رقیق سازی علامت تجاری و اثرات کاربردی آن بر روی تصمیم خرید Trademark dilution and its practical effect on purchase decision

Introduction The unauthorized use of a famous brand’s distinctive elements, such as its brand name, slogan, logo, package design, etc., could negatively impact the brand that is imitated (senior brand), through cognitive, affective, or behavioral effects on its consumers (Loken & John, 2010). This phenomenon is called trademark dilution and is defined, in a general sense, as a reduction in brand equity due to the emergence of an imitator or unauthorized user (junior brand) (Simonson, 1993). From a consumer perspective, the brand equity construct cited by Simonson is defined as the perceived added value with which a given brand endows a product, beyond its functional benefits (Aaker, 1991; Farquhar, 1989; Keller, 1993). Simonson (1993) agrees with marketing scholars’ opinion in the sense that brand associations in consumers’ minds are ‘‘key building blocks’’ (p. 151) of brand equity and he explains that, through either weakening or modification of associations, junior brands may dilute senior brands’ equity. Brand equity literature suggests that consumer-based brand equity becomes economic value for the firm through transactions in the marketplace (purchase behavior), recommendations to others, positive word-of-mouth (Keller & Lehmann, 2006) or willingness to pay price premiums (Buil, Martínez, & de Chernatony, 2013). The lack of empirical analysis of brand equity and real purchase decisions in previous studies is considered an important weakness (Magid, Cox, & Cox, 2006; Steckel, Klein, & Schusshein, 2006; Tushnet, 2008); evidence is not provided to ascertain whether there is economic harm for trademark holders. Tushnet (2008), in particular, doubts whether negative effects at the consumer mind level, which include beliefs, attitudes and purchase intentions, are strong enough to reduce purchasing of senior brands. In order to address these gaps in the trademark dilution literature, the main purpose of this study is to analyze the effect that the emergence of junior brands has on real purchase decisions relating to senior brands, mediated by brand equity. A second purpose is to test whether consumer involvement with the senior brand’s product category, known as product involvement, moderates the effect of junior brands on senior brands’ equity and purchase decision. Product involvement is the perceived relevance of a product category for a consumer (Coulter, Price, & Feick, 2003), in accordance with the consumer’s needs, goals, and values (Nkwocha, Bao, Johnson, & Brotspies, 2005). In consonance with the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) (Petty, Cacioppo, & Schumann, 1983; Petty & Cacioppo, 1984), consumers process the information related to products in different ways, depending on their degree of involvement. Thus, product involvement is a frequently used moderator in a broad number of topics in marketing, e.g. brand loyalty (Bennett, Hartel, & McColl-Kennedy, 2005), brand country of origin recognition (Martín & Cervino, ˜ ۲۰۱۱), consumer behavior (Celsi & Olson, 1988; Cooke & Sheeran, 2004) and brand extensions (Dens & De Pelsmacker, 2010; Nkwocha et al., 2005). Given that brand extensions and trademark dilution literature have common theoretical elements, we argue that involvement could condition the effect of junior brands on brand equity. Finally, this study analyzes how perceived similarity between the junior and senior brands moderate dilution of brand equity, since this variable has shown significant moderator effects in previous studies about trademark dilution. The next section summarizes the theoretical background for the study and develops its hypotheses. Conceptual framework and hypotheses Brand equity and consumer behavior From a consumer perspective, several authors (Aaker, 1991; Farquhar, 1989; Keller, 1993) define brand equity (BE) as the differential perceived value that a branded product offers, when compared to the same unbranded product whose value is only functional. Yoo, Donthu, and Lee (2000) add that brand equity is expressed as the difference in consumer preference between these two products. However, Keller (1993) and Aaker (1991) state the brand equity construct is based on associations between the brand and product attributes, sensations or consumption experiences. The Associative Network Model (ANM) (Anderson, 1983; Teichert & Schöntag, 2010) posits that information in consumer memory is stored in networks consisting of nodes: brand, attributes, sensations, experiences interconnected by links. In the context of brand-related networks, these links are known as brand associations, which can vary in strength. Retrieving of information from memory depends on the activation of one node and how strong it is connected to other nodes. For example, when buying a soft drink, a consumer may think about Coca Cola because of a strong association between the brand and the product category. Other information about the brand may also be retrieved from memory if associations are strong enough (Keller, 1993). Given that brand equity is a comparative judgment of the branded product relative to the same unbranded product, therefore, not only the strength of associations but also their content — favorability and uniqueness — contribute to differentiate the brand (Buil et al., 2013) and create the incremental value for the consumer (Aaker, 1991; Keller, 1993). For Aaker (1991), perceived quality and loyalty are two more brand equity dimensions besides associations. On the one hand, perceived quality is the global perception of superiority or excellence of the products sold by the brand, relative to alternatives (Aaker, 1991; Zeithaml, 1988). This dimension depends on a subset of associations related to product attributes and performance (Aaker, 1991). On the other hand, loyalty, in an attitudinal sense, is the commitment to consume brand products (Oliver, 1999) expressed as a low probability of the consumer switching brands, which depends on liking, past satisfactory use experiences and high perceived quality (Aaker, 1991). Keller (1993) adds that the salience and positive evaluation of consumer beliefs are necessary for positive attitude formation. Thus we can see that these two dimensions of brand equity relate to the strength and content of brand associations. Finally, it can also be argued that as the differential preference for a brand — compared to an unbranded product — increases, it is more likely for the brand to appear in consumers’ consideration sets, to be preferred instead of its competitors and to be chosen in a purchase decision situation, among other favorable behaviors (Aaker, 1991; Keller, 1993; Keller & Lehmann, 2006). Buil et al. (2013) show evidence that greater brand equity correlates positively with brand preference and purchase intention, using data from the United Kingdom and Spain.