This study investigated how the image congruity of social commerce and fashion brand types affects purchase intention and how trust and price sensitivity moderate this relationship. National brands, private brands, and non-brands were used as brand types in the present study. The online survey method was used to gather the data, and 232 data samples were analyzed. The results of the research were as follows. Consumers perceived greater image congruity between social commerce and nonbrands, followed by private brands and national brands. The significant perception differences were examined by comparing the mean values. There was a significant positive effect of image congruity of social commerce and non-brands on purchase intention. However, insignificant effects were found for image congruity between social commerce and private brands and national brands. In addition, trust and price sensitivity positively predicted social commerce purchase intention. A significant moderating effect of trust was found on the relationship between purchase intention and image congruity of social commerce and non-brands. A moderating effect of price sensitivity was found on the relationship between purchase intention and image congruity of social commerce and private brands. The findings of the present study offer valuable insights into social commerce concerning implementing diverse fashion brands as well as academic and practical implications.

Newly extended brands may use the retailers as a channel for new products in order that consumers can become familiar with them, since retailers as an initial contact point of transactions have become empowered to supply products to consumers. Related research has suggested that horizontal or vertical extensions enable brand companies to introduce new products by collaborating with retailers to offer a one-of-a- kind product line to differentiate their products and to gain the attention of consumers. Even though brand companies often produce different products through more than one extension, the effects of multiple extensions in a brand are not clearly investigated. In this regard, the current study aims to focus on how consumers evaluate extended brand products depending on the brand extension types (vertical and horizontal) when a brand collaborates with a retailer. Drawn from the attitude accessibility theory (Fazio, 1986), the conceptual framework was developed. The hypothesized relationships were examined using structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques with survey data of 218 responses for the vertical extension and 226 responses for the horizontal extension. The results show that the image fit between a brand and retailer has a significant relationship with attitude toward brand and consumers’ evaluations of brand extensions. However, the results highlight that the quality fit is only directly related to retailer attitude in the case of horizontal extension. Overall, the findings provide empirical evidence on how perceived fit between brand and retailer influences consumers’ attitude and brand extension evaluations. The current study makes several key contributions to both academia and industry practitioners by explaining how new products from extended brands may have different evaluative processes depending on the types of brand extensions when collaborating with a retailer.

Introduction Recently, Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) is becoming very important issue in the corporate growth and marketing strategy. In this study, based on Carroll (1979, 1991)’s conception of CSR study, we categorized the CSR types into the five underlying dimensions – i.e. economic, legal, ethical, benevolent, and environmental responsibilities. We tried to investigate the effects of consumer’s perception of the five different types of CSR on the corporate brand equity. More specifically, we used the corporate image, consumer-company identification, and the level of trust which have been used as important variables in the previous brand value studies as the underlying mediating variables of the research model. Theoretical Background and Research Model Based on the conceptual background and our research questions, 11 research hypothese regarding the consumer perceptions of the five different types of CSR, corporate image, consumer-company identification, trust, consumer loyalty, and corporate evaluation were developed. We also tried to include the moderating effects of CSR congruence and consumer’s CSR orientation between the CSR types and mediating variables of the final research model. Results and Conclusions To test the research hypotheses and our research model, we conducted questionnaire survey and collected 552 consumer data for the final analysis. Through the confirmatory factor analysis, reliability and validity of the study constructs were verified. By using the structural equation model, research hypotheses were tested and most research hypotheses were statistically significant and accepted. The final research model also showed the statistical significance with the goodness-of-fit indices. The managerial implications of the study results for the corporate marketing managers and the limitations of the study were also discussed.

This research was conducted in order to examine the effect of brand status and brand crisis types on consumers’ forgiveness intention. In this research, we proposed and found that the favorable attitude toward the underdog referred as underdog effect (Paharia, Keinan, Avery, & Schor, 2011) would be diluted especially in relational-related failure. When relationship efforts and perceived warmth of the brand are particularly critical, service failure caused by highly identified underdog brand can be perceived to be more serious (Vandello, Goldschmied, & Richards, 2007). Four of the studies consistently demonstrated our assumption in that people expressed less forgiveness intention on underdog brands when the crisis is in a service failure (vs. product failure): study1 and 2, service process failure (vs. service outcome failure): study 3, and human service process failure (vs. non-human service process failure): 4. Further, the mechanism underlying this negative effect toward the underdog was revealed as perceived anger. These findings can give insights to marketers that the types of crisis and the way of brand positioning are very critical to influence customer’s forgiveness intention.

Despite of its strategic role in shaping corporate image, Instagram predicts that 70% of its contents are not seen by users due to content overload and saturation problems. As more than 95 million photos are shared on Instagram on daily basis, when accessing Instagram, users are bombarded with a lot of visual information and consequently tend to selectively choose photos to pay attention to. Therefore, it is important for marketers to design an ads that has the ability to stop consumers and hold their attention for enough time to be processed cognitively before they scroll up or down to see other photos. This study investigates how visual aesthetic, vividness, and message type of pictures posted on Instagram affects customer responses. A content analysis of 3,952 brand content posted between July and December 2017 was conducted from the official Instagram accounts of seven global luxury brands. The top-listed brands on the Luxury Fashion Social Index namely Burberry, Calvin Klein, Chanel, Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and Prada; were investigated as they were considered as good representatives of luxury brands with good social media presence. The coding guide in this study included the numbers of consumer responses (likes and comments), visual aesthetic (classical and expressive), vividness (high and low), and message type (literal and symbolic). For the independent variables, binary coding was used. ANOVA was used to test the hypotheses. Findings suggest that brand posts using expressive aesthetic image received more likes and comments on Instagram than the ones with classical aesthetics. Brand posts with high level of vividness receive more likes and comments than the ones with low level of vividness. Brand posts adopting using symbolic message receive more likes and comments than the ones implementing literal message. The results also suggest that there was a significant interaction between visual aesthetics, vividness, and message types in generating likes Brand content on Instagram using a combination of expressive aesthetic, high vivid, and symbolic message generates more likes and comments than any other combinations. Instead, the content adopting a combination of classical aesthetic, low vivid, and literal message produced the least responses. From theoretical perspective, findings can extend and modify media richness theory to luxury brand and social media contexts. Instagram can be used to display brand contents with various levels of vividness. This study imply that luxury consumers favor expressive aesthetics and symbolic message more positively indicating that they tend to have high level of need for cognition in consuming brand messages. Luxury brand marketers can increase their cognitive load by increasing the level of information complexity increasing the number of colors or patterns, using metaphoric statements, or crafting symbolic messages when creating brand posts on Instagram.

Study objectives are: 1) to investigate the difference in consumer perceptions of the model’s image and physical attractiveness according to advertising model types; 2) to explore the effect of the difference between the model’s image and the consumer’s self image, the difference between the model’s image and the brand’s image, and the physical attractiveness of the model on attitude toward the advertising model; and 3) to explore the effect of attitude toward the advertising model on attitude toward the advertisement. A total of 306 female consumers over the age of 45 participated in experiments with advertisement stimuli for a senior apparel brand. Results showed a significant difference in the model’s images and physical attractiveness according to each model type. The consumer’s attitude toward the advertising model was determined by physical attractiveness of the model, not by the difference between model’s image and the consumers’ self-image, nor by the difference between the model’s image and brand image. Attitude toward advertisements was determined by attitude toward the advertising model. The findings imply that advertising models of a senior apparel brand can be selected based on the physical attractiveness of the model. Consumers do not consider whether the model’s image fits well with their self-images or the brand’s image when building an attitude toward the advertising model, and this precedes the consumer’s attitude toward the advertisement. These results can be used as guidelines to select appropriate models for advertisements of senior apparel brands.

This study aimed to identify the effects of fashion brand extensions types, preannouncing and consumers' regulatory focus on preference towards extension products. To that end, the study used a 2 (fashion brand extension types: similar vs. non-similar) × 2 (preannouncing: near preannouncing vs. far preannouncing) × 2 (regulatory focus: promotion focus vs. prevention focus) three mixed elements. The subjects of the study were 280 men and women in their 20~40s living in Seoul and Chungnam province and total of 229 data were analyzed. Data were analysed with SPSS 19.0 program and three-way ANOVA, simple interaction effects and simple main effects analysis were conducted. The results of this study are as follows: First there were significant differences in preference based on fashion brand extension types and preannouncing. Second, there were significant interaction effects in preference between extension types of fashion brand and regulatory focus. But there was no difference in preference toward extension products according to types of preannouncing and regulatory focus. Lastly, fashion brand extension types, preannouncing and regulatory focus showed significant interaction effects on preference. Thus even in cases of non-similar brand extensions which carry more risk of failing, the appropriate marketing communication strategies such as preannouncing will result in brand preference. Also marketing activities should be comprehensive and strategical based on consumers’ tendencies in order to derive positive evaluations.

This study empirically investigates how four individual-level characteristics impact the effect of the four self-congruity types on brand attitude. A widely used practice among marketers focuses on communicating that using their brands will bring consumers closer to how they would like to see themselves, their ideal self-concept (e.g. being a slim person like the models in the ads), instead of how they actually see themselves, their actual self-concept. However, recent research shows that there is no “universality” of a superior self-congruity effect. Specifically, individual-level characteristics (e.g. self-esteem levels, product involvement levels) determine if actual or ideal self-congruity impact brand perceptions more strongly (Malär, Krohmer, Hoyer & Nyffenegger, 2011). This study extends that research by (a) considering all four self-congruity types (actual, ideal, social, and ideal social) and (b) four additional individual-level characteristics, which are valuable for segmenting consumer markets within and across countries. The four individual-level characteristics are a dominant independent self-construal, interdependent self-construal, cosmopolitan orientation and local orientation. Considering these individual-level characteristics offers marketers insights on which of the four self-concept types they should try to match with their brand communications when targeting these specific consumer groups. Survey data from a non-student sample was collected in the US. After performing data cleaning procedures, 800+ usable responses were analysed with the use of PLS-SEM (Lohmöller, 1989). The measurement models demonstrate satisfactory reliability, convergent and discriminant validity. Furthermore, the results suggest that the data is not compromised by non-response bias and common method variance. The structural models display satisfactory predictive capabilities of the four self-congruity types on brand attitude. The findings show that as expected an individual’s dominant independent self-construal, interdependent self-construal, cosmopolitan and local orientation impact which of the four self-congruity types has the strongest effect on brand attitude. For individuals with a dominant local orientation or interdependent self-construal, actual self-congruity has the strongest effect on brand attitude. For individuals with a dominant cosmopolitan orientation or independent self-construal, ideal self-congruity has the strongest effect on brand attitude. The findings of this study extend self-congruity theory by considering the effect of these four individual-level characteristics. Managerial implications are also presented.

The purpose of this research was to find out types of consumers for low price cosmetics in domestic market. And on the presumption that there would be differences on impact of brand image and brand loyalty depending on types of consumers, this study started from the possibility of establishing marketing strategy from the standpoint from such difference in types of consumers. Accordingly the classified types of consumers were presented on the basis of similar research data and data published in relevant professional literature. Analysis was undertook on kinds of impact of brand image, brand satisfaction, brand sense of identity and brand attitude which were constituent elements of brand assets on brand loyalty. Analysisshowed that causative relationship between constituent elements of branch assets is different depending on types of consumers. Result of this study suggests that there is a certain need for reviewing types of consumers in order to heighten level of brand loyalty in connection with strategy for low price cosmetics brand marketing in domestic market.

하나의 신제품이 시장에 나오려면 많은 시간과 개발비용, 광고 및 판촉비용 등이 든다. 하지만 그러한 노력 끝에 나오게 된 신제품이 시장에서 살아남을 가능성은 10~20% 밖에 되지 않는다고 한다. 이러한 이유로 기업에서는 브랜드확장을 통해 신제품을 출시하는 경우가 많은데, 브랜드확장이란 소비자들의 기존 브랜드에 대한 인지도 및 지식, 선호도 등을 확장브랜드에 이용함으로써 다양한 레버리지 효과를 얻을 수 있다(Kimani, Sood, and Bridge, 1999). 샴푸 또한 우리가 일상생활에서 자주 사용하는 퍼스널 케어 제품으로 무수히 많은 제품이 존재하며 브랜드확장을 통해 제품이 나오는 경우가 많다. 이에 샴푸의 브랜드확장 시 모브랜드와 확장브랜드간의 패키지디자인의 여러 그래픽적 요소들인 네이밍(naming), 브랜드로고(brand logo), 색채(color system), 캐릭터(character), 타이포그래피(typography), 레이아웃(layout), 일러스트레이션(illustration)의 등도 브랜드를 인지하는데 있어 중요한 역할을 하지만 이번 연구를 통해 그래픽적인 요소들에서 한 발 더 나아가 용기의 형태 또한 브랜드를 인지할 수 있다고 보고, 용기라는 것이 단순히 무엇을 담는다는 의미에서 확장되어 브랜드를 인지하는데 있어 중요한 역할을 할 수 있다는 것에 초점을 맞추고자 한다.