Asian Research Consortium

Asian Research Consortium Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities Vol. 6, No. 7, July 2016, pp. 1619-1626. Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities ISSN 2249-7315 A Journal Indexed in Indian Citation Index DOI NUMBER: 10.5958/2249-7315.2016.00531.1 www.aijsh.com A Study on Brand Resonance of Mobile Phone Brands in Coimbatore District Y.Babu Vinoth Kumar*; Dr. S. Jayabharathi** Abstract *Research Scholar, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Anna University, Coimbatore, India. **Professor, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Anna University, Coimbatore, India. The construct of a brand relationship is quite complex. Numerous types of brand relationships can be identified and each of them is associated with different emotions and norms. Works on relationship marketing implies that developing relationship between consumers and their preferred brand is important. The presence of strong brand in the market is the source of various financial rewards to organization and due to this, creation of strong brand is a top priority for many organizations. Brand resonance is the term which focuses on the various stages of consumer brand relationship through which consumer is connected with brand. Our move toward a science of consumer - brand relationships presents many challenges, many doubts that something so idiosyncratic can be brought to the level of generalizability that science requires. Literature of branding verifies that the brand resonance does not depend on one thing only; it shows the impact of many brand related factors. Marketers must know the nature and mode of the consumer s relationship with their brand. This study presents a brief discussion on brand resonance with help of literature of branding. The current research attempts to find out how the Mobile phone manufacturers have been able to achieve brand resonance. More specifically the research investigates the application of the CBBE model of brand resonance, and relates the implications of each of the building blocks of the model in creating a strong brand. Several questions are addressed in the study. Few of them are: Can customers recognize and recall brands? Do they see some of the products superior to others? Do customers feel that the prices are high? What is customer s 1619

evaluation of the quality of the products? Are customers loyal to specific brands? Answers to several of the questions can critically appraise the branding initiatives of the mobile phone manufacturing players in the market of Tamilnadu, India. Keywords: Resonance, Brand, Loyalty, Repeated Purchase, Rural Marketing. Introduction In today s competitive warfare modern corporate are exploring into innovative approaches to identify, understand, define and delight the needs and desires of the target customers. As a part of building brand equity, a new dimension known as brand resonance is adopted wherein the customers are in a position to express their loyalty through repeat purchases or through interaction with others about their brand. There is a brand for every customer, business and walk of life. The main objective of this study is to empirically test a conceptual model of brand resonance that investigates the factors involved in building a strong brand based on the Brand Resonance Model proposed by Keller (2001). This paper attempts to understand the basis for the companies for creating such brand resonance and how companies are successful in their endeavors to achieve brand resonance. Objectives Specifically the study focuses on the following objectives: To determine the nature of relationship among various components of Brand Resonance model To find out the Brand Feelings, Brand Judgments, Brand Performance and Brand Salience and their extent of impact on the variance in Brand Resonance To analyze the impact of select demographic variables on the various components of the Brand Resonance model Literature Review Branding literature does not provide single definition which will explain the exact meaning and elucidation of brand relationship. It presents some construct of brand relationship which was presented by management fellows Brand relationship defined as the relationship between the customer and brand, and it is related to personal identification of the customer with the brand (Jovanovich, 2005). Brand relationship brands may become an active relationship partner for the consumer and provide meanings in a psycho-socio-cultural context (Fournier, 1998). The domain of brand relationships is extremely complex. There are numerous types of brand relationships and multiple dimensions that characterize them. They involve varying types and intensities of emotions and normative processes. They vary in the motivations that drive them, the strength of the connection bonding the consumer with the brand, and the role of various meaning 1620

makers in creating, establishing, and expanding the brand s relationship to the self. Moreover, the psychological and behavioral outcomes of brand relationships are also numerous and complex (McInnis et al., 2009). The work on brand resonance initiated after introducing this concept by Kevin lane Keller in 2001, the paper was published in Journal of Marketing Management (Keller, 2001). Brand resonance has important implications for marketers. A community association, in which users of a brand form a community, establishes emotional links and a sense of belonging with other consumers in the group. As the group grows, there is a possibility of intense brand loyalty, as consumers attempt to identify themselves with the group and brand usage is the bridge which links consumers. Active engagement of consumers happens when they spend time, money and effort in the purchase and consumption of the brand. There may be a number of steps to be initiated over a period of time. It should be noted that a brand builds up brand resonance over time and that this cannot be built overnight (Kumar, 2006). As we understand the meaning of brand relationship in simple way we can say that it s a relationship between consumer(s) and brand (s), but marketers point of view understanding of concept and its management is more important on this way they think about of brand relationship management. As we know the development of brand is the process which includes identity, meaning, response and relationship but if helps to attachment of consumers towards brand (Keller, 2001). The studies on brand relationship reveal that strong brand relationship is important factor for promoting tolerance in the face of negative brand information. Past research shows that if marketers wants to convert negative brand information to positive then consumer brand relationship is the best competent to transform this information (Swaminathan, Page, & Gurhan-Canli, 2007). A strong consumer brand relationship is supposed to support relationship permanence and better tolerance when brand going from the negative circumstances (Ahluwalia et al.2000). According to Fournier (1998) consumer viewed brand as a relationship partner. There is different way to achieve this understanding of consumers about brand, one way is to brand are animated, humanized or personalized. She also explained the brand animated process through which the spirit of past or present other, by using brand-person associations, and through a complete anthropomorphization of the brand. Brand relationship also depends on the consumers lived experience, this define level of brand relationship. These relationships offer meanings to the consumer, some being functional and utilitarian, while others are psychological or emotional (Fournier, 1998) Conceptual Model Brand resonance is an extension of various branding concepts. The relationship between consumer and brand may be in the form of behavioral, psychological, and social bonding (Keller, 2008) (Bourbab & Boukill,2008)(Stratford, 2012) (Rindfleisch et al., 2005) (Esade, p. 16)(Keller, 2001).There is strong evidence, as a result of the literature review, to support the following four suggested propositions, even though these have not been empirically tested. 1621

1. Behavioral loyalty influences brand resonance 2. Attitudinal attachment influences brand resonance 3. A sense of community influences brand resonance 4. Active engagement influences brand resonance The following figure depicts a theoretical model developed from Keller s brand resonance theory (2009) showing how all four factors are required for brand resonance. Figure 1: Brand Resonance Conceptual Framework Behavioral Loyalty Behavioral loyalty: The first dimension of brand resonance is behavioral loyalty in terms of repeat purchases and the amount or share of category volume attributed to the brand. In other words, how often do customers purchase a brand and how much do they purchase? For bottom-line profit results, the brand must generate sufficient purchase frequencies and volumes. Instrumental variables are loyalty programme enjoyment, Privacy concern, Share of wallet, initial, Store characteristics, Distribution density, Price level, Household characteristics, Household size and Household income. Attitudinal Attachment The major questions faced by a marketer are what make a brand strong? And how do you build a strong brand? Behavioral loyalty is necessary but not sufficient for resonance to occur. Some customers may buy out of necessity buying for reasons such as because the brand is the only product being stocked or readily accessible, the only one they can afford to buy, and so on. To create resonance, there needs to also be a strong personal attachment too. Customers should go beyond having a positive attitude to view the brand as being something special in a broader context. For example, customers with a great deal of attitudinal attachment to a brand may state that they love the brand, describe it as one of their favorite possessions, or view it as a little pleasure that they look forward to. A Sense of Community The brand may also take on broader meaning to the customer in terms of a sense of community. Identification with a brand community may reflect an important social phenomenon whereby customers feel a kinship or affiliation with other people associated with the brand. These connections may involve fellow brand users or customers or, instead, may be employees or representatives of the company. Active Engagement Finally, perhaps the strongest affirmation of brand loyalty is when customers are willing to invest time, energy, money, or other resources into the brand beyond those expended during purchase or 1622

consumption of the brand. For example, customers may choose to join a club centered on a brand, receive updates and exchange correspondence with other brand users or formal or informal representatives of the brand itself, and so on. They may choose to visit brand-related web sites, participate in chat rooms, etc. In this case, customers themselves became brand evangelists and ambassadors and help to communicate about the brand and strengthen the brand ties of others. Strong attitudinal attachment and/or social identity are typically necessary, however, for active engagement with the brand to occur. Brand Resonance: Relationship Approach Relationship marketing has become popular in recent years. It emphasizes maintaining ongoing relationship with existing customers, rather than the focusing only one attracting new customers. The intention to gain a greater proportion of existing customer s purchases over the prolonged period (Dibb & Simkin, 2008, p. 9) Relationship marketing has recently attracted considerable attention in the marketing literature. It focuses on the interaction between buyers and sellers and is concerned with winning and keeping customers by maintaining link between marketing products and services quality and customers services. The term relationship marketing was first proposed by Berry in the early 1980s, who defined it as attracting, maintaining and in multi service organization enhancing customer relationships. The basics proposition of relationship marketing is that selling organization should take a longer-term view of customers relationship to ensure that those customers converted are also retained (Dibb & Simkin, 2008, p. 10).Building a strong brand has been shown to provide numerous financial rewards to firms, and has become a top priority for many organizations. The final step of the Customer Based Brand Equity (CBBE) model, brand resonance, focuses upon the ultimate relationship and level of identification that the customer has with the brand. This model treats brand equity as a development process. Strong brands have to achieve the final level of development called resonance that is approached as loyalty. The advantage of Brand resonance lies on the duality of brand equity concept consumer perceive brand equity on a basis of emotional and rational factors. It is important to mention that this model includes brand equity attributes as well as their links (Keller, 1993). Construct of Brand Resonance Following are the same definitions of different aspects of brand resonance; some are operational definition written by authors for particular research in the area branding. Brand resonance is the extent to which a consumer develops strong behavioral, psychological, and social bonds with the brands she/he consumes (Rindfleisch et al., 2005). Brand Resonance refers to the nature of the relationship that the consumer has with the brand (Bourbab & Boukill, 2008). Brand resonance refers to the nature of the relationship that customers have with the brand and the extent to which they feel that they are in sync with the brands (Keller, 2001)(Keller, 2008). 1623

Brand resonance can be defined as how well you connect with your customer both formally and casually. Creating resonance with your brand means your message has to permeate consumers minds and lives (Stratford, 2012). On the basis of above definitions of brand resonance we can say that brand resonance is nothing but the relationship and level of attachment that customer has with its preferred brand. Methodology of the Study The study is descriptive in nature. The methodology adopted for data collection is survey technique. Both primary and secondary data are used. Primary data was collected from customers owning various brands of mobile phones. Secondary data was used from journals, Internet, magazines and company records. A stratified random sampling technique is used. When using this survey, one criterion needs to be met in defining the qualified respondents: respondents who have had product encounter with various Mobile phone brands in India. The following two reasons can be put forward in favor of using this Sampling: 1. There is no complete listing of our target population; no formal sampling frame. 2. This gives a better result within a small budget and time constraints. The sample was drawn from 300 respondents who have had service encounters with various Brands in India. So this study was intended to investigate the brand resonance model in the context of mobile products in India. Coimbatore, which is second largest city in Tamilnadu and one of the most densely populated regions in India, is chosen as the sampling area. Thus, a heterogeneous sample that constitutes people from various demographic characteristics can be drawn from this city. Data were collected by using the questionnaire. The original scale was slightly modified for the sake of clarity and relevance to the context of the research in hand. All the instruments measuring the various components of the brand resonance model contain five point likert scaled items. Conclusion and Scope for Future Research Brand resonance is the relationship between consumer(s) and their brand(s). Based on above construct of brand resonance it reveals that brand resonance and brand, relationship is merely same concept and with the consideration of above construct. We can use brand resonance instead of brand relationship in the branding research. The literature of branding does not explain the impact and relationship of demographic characteristics of consumers with brand relationship. It is to be found out how the demographics characteristics of consumers help to building a brand relationship. There is need to find out that whether there are associations between demographics of consumers and brand relationship. This model shows that there is way of development of brand relationship. First stage is brand loyalty, if the consumers become a brand loyal they moves in to the brand attachment stage and then they attached with brand community of their favorite brand, the last stage of formation of brand resonance is brand engagement, when consumers start to spent their time, energy on their favorite brand. Branding researchers will have to ascertain the brand resonance patterns amongst young consumers with reference to different product categories. With future research prospective we need to test brand resonance model with present market setting; also we need to think or need to add more variables that are associated with brand relationship, such as 1624

brand satisfaction and brand trust. It will be more interesting to look whether consumers are going through every stage of brand resonance or not. References Zeithaml, VA, Parasuraman, A and Berry, LL 1985, Problems and strategies in services marketing,journal of Marketing, vol.49, no.4, pp.36-46 Keller, K L and Moorthi, YLR 2003, Branding in Developing Markets, Business Horizons, May - June, pp 49-60. Kim, H and Kim, W 2005, The relationship between brand equity and firm s performance in luxury hotels and chain restaurants, Tourism Management, vol.26, pp.549 560. Berry, LL 2000, Cultivating service brand equity, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 28, pp.128-37. Biedenbach, G, Bengtsson, M and Wincent, 2010, Dynamics Of B2B Brand Equity: The Role of Interdependencies In Buyer -Seller Relationships,39th EMAC Conference,The 6 Senses- The essentials of Marketing, Copenhagen Business School, The European Marketing Academy, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1-4 June. Annexure I Questionnaire 1. I know the symbol of My Mobile phone looks like 2. I know the color that symbolizes My Mobile phone 3. I can recognize My Mobile phone among other competing brands 4. I can quickly recall the symbol/logo of My Mobile phone 5. Compared to other My Mobile phone, mine gives prestige 6. The My Mobile phone are sturdy 7. Compared to other My Mobile phone, My brand satisfies the basic needs 8. My Mobile phone has special features 9. It is easy to handle My Mobile phone software 10. My Mobile phone uses high technology in its services 11. Compared to other My Mobile phone, the service charge of My Mobile phone is high 12. Compared to other My Mobile phone, the rate of spare parts are high 1625

13. My overall opinion of My Mobile phone is good 14. I trust My Mobile phone so much 15. The quality of My Mobile phone is consistent 16. I am likely to recommend My Mobile phone to others 17. Personally, My Mobile phone is relevant/ connect/ reflect to me 18. My Mobile phone is innovative 19. The sales executive/ portal of My Mobile phone are knowledgeable 20. My Mobile phone gives me a feeling of self-respect 21. My Mobile phone gives me a feeling of social approval 22. My Mobile phone gives me a feeling of excitement 23. My Mobile phone gives me a feeling of enlightment 24. I really love My Mobile phone. 25. My Mobile phone is the only one that I prefer 26. I feel My Mobile phone is the only one that I need 27. I am proud to have others know that I am a user of My Mobile phone 28. I consider myself loyal to My Mobile phone. 29. I feel like I almost belong to a club with other customers of My Mobile phone. 30. I am always interested in learning more about My Mobile phone 1626