Drivers of Brand Commitment:
Read then draw on the article and what you have learned, list the five key points (briefly) to consider for an international marketing campaign in terms of customer segmentation.
A Cross-National Investigation Andreas B. Eisingerich and Gaia Rubera
Firms increasingly employ global brand management strategies for the effective coordination of their global activities. Effective coordination requires adapting global brand management strategies to cultural nuances. This study examines the influence of culture on the impact of four key brand management elements (i.e., brand innovativeness, brand cus-tomer orientation, brand self-relevance, and social responsibility) on customer commitment to a brand.
Using responses from 167 U.K. and 230 Chinese consumers, the authors empirically demonstrate that brand innovativeness and brand self-relevance have a greater effect on brand commitment in cultures that are individualist, short-term oriented, and low on power distance (i.e., the United Kingdom), while brand customer orientation and social responsibility have a greater impact on brand commitment in cultures that are collectivist, long-term oriented, and high on power distance (i.e., China). Furthermore, the findings reveal that in collectivist, long-term-oriented, and high-power-distance cultures, the four brand management activities equally contribute to brand commitment. The research informs global brand man-agers wanting to optimize brand positioning and strengthen customers’ brand commitment across cultures.
Keywords:
Brand commitment, global brand management, brand innovativeness, customer orientation, social responsibility
Brands play a critical role in developing customer relationships and determining firm performance (Rao, Agarwal, and Dahlhoff 2004; Schau, Muñiz, and Arnould 2009; Sprott, Czellar, and Span-genberg 2009). Scholars contend that global brands are attractive for firms because they enhance economies of scale and scope in manufacturing and research-and-development activities (Özsomer and Altaras 2008; Strizhakova, Coulter, and Price 2008b). Previous research has also suggested that global brands not only take advantage of cost economies but also realize value from being global (Holt, Quelch, and Taylor 2004;
Andreas B. Eisingerich is Assistant Professor of Marketing, Imperial College Business School, Imperial College London (e-mail: a.eisingerich@imperial.ac.uk). Gaia Rubera is Assistant Professor of Marketing, The Eli Broad College of Business,
64 Journal of International Marketing
Steenkamp, Batra, and Alden 2003). However, although global brands can be attractive from a cost perspective, their relevance to consumers is not always clear.
Some scholars argue that consumers might have nega-tive reactions toward a global brand that does not take into account local specificities (Cayla and Arnould 2008). When brands reflect differences in local culture, they are more likely to develop strong customer rela-tionships across a range of geographic regions (Batra et al. 2000; Craig and Douglas 2000; Eckhardt 2005).
Central to this argument is the notion that through an appreciation of cultural differences in the global econ-
Journal of International Marketing ©2010, American Marketing Association Vol. 18, No. 2, 2010, pp. 64–79 ISSN 1069-0031X (print) 1547-7215 (electronic)
