IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bpj/bejeap/v24y2024i2p649-658n3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Close But Not Too Close? Optimal Copycat Strategies in the Light of Negative Publicity by the Original Product

Author

Listed:
  • Grosser Joachim
  • Sonnabend Hendrik

    (Department of Economics and Business Administration, University of Hagen, Hagen, Germany)

  • Westbrock Bastian

    (Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany)

Abstract

This paper contributes to the understanding of how brand scandals related to a brand leader’s product affect the follower firm’s choice between copycatting and independent product development. In a model of vertical product differentiation, we show that it is optimal for the copycatter to follow a ‘safe distance’ strategy which guarantees a certain degree of protection against the negative spillovers associated with a brand scandal to the leader. Nevertheless, when the follower firm can choose between copycatting and decoupling, it chooses a higher quality for its copycat product because of the lower development costs. The decision for or against copycatting thus depends on a trade-off between development costs and the possibility of negative spillovers. Finally, we show that the threat of a scandal can lead to an additional indirect welfare cost because it diverts the follower’s choice away from a welfare-maximizing copycat strategy.

Suggested Citation

  • Grosser Joachim & Sonnabend Hendrik & Westbrock Bastian, 2024. "Close But Not Too Close? Optimal Copycat Strategies in the Light of Negative Publicity by the Original Product," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 24(2), pages 649-658, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:24:y:2024:i:2:p:649-658:n:3
    DOI: 10.1515/bejeap-2022-0456
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/bejeap-2022-0456
    Download Restriction: For access to full text, subscription to the journal or payment for the individual article is required.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1515/bejeap-2022-0456?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Devavrat Purohit, 1994. "What Should You Do When Your Competitors Send in the Clones?," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(4), pages 392-411.
    2. Avner Shaked & John Sutton, 1982. "Relaxing Price Competition Through Product Differentiation," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 49(1), pages 3-13.
    3. Mussa, Michael & Rosen, Sherwin, 1978. "Monopoly and product quality," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 301-317, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. George Deltas & Thanasis Stengos & Eleftherios Zacharias, 2011. "Product line pricing in a vertically differentiated oligopoly," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 44(3), pages 907-929, August.
    2. Beschorner, Patrick Frank Ernst, 2008. "Do Shorter Product Cycles Induce Patent Thickets?," ZEW Discussion Papers 08-098, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    3. Yoshifumi Hino & Yusuke Zennyo, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility and strategic relationships," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 64(3), pages 231-244, September.
    4. Giannakas Konstantinos & Kalaitzandonakes Nicholas & Magnier Alexander & Mattas Konstadinos, 2011. "Economic Effects of Purity Standards in Biotech Labeling Laws," Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 1-47, April.
    5. Bos, Iwan & Marini, Marco A., 2019. "Cartel stability under quality differentiation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 70-73.
    6. Hélène Latzer, 2016. "Beyond the Arrow effect: a Schumpeterian theory of multi-quality firms ," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-01387266, HAL.
    7. Sanyal, Amal & Patibandla, Murali, 1999. "From Closed to Contestable Markets: Product Differentiation in Indian Durable Consumer Goods Industry," Working Papers 9-1999, Copenhagen Business School, Department of International Economics and Management.
    8. Tian Xia & Richard Sexton, 2010. "Brand or Variety Choices and Periodic Sales as Substitute Instruments for Monopoly Price Discrimination," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 36(4), pages 333-349, June.
    9. Justin P. Johnson & David P. Myatt, 2003. "Multiproduct Quality Competition: Fighting Brands and Product Line Pruning," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(3), pages 748-774, June.
    10. Cédric Argenton, 2010. "Exclusive Quality," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(3), pages 690-716, September.
    11. Ya-Chin Wang, 2013. "Optimal R&D Policy and Managerial Delegation Under Vertically Differentiated Duopoly," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 81(4), pages 605-624, December.
    12. Stole, Lars A., 2007. "Price Discrimination and Competition," Handbook of Industrial Organization, in: Mark Armstrong & Robert Porter (ed.), Handbook of Industrial Organization, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 34, pages 2221-2299, Elsevier.
    13. Ya‐chin Wang & Leonard F.s. Wang, 2009. "Equivalence Of Competition Mode In A Vertically Differentiated Duopoly With Delegation," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 77(4), pages 577-590, December.
    14. Jean Gabszewicz & Ornella Tarola, 2012. "Product innovation and firms’ ownership," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(4), pages 323-343, April.
    15. Naoto Jinji, 2003. "Strategic policy for product R&D with symmetric costs," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 36(4), pages 993-1006, November.
    16. Langinier Corinne & Babcock Bruce A., 2008. "Agricultural Production Clubs: Viability and Welfare Implications," Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization, De Gruyter, vol. 6(1), pages 1-31, December.
    17. Xia, Tian & Sexton, Richard J., 2009. "Retail Prices for Milk by Fat Content: A New Theory and Empirical Test of Retailer Pricing Behavior," Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Western Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 34(2), pages 1-20, August.
    18. Bacchiega, Emanuele & Bonroy, Olivier & Mabrouk, Rania, 2013. "Paying not to sell," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 121(1), pages 137-140.
    19. José Luis Moraga-González & Jean-Marie Viaene, 2004. "Anti-Dumping, Intra-Industry Trade and Quality Reversals," CESifo Working Paper Series 1365, CESifo.
    20. C. Benassi & A. Chirco & C. Colombo, 2015. "Beyond the Uniform Distribution: Equilibrium Prices and Qualities in a Vertically Differentiated Duopoly," Working Papers wp1044, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    vertical product differentiation; copycatting; brand scandals;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:24:y:2024:i:2:p:649-658:n:3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.degruyter.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.