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Luxury-brand managers must balance optimising brand value while simultaneously maintaining the exclusivity of the brand. Corporate interests increase the focus towards strategies that return greater profit for the business. For example, managers may consider brand extensions or greater channel exposure to increase revenues. However, these strategies may have an adverse impact on brand exclusivity. The damage to over-stretched brands like Pierre Cardin and Gucci has been attributed, in part, to the use of brand extensions and increased distribution. This article examines the impact of brand extensions on consumer perceptions of luxury. Careful consideration of the degree of fit of the extension with the luxury brand as well as the channel exposure offers mechanisms for brand managers to extract greater profit from the brand while maintaining luxury-brand perceptions.

Word-of-Mouth communication is an invaluable source of information for consumers. A comprehensive understanding of the flow of market information through interpersonal networks is therefore of unique theoretical and practical importance. Present Word-of-Mouth research is receiver centric, largely ignoring the role of the information provider as a gatekeeper to information dissemination. The objective of this research is to develop a more comprehensive understanding of Word-of-Mouth by modelling the decision making behaviour of information providers. Adopting the network theory general assumption of altruistic exchange motivation, this research uses a choice modelling framework to demonstrate that information providers assign greater utility to (1) information about product features important to the receiver, and (2) information which disconfirms receiver preferences. In addition, these effects are found to be moderated by perceptions about the receivers knowledge. Existing research has not previously considered information providers perceptions of receivers as a potential moderator of WOM flow, with the results here suggesting this should be an area of future investigation. © 2012 by the DreamCatchers Group, LLC.

Developing a consumer-brand relationship has been proposed in recent years to better understand consumer behaviour at the branding level. The present study links this recent development with a consumer's brand choice in a given service category. The consideration set is identified as a key concept in defining a consumer's brand choice. The effects of brand relationship on consideration set membership and size are examined in this study via a conceptual model with four hypotheses developed. The model and hypotheses were tested on a sample of survey data with reasonable empirical support gained. Marketing implications and future research directions are discussed at the end of this paper.

Most of the research into sports attendance uses cognitive and hedonic models as the theoretical foundation. While these models are useful at explaining attendance variance, they are not good predictors of attendance. For frequently purchased consumer goods in stable markets, the study of past behaviour (habit) and the use of the negative binomial distribution (NBD) have been particulary effective in predicting penetration rates and frequence of buyers of a brand or category. This study compares sports attendace at football games with the attendance predicted by the NBD, and finds that attendance at professional football games follows the NBD when season ticket holders are removed from the sample.

Personal brands have received relatively limited academic treatment despite a commercial sector interest in the technique in the last few decades. As a relatively new academic phenomenon, much of the marketing research in the field is dedicated to the isolation of the personal brand construct from the interconnected areas of opinion leadership, celebrity endorsement and inanimate objects brand theory. This paper explores how personal brands are related to opinion leadership theory, and the growth of personal brands in political marketing.

This study contributes to the literature as shift from mainstream survey research methods by adopting a less traditional mixed-mode combination: drop-off survey followed by an internet survey. While a number of researchers have demonstrated the effectiveness of mixed-mode surveys, for the most part the literature concentrates on combining mail with internet-based surveys. This paper presents a critical review of an alternative data collection combination, adding support to this form of mixed-mode survey for a researcher's toolbox. Measurement difference were overcome following Dillman's unimode constudtion techniique, with no statistical signifcant differences in responses between the two independent samples for each mode. By fully understanding the benefits and limitations of mixed-mode surveys, researchers can confidently draw on a range of alternate data collection methods and cultivate mounting support for this evolving research technique.

Competition for the sporting consumer dollar has increased remarkably in recent years, furthering the need for continuous research on sport consumers. While research addressing fan consumption for professional sports is prevalent, there remains a lack of research into why spectators consume non-professional sporting events. This study uses a consumption model, FANDIM, rather than a motivational model to investigate attendance at water polo events. Results indicate that the physical attractiveness of the players and team indentifcation best explain attendace variance.

This paper uses a case study methodology to explore the structure of consumer power in an Australian online brand community. It applies the factors of online consumer power developed by Denegri-Knott (2006) for the Internet to the increasingly important context of online brand communities. In doing so, factors such as control over the relatioship information, aggregation and participation are identified and descriptors modified for the online brand community. Characteristics of the online brand community suggested in the literature such as consciousness of kind, shared rituals and sense of responsibility are demonstrated in Haloforum and linked to consumer power. The findings help the practioners to understand more about the online brand community, which set up the foundation for relevant strategy development.

This exploratory study uses qualitative research methods to investigate advertising avoidvance in the online social networking environment. Focus group studies and in-depth interviews were conducted with a sample group consisting of male and female teenagers. A revised model of advertising avoidance is presented, which suggests that advertising in the online social networking environment is more likely to be avoided if the consumer has an expectation of a negative experience, if the advertising is not relevant to the consumer, if the consumer is sceptical towards the advertising message or if the consumer is sceptlical towards the advertising medium.

This paper examines how new media has impacted advertiser behaviours in relation to controversial advertising. The research seeks to explore the extent of advertiser engagement and regulatory empowerment in a new media environment, where an advertiser can show offensive advertising online via new media despite a man by the self regulatory body in relation to traditional media. Specifically, we conduct ten interviews with members of the advertising industry to develop an understanding of this engagement and empowerment. Findings suggest that advertisers are very aware that new media creates and opportunity for engagement however feedback is interpreted subjectively to rationalise continued dissemination of offensive advertising messages and therein advertisers are empowered. Decision making about controversial appears to be bounded more by client responses and product category that is does new media engagement and feedback from the general public or personal ethics.

It is well known in the toy entertainment industry that children have a strong relationship with the characters and stories of various well known entertainment property toy brands (e.g. Mattel, 2005; Pecora, 1998; Miller, 1998; Cross, 1997). This paper presents branding insights and findings from a content analysis of ten highly successful toy story brand narratives that featured in children’s television programs and movies. This study argues that a toy story’s character personality is related to their on-screen action performance. By implication in branding terms, this implies that narrative brands with relatively inferior product-based performance abilities or attributes can still take audience share by focusing heavily on developing a highly distinctive and likable brand personality that clearly narrates strongly supporting brand values within the plot of a television program or motion picture.

What is the 'magic age' at which drivers transform into being hazardous drivers? It appears that many media commentators and Australian citizens believe it is when you become a 'senior citizen'. This paper presents a media analysis that explores the stereotyping of older drivers as 'bad', 'hazardous' and 'dangerous'. Framing the discussion using media effects theories the paper questions whether the portrayal of older road users by the media is ethical or sound. Specifically, the paper focuses on the perspective of heavy media coverage and influence of media on public perceptions and the reinforcement of aged stereotypes. Based on media analysis the discussion concludes that ethical guidelines are required which sensitise marketers and policymakers to flawed portrayals of the elderly as a strategy to eliminating negative stereotypes of older road users.

There has been a widespread increase in the use of consumer credit and therefore consumer indebtedness. Some of this increase has been within that segment of the population least able to afford debt of any kind – welfare recipients. This qualitative study demonstrates some interesting attitudes to debt, as well as differences in peoples’ perceptions of acceptable debt and their debt-management strategies. This study suggests that action is required by those responsible for the marketing of credit to this vulnerable group and government policymakers to provide a socially responsible approach to manage this societal concern.

Segmentation has been widely studied in tourism research e.g. Dolnicar (2004). Dawley (2006) points that commonly used segmentation variables such as demographics lead to identifiable segments which are not actionable while other useful approaches e.g. psychographics, are actionable but not identifiable. The objective of this paper is to develop a two-stage linkage approach to segmentation whereby cluster analysis using psychographic variables is conducted within demographic group. Demographic groups are selected based on propensity to travel. This research utilizes data generated from a cross-sectional self-completed survey of 49,105 Australian respondents on travel and tourism. The managerial usefulness of this segmentation is assessed. Clearly segments can be directly linked both demographically and psychographically.

This paper discusses findings from observational research of grocery shopping. Videographic analysis via qualitative research techniques reveals that consumers who display less emotion tend to be more positive about the experience and have shorter shopping visits. Whereas those who display distinct emotional responses tend to reveal negative reactions and result in taking longer to make a decision. Four categories of consumer decision behaviour for grocery products are suggested as a result of this research and as a discussion point for further investigations into this specific topic.

The importance of developing and fostering relationships with customers has long been regarded as important within services marketing (Berry, 1983) and also within B2B relationships (Ford, 1990). In the 1980s and 90s, a shift in marketing focus has seen an increased emphasis on Relationship Marketing (Morgan and Hunt, 1994). This paper reviews the results and implications of recent exploratory research conducted with a small sample of Australian business bank customers. Despite it being expected that the perception of technology would impact on the relationship, it was actually clear through the interviews that it was the perception of the relationship, which led respondents to develop a perception of the technology. An exploratory study, further research ideas are provided at the conclusion of this paper.

Critics of direct to consumer prescription medicine advertising (DTC) claim it is unbalanced because benefit information features more prominently than risk information, and that it thus fails to meet the high standards of social responsibility called for in regulatory codes. We used respondent conditioning theory to examine whether variations in risk information format could improve recall of benefits, side effects and contra-indications in print DTC advertisements. A best-worst study confirmed striking differences in preference for varied information formats, while a second study found that visual heuristics increased recall of both risk and benefit information. The findings question marketers reluctance to provide easily accessible risk information and suggest prominent drug information panels may discharge manufacturers social responsibilities while simultaneously improving the effectiveness of their promotions.

This paper defines E-Novation as an approach which is more powerful than traditional forms of innovation processes, through incorporation of a diverse range of views and ideas directly into development of service-dominant knowledge-based goods and services. E-Novation (EN) is Innovation (IN) and E-Marketing (EM) enabled by New Collaborative Platforms (CP) expressed as EN = CP (IN + EM). The E-Novation Project was initiated in 2007 and will be developed out from a broad approach to explore key related business and marketing and business to may be included within a more detailed framework, expected to be completed by September 2008.

Although tobacco marketing is restricted, tobacco product packaging continues to communicate brand imagery, thereby maintaining brand salience and potentially reducing the impact of health warnings. This study used respondent conditioning theory to predict how disruption of brand imagery would affect the attractiveness of known, unknown and generic tobacco packages. A best-worst study found that familiar branding offset the negative connotations created by a pictorial warning label (PWL). These are the first findings to document the combined effect of PWLs and plain packaging; they suggest generic packs will stimulate cessation attempts and deter smoking initiation.

The introduction of a new technology into the marketplace generally is a risky endeavour for a company, however, when there are competing new technologies of which it is believed only one can survive, winning over customers is one of the major corporate battles to be fought. This paper presents results of a survey among 1495 people regarding their awareness of the two DVD competing formats (Blu-ray and HD-DVD) in the early stages of the recent DVD format war. The results reveal that in the early stages of the format war more people were aware of the HD-DVD than of the Blu-ray format. A model is presented that predicts format awareness from four consumer characteristic constructs and four demographic variables.

The importance of socially responsible purchasing continues to grow. However there is limited work that considers high involvement purchasing and the importance of social relationships in building attitudes and guiding behavior in this context. This paper presents findings that consider these issues. Social relationships are found to be an important factor in responsible purchasing however these effects often are not consciously recognized by consumers. The paper concludes by considering the need for research methods to uncover the importance of social relations.

This paper introduces a new ethical debate in social and Word of Mouth (WOM) marketing. In an area where communications are developing much quicker than regulation, ethics are of great importance (Balasubramanian, 1994). We propose that a new philosophy of marketing is emerging, which we call invisible marketing, and discuss how this philosophy makes redundant existing ethics debates and places marketers in danger of being social engineers.

This paper examines how new media has impacted advertiser behaviours in relation to controversial advertising. This research seeks to explore the extent of advertiser engagement and regulatory empowerment in a new media environment, where an advertiser can show offensive advertising online via new media despite a ban by the self regulatory body in relation to traditional media. Specifically, we conduct ten interviews with members of the advertising industry to develop an understanding of this engagement and empowerment. Findings suggest that advertisers are very aware that new media creates an opportunity for engagement, however, feedback is interpreted subjectively to rationalise continued dissemination of offensive advertising messages and therein advertisers are empowered.

Brand prototypicality is an area that has had limited research in the past. With brand extensions becoming more and more relevant in the market, it is important to know how prototypical brands can extend their brand. Further, there is a lack of research that examines brand resonance, specifically in regards to prototypicality. Thus, this study will examine the prototypicality on brand resonance of brand extensions. The study has three overriding research questions, as follows; 1) What impact does congruency of extension fit and parent brand prototypicality have on the enhancement or dilution of brand resonance, 2) To what extent does consumers' level of motivation processing moderate the enhancement or dilution of brand resonance, and 3) How does a functional (symbolic) parent brand influence the congruency of extension fit, parent brand prototypicality, and the moderating role of motivation processing on the enhancement or dilution of brand resonance.

It is generally accepted within mainstream marketing circles that integrated marketing communication (IMC) is a desired state within organisations. This is despite the fact that, as in many areas of marketing discourse, there is still no clear accepted definition of IMC. In recent years, some scholars have argued, rather controversially, that in this post-modern world, integration of marketing communication is impossible (Christensen, Torp & Firat 2005). This paper, through a case study of a major Australian health care organisation, reviews the struggles to integrate communications, not just in a narrow marketing sense, but across the organisation. This paper offers new insights into the reality of implementing communication programmes in complex organisations and highlights the key barriers to integration of marketing communications faced by organisations.

Communication and the associated information exchanges are key drivers of the development of relationships and of the trust embedded within them. This paper considers the development of business relationships in terms of the continuing co-evolution of trust and information exchange and the issues associated with researching these processes. The interconnections of trust and information exchange are examined in a survey of business relationships involving information exchange (n = 355). Analysis of variance shows few, if any, of the aspects of the standard conceptualizations of information exchange are associated with increased levels of trust. It is information exchange norms that have the greatest (positive) association with the level of trust. These norms emerge as part of the long term co-production of the relationship itself. This has important managerial implications. We conclude there are few managerial actions involving managing communication that can "manufacture" trust and improve or develop relationships in the short term. The paper concludes with a discussion of alternative ways of envisaging communication and relationship management and the nature and future of research into the evolution of business relationships. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.