• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.98-109
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• 2010

Research on the construction, measurement, and management of brand equity has been extensive since David A. Aaker(1991) and Kevin Lane Keller(1993) first advanced the concept. Recently, much attention has been devoted to the components of brand equity: brand awareness, perceived quality, brand image, and brand loyalty. This study explores the relationships among these components, focusing particularly on the moderating role of product type (utilitarian vs. hedonic) in their causal relationships. A model to study the relationship among components of brand equity, particularly the moderating role of product type, is featured in Figure 1. The hypotheses of the study are proposed as follows: that consumers' brand awareness has a positive influence on brand loyalty and brand image; that consumers' perceived quality has a positive influence on brand loyalty and brand image; that consumers' brand image influences brand loyalty positively; and that relationships among components of brand equity will be moderated by product type. That is, in the case of utilitarian products, the impact of perceived quality on brand loyalty will be relatively stronger, whereas with hedonic products the impact of brand image on brand loyalty will be relatively stronger. To determine the products for the study, a pre-test of 58 college students in the Seoul metropolitan area was conducted based on the product type scale. As a result, computers were selected as the utilitarian product and blue jeans became the hedonic product. For each product type, two brands were selected: Samsung and HP for computers, and Levis and Nix for blue jeans. In the main study, 237 college students in the metropolitan area were surveyed to measure their brand awareness, perceived quality, brand image, and brand loyalty toward the selected two brands of each product type. The subjects were divided into two groups: one group (121 subjects) for computers, the other (116 subjects) for blue jeans. The survey questionnaires for the study included four parts: five questions on brand awareness and four questions each on perceived quality, brand image, and brand loyalty. All questions were to be answered using 7-point Likert scales. The data collected by the survey were processed to assess reliability and validity, and the causal relationships were analyzed to verify the hypotheses using the AMOS 7 program, a tool for analyzing structural equation modeling. A confirmatory factor analysis assessed the appropriateness of the measurement model, and the fit indices denoted that the model was satisfactory. The relationships among the components of brand equity were also analyzed using AMOS 7. The fit indices of the structural model denoted that it was also satisfactory. The paths in the structural model as will be seen in Figure 2 show that perceived quality affects brand image positively, but that brand awareness does not affect brand image. Moreover, it shows that brand awareness, perceived quality, and brand image are positively related with brand loyalty, and that this relationship is moderated by product type. In the case of utilitarian products, perceived quality has relatively more influence on brand loyalty. Conversely, in the case of hedonic products, brand image has relatively more influence on brand loyalty. The results of this empirical study contribute toward the advancement of our understanding of the relationships among the components of brand equity and expand the theoretical underpinnings for brand equity measurement. It also helps further our understanding of the effect of product type on customer-based brand equity. In a marketing management practice perspective, these results may provide managerial implications for building and maintaining brand equity effectively.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.187-209
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• 2017

Service industry performance and competitive advantage depend on the attitudes and behavior of customer service employees who produce and deliver services through contact with customers. Most studies on customer service employees so far have concentrated on kindness, attitudes, or benefits. This study focuses on the increasing importance of customer service employees and intends to study them from the viewpoint of human brands that recognize customer service employees as a brand. In addition to the role of the employee at the service contact point, the customer participation behavior affects the interaction process with the customer service employee. Ultimately, customers could no longer be excluded from control to improve service quality. This study based on theory that the human brand characteristics of the customer service employees lead the customer's participation, which has a positive effect on the relationship with the service brand and the service brand attitude surveyed and analyzed customers who use service brand. This study is summarized as follows. First, the relationship between the service brand and the customer is examined. Second, this study also expands prior studies by examining the human brand characteristics of customer service employees and customers' willingness to participate in providing information on the impact of the consumer-brand relationship. The results of the study indicate that among the customer service employees' human brand characteristics reliability, familiarity, and empathy were found to affect the relationship between customers, the service brand, and the attitude toward the service brand the most. This study provides important implications for theoretical and practical strategies by examining the qualities and characteristics of customer service employees, which are the most important agents of marketing.

• Asia Marketing Journal
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.1-25
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• 2011

Brand names are often considered as a part of product and important extrinsic cues of product evaluation, when consumers make purchasing decisions. For a company, brand names are also important assets. Building a strong brand name in the Chinese commonwealth is a main challenge for many global companies. One of the first problem global company has to face is how to translate English brand name into Chinese brand name. It is very difficult decision because of cultural and linguistic differences. Western languages are based on an alphabet phonetic system, whereas Chinese are based on ideogram. Chinese speakers are more likely to recall stimuli presented as brand names in visual rather than spoken recall, whereas English speakers are more likely to recall the names in spoken rather than in visual recall. We interpret these findings in terms of the fact that mental representations of verbal information in Chinese are coded primarily in a visual manner, whereas verbal information in English is coded by primarily in a phonological manner. A key linguistic differences that would affect the decision to standardize or localize when transferring English brand name to Chinese brand name is the writing system. Prior Chinese brand naming research suggests that popular Chinese naming translations foreign companies adopt are phonetic, semantic, and phonosemantic translation. The phonetic translation refers to the speech sound that is produced, such as the pronunciation of the brand name. The semantic translation involves the actual meaning of and association made with the brand name. The phonosemantic translation preserves the sound of the brand name and brand meaning. Prior brand naming research has dealt with word-level analysis in examining English brand name that are desirable for improving memorability. We predict Chinese brand name suggestiveness with different translation methods lead to different levels of consumers' evaluations. This research investigates the structural linguistic characteristics of the Chinese language and its impact on the brand name evaluation. Otherwise purpose of this study is to examine the effect of brand concept on the evaluation of brand name. We also want to examine whether the evaluation is moderated by Chinese translation types. 178 Taiwanese participants were recruited for the research. The following findings are from the empirical analysis on the hypotheses established in this study. In the functional brand concept, participants in Chinese translation by semantic were likely to evaluate positively than Chinese translation by phonetic. On the contrary, in the symbolic brand concept condition, participants in Chinese translation by phonetic evaluated positively than by semantic. And then, we found Chinese translation by phonosemantic was most favorable evaluations regardless of brand concept. The implications of these findings are discussed for Chinese commonwealth marketers with respect to brand name strategies. The proposed model helps companies to effectively select brand name, making it highly applicable for academia and practitioner. name and brand meaning. Prior brand naming research has dealt with word-level analysis in examining English brand name that are desirable for improving memorability. We predict Chinese brand name suggestiveness with different translation methods lead to different levels of consumers' evaluations. This research investigates the structural linguistic characteristics of the Chinese language and its impact on the brand name evaluation. Otherwise purpose of this study is to examine the effect of brand concept on the evaluation of brand name. We also want to examine whether the evaluation is moderated by Chinese translation types. 178 Taiwanese participants were recruited for the research. The following findings are from the empirical analysis on the hypotheses established in this study. In the functional brand concept, participants in Chinese translation by semantic were likely to evaluate positively than Chinese translation by phonetic. On the contrary, in the symbolic brand concept condition, participants in Chinese translation by phonetic evaluated positively than by semantic. And then, we found Chinese translation by phonosemantic was most favorable evaluations regardless of brand concept. The implications of these findings are discussed for Chinese commonwealth marketers with respect to brand name strategies. The proposed model helps companies to effectively select brand name, making it highly applicable for academia and practitioner.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.245-257
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• 2021

This study is aimed to investigate the effects of landscape management elements in apartments on housing satisfaction and brand loyalty of dwellers, empirically. In this study, a survey research was conducted from April 5th to 22nd 2021 with the subjects of 711 dwellers who were living in apartments located in Seoul. Collected data were analyzed using by SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0. The study results are as follows. First, as the level of landscape management elements of apartments including greens space, playing space, resting space and landscaped facilities is higher, housing satisfaction level is higher. Second, as the level of landscape management elements of apartments including greens space, playing space and resting space is higher, brand loyalty is higher. Third, as the level of housing satisfaction of apartments is higher, brand loyalty level is higher. Fourth, all the landscape management elements of apartments including greens space, playing space, resting space, and landscaped facilities affect brand loyalty mediated by housing satisfaction. Through this study, useful strategic implications for apartment managers and suppliers were presented by identifying elements of landscaping management that affect housing satisfaction and brand loyalty of actual consumers.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.273-281
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• 2021

In this paper, we propose a ways how YouTube Mukbang content attributes affect favorability, satisfaction, and brand selection, and suggest to use YouTube Mukbang contents, and to propose a strategic marketing plan using YouTube at the food franchise. This study conducted survey on 218 people who had watched chicken Mukbang among YouTube Mukbang contents. Through previous studies, YouTube content attributes were classified into informativity, entertainment, reliability, and attractiveness. To verify the hypothesis of the study, single regression and multiple regression analysis were conducted for verifying the relationship between variables. Key results of the study are as follows. First, it was found that YouTube Mukbang content attributes had a positive relationship with favorability. Second, it was found that YouTube Mukbang content attributes had a positive relationship with satisfaction. Third, it was found that favorability had an effect on satisfaction. Fourth, it was found that favorability influenced brand selection. Fifth, it was found that satisfaction did not affect brand selection. Based on these findings, a strategic approach will be needed to increase users' favorability by providing attractive and accurate information through YouTube Mukbang contents and to continuously improve brand choices through continuous favorability to revitalizing YouTube marketing at the food franchise.

• (The) Korean Journal of Advertising
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.71-90
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• 2016

Managers of firms often wonder whether advertising expenditure is a mere expense or an investment with foreseeable future returns. When top management makes a decision on the level of advertising expense, it must consider whether an increase in advertising spending will positively affect brand loyalty and the increased brand loyalty will positively affect profitability and firm value. We investigate the industry-specific effects of advertising spending on marketing and the effect of loyalty on financial performances using top companies in Korea, specifically, 184 firms' data from year 1998 to 2014. The empirical results of a fixed effect model indicate that the effects of advertising on customer satisfaction index and loyalty on the firms' financial performance are positive. In service industry, unlike manufacturing industry, advertising has a significantly positive effect Brand Loyalty. In addition, Brand Loyalty had positive impacts on ROA and ROE as profitability index, and Tobin's q, a market-value index. The research results suggest that advertising in service industry should be considered as customer satisfaction investment and the increased Brand Loyalty as a profit for present and a business investment for the future respectively.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.1-7
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• 2018

This study aims to find what attributes of consumer satisfaction are more important when consumers choose coffee shops. Factors when customers choose coffee shops that are considered to be more crucial, such as taste, price, brand, and atmosphere, were tested and also relations between satisfaction and revisit were studied. As a result, factors as 'taste', 'price', 'brand', and 'atmosphere' were found to significantly affect satisfaction; in addition, the path that satisfaction leads to revisit was found to be significant. However, consumers' coffee shop selection attributes differed depending on their psychological consumption value. The path-coefficients from taste and price to satisfaction were more significant in the function-oriented group, meanwhile the path-coefficient from brand to satisfaction was significant in the emotion-oriented group (+) and the function-oriented group (-). The results of this study suggest attributes of selecting coffee shops and provide meaningful implications of consumer value when they choose the attributes.

• Fashion & Textile Research Journal
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.188-191
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• 2002

The hair designers are fashion leaders who affect hair color of people. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to give some tips to satisfy customers through surveying hair designers most like color and the criteria of products choice. To have practical result, I use survey method. I took 120 hair designers who work for Park Jun beauty salon for the survey data. Among these data, I used 103 for the final data of analysis. The results are following, male hair designers like natural brown and blue coral color for hair coating. In addition, they like black color for coloring. Female hair designers like much more various color, they like orange color for coating and natural brown for coloring. Hair designers much more satisfied for international brand goods in all criteria except price. All of hair designers have favorite goods for the quality and brand image. Therefore domestic brands need much more effort to improve quality and its brand image.

• Korean Journal of Artificial Intelligence
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.29-38
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to explore how citizens perceive application of the metaverse platforms for city marketing and investigate factors that affect overall attitude for citizen relationship management in the public sector. In particular, this study investigates the following: i) how factors including perceived city brand value, public service, emotional value, experience, personalization, economic value, social value, and cultural value on overall attitude and ii) how overall attitude affects intention to use of metaverse for the public sector and citizen satisfaction. This study conducted an online survey with the assistance of a well-known research firm. This study applied factor, ANOVA, and regression analysis to test hypotheses. The results found that effects of perceived city brand value, emotional value, information, economic value, social value, and cultural value on overall attitude toward metaverse application for the public sector showed significance. The results provide managerial and policy implications for the public sector on how to apply metaverse to provide public services and enhance engagement with citizens. The results also provide implications which aspects should be considered to enhance citizen relationship management and to build the better city brand value by applying metaverse.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1-29
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• 2007

The brand-based online community recently plays an important roles for consumers to facilitates searching and sharing information among them. Firms often find such a brand community as a critical channel to gain collective intelligence for developing new ideas and products. As a new web platform such as web 2.0 has been introduced, consumers could more easily participate in the new social networks created by sharing mutual value and belief among themselves. Accordingly firms began to recognize potentials of online brand assets and pay attention to the importance of online brand community loyalty. Previous research related to online community tends to focus on identifying the antecedents of community loyalty and their subsequent impacts on brand. They, however, tend to neglect the importance of individual characteristics of online community users. As integrating the fragmented variables with an individual characteristics, therefore, this study reexamined the impacts of interactivity, information, reward, and personalization services provided by an online brand community on the sense of community, community loyalty, and brand attitude. Also, this study investigated how users' individual characteristics(need for cognition: NFC) can play moderating roles among the variables identified in the previous research. A field survey was administrated and 671 valid samples were collected. In order to test the hypothesis we conducted the multi-sample structural equation modeling(MSEM) between two groups(a group with high vs. a group with low level of NFC). Results show that previously identified variables such as interactivity, information, reward, and personalization services have significant effects on the sense of community as previous research demonstrated. Subsequently, the sense of community positively influences the community loyalty and brand attitude. However, when considering the NFC as a moderating variable, we found that the effect of interactivity and reward service on the sense of community was stronger for a group with a lower level of NFC compared to a group with a higher level, while the effect of information providing service on the sense of community was stronger for a group with a higher level of NFC compared to a group with a lower level. This research revealed that NFC can affect the degree of individual perception on the sense of community which has been considered as an important indicator for the community loyalty and brand attitude. Hence, when firms developing customer relation strategy through building an online brand community, they need to reflect customers' NFC and accordingly provide varying degree of interactivity, information, reward, and personalization services.