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A cultural approach to brand equity: the role of brand mianzi and brand popularity in China

Author

Listed:
  • Raffaele Filieri

    (Audencia Business School
    Newcastle University Business School)

  • Zhibin Lin

    (Durham University Business School)

  • Simona D’Antone

    (KEDGE Business School)

  • Elena Chatzopoulou

    (Newcastle University Business School)

Abstract

International marketers face a challenge in applying Western-derived theory in emerging markets such as China where there has been rapid economic growth and sociocultural transition. This study develops “culturally contextualized” determinants of brand equity in China. A qualitative approach consisting of 30 interviews revealed two new factors linking to brand equity: brand popularity and brand mianzi. A quantitative questionnaire survey with a sample of 321 Chinese smartphone users was conducted to test the hypotheses. The quantitative study’s findings further revealed that brand popularity and country of origin image affect brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality, and brand mianzi. Additionally, the effects of brand popularity and country of origin image on brand equity were mediated by the four determinants. Finally, brand mianzi was found to be the second most important determinant of brand equity after brand loyalty, highlighting the importance of cultural factors in branding activities in emerging markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Raffaele Filieri & Zhibin Lin & Simona D’Antone & Elena Chatzopoulou, 2019. "A cultural approach to brand equity: the role of brand mianzi and brand popularity in China," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(4), pages 376-394, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:jobman:v:26:y:2019:i:4:d:10.1057_s41262-018-0137-x
    DOI: 10.1057/s41262-018-0137-x
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    3. Pengji Wang & Adrian T. H. Kuah & Qinye Lu & Caroline Wong & K. Thirumaran & Emmanuel Adegbite & Wesley Kendall, 2021. "The impact of value perceptions on purchase intention of sustainable luxury brands in China and the UK," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(3), pages 325-346, May.
    4. Fong, Cher-Min & Chang, Hsing-Hua Stella & Lin, Mong-Ching & Chen, I-Hung, 2022. "Reexamining emerging market animosity toward western developed countries: A social dilemma in physical retailing consumption under normative influence," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
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    6. Shanshan Luo & Robert Hamlin, 2022. "A cross cultural comparison of brand love in consumer brand relationships: Is ‘transmissive brand love’ a potential platform for developing brand equity?," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 29(5), pages 484-497, September.
    7. Hiroyasu Furukawa & Kyung-Tae Lee, 2023. "Environmentally Friendly Materialism: How It Is Generated and How Luxury Apparel Addresses Environmental Problems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-18, April.
    8. Bazi, Saleh & Filieri, Raffaele & Gorton, Matthew, 2020. "Customers’ motivation to engage with luxury brands on social media," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 223-235.
    9. Rojas-Lamorena, Álvaro J. & Del Barrio-García, Salvador & Alcántara-Pilar, Juan Miguel, 2022. "A review of three decades of academic research on brand equity: A bibliometric approach using co-word analysis and bibliographic coupling," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1067-1083.
    10. Zamira Ataniyazova & Barry A. Friedman & Prabha Kiran, 2022. "New corporate social responsibility brand evaluation in a developing country: Uzbekistan," International Journal of Corporate Social Responsibility, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-15, December.
    11. Ray, Arghya & Bala, Pradip Kumar & Chakraborty, Shibashish & Dasgupta, Shilpee A., 2021. "Exploring the impact of different factors on brand equity and intention to take up online courses from e-Learning platforms," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
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    13. Filieri, Raffaele & Acikgoz, Fulya & Du, Hao, 2023. "Electronic word-of-mouth from video bloggers: The role of content quality and source homophily across hedonic and utilitarian products," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).

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