SCP Conference, March 2014, Miami FL

Selcan Kara, Co-authors: Kunter Gunasti, Rod Duclos, and Bill Ross

Language structure is an influential factor on numerical cognition. We explore whether consumers’ number processing in ANBs (Alphanumeric brand names) can be related to differences in the language structure of the numeral system they use. For example, some languages, such as Chinese, have very systematized numeral systems; once you know the numbers 1 through 10 you can easily process any other number. Other languages, such as Turkish, require the knowledge of a new word for each tens digit. Some languages, such as English have unstructured wording for numbers below twenty. Certain languages, such as German, use backward wording for a verbal representation. Finally, on the extreme side, some languages have even more complex systems; for example, French has a partial vigesimal (20) system and other irregularities; and they process the number 91 as four twenties and eleven. Thus, the aim of this research is to understand variations in consumer perceptions of ANBs resulting from linguistic differences in numeral systems for five different languages, English, German, French, Turkish, and Chinese. As the results of an international experiment revealed, comparative evaluations of superiority and price expectations between the parent and extended brands were significantly different across languages. These results support the notion that language effects how consumers make brand related judgments based on numbers in ABNs.

SCP Conference, March 2014, Miami FL

Selcan Kara, Co-authors: Kunter Gunasti and Bill Ross

Alphanumeric brand names (ANBs) consist of combinations of letters and numbers either in digit or word form (Pavia and Costa 1993), such as Coke Zero and Audi A4. We examine the effects of alpha and numeric components of ANBs on consumer evaluations of product line extensions. In five experiments, we illustrate the influence of disparities between number and letter cognitions in consumer assessments of line extensions introduced by changing alpha or numeric components of existing brands. Findings suggest ascending letters in ANBs lead to more favorable evaluations of line extensions than descending letters in ANBs. Line extensions are evaluated more favorably when a line extension ANB is formed with a change in number (versus letter) for an existing ANB. We also examine dimensions of this superiority perception, and find that increasing numbers in ANBs anchors consumers, who evaluate line extensions as having improved numeric attributes. This numeric anchoring mediates consumers’ favorable evaluations of ANBs with increased numeric components in comparison to ANBs with increased alpha components.

Brands and Brand Relationships Conference, May 2014, Boston, MA

Anna Jansson Vredeveld. Co-authors: Bill Ross, Robin Coulter

This research explores how consumers purposefully and intentionally interact with brands in pursuit of moral identity and consumption legitimacy. In particular, we examine how genuine-item consumers, as differentiated from consumers who purchase or use counterfeits, cope with the identity threat posed by counterfeits. We find that genuine-item consumers actively seek support from other genuine-item consumers of similar brands when counterfeits are perceived as a threat to their identities and/or their brand relationships. In particular, we find that genuine-item consumers collectively frame counterfeit consumption as immoral and prescribe activities for moral brand use to institute moral legitimacy of their luxury brand relationships. Thus, we contribute to extant research on brand relationships by showcasing how brand users collectively imbue their brand practices with moral meanings.