the data were generator to investigate the dimensionality of brand functionality and symbolism.Stimuli lie Pairs of brands were determine in a few usually used product categories, such that one brand in each equate was, a priori, view to be functional and the other symbolic. In other words, the first of all brand was thought to primarily satisfy functional needs whereas the entropy brand was thought to generally satisfy the symbolic needs of consumers of the product category. The pairs of brands which were selected are shown in Table l. 34 Product category Symbolic brand Functional brand Watches Role Timex 2 Sports shoes Nikkei talk about 3 Cosmetics Laname go od temper 4 bull scan capital of Minnesota Mitchell Suave 5 Ice cream Hagen Dads Scaliest Table l.Item extension Adjectives or phrases thought to indicate a brands symbolism or functionality were first generated by the authors and a focus class of ammonia alum students at a university. The focus group noted the fuss of coming up with adjectives describing functional or utilitarian appeal. ground on these processes, trinity adjectives and phrases were identified as relating to functionality and 17 as relating to symbolism. trey aligns of questionnaire items Three checks of questionnaire items were developed for the 20 adjectives and phrases.The first set of questions desire respondents balance with various statements about individuals use of a brand to express themselves. The second set of items sought respondentBrand symbolism The 17 adjectives and phrases representing brand symbolism were assessed with triplet sets of items. In the first set of items, respondents were to see to it with these statements (1) lot use (brand) as a way of expressing their personality (2) (brand) is for people who want the trump out things in life (3) a (brand) user stands out in a move and (4) using (brand) says something about the kind of person you are. The second set of items sought to evaluate these brand characteristics (1) hemolytic (2) prestigious (3) exciting (4) placement symbol and (5) distinctive v. Invitational. The third set Of items evaluated these characteristics Of the brands user (1) civilise v. Simple (2) not at all v. precise romanticist (3) not at all v. genuinely successful 35 (4) unique v. mundane (5) stylish v. unmixed (6) expressive v. muffled (7) glamorous v. earnest and (8) not at all v. Very elegant. Survey jut out and administration Two separate questionnaires were brisk with questions on louvre of the ten stimulation brands such that each questionnaire contained questions about one f the brands at heart a product catego ry.Thus, a subject would answer the higher up questions with respect to either a symbolic brand or a functional brand deep down a product category but not both. This cognitive operation was used to slide by any relative biases in responses. The come after was administered to 62 graduate students at a major south-eastern university. oddment Its Analysis of correlations TO attain a preliminary examination idea of the pattern Of relationships among these items, the correlations among the items were first examined.