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When do B2B brands influence the decision making of organizational buyers? An examination of the relationship between purchase risk and brand sensitivity

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  • Brown, Brian P.
  • Zablah, Alex R.
  • Bellenger, Danny N.
  • Johnston, Wesley J.

Abstract

The dominant perspective on organizational buying behavior suggests that buyers tend to rely on objective criteria when making product choice decisions and that the potential influence of subjective cues, such as brands, on buyer decision making decreases with increasing risk. An alternative perspective, confirmed in this study by in-depth interviews with various managers, suggests that brands serve as a risk-reduction heuristic, whereby the influence of brands on decision making increases as a function of risk. Building on risk and information processing theories, this research builds on these complementary perspectives to propose that risk and brand sensitivity relate in a U-shaped manner, where brand sensitivity is highest in relatively low- or high-risk situations. The results of scenario- and survey-based field studies—involving 206 and 180 members of buying centers, respectively—suggest that both perspectives have merit and support the proposed nonlinear relationship. Moreover, the findings reveal that the risk-brand sensitivity relationship is moderated by competitive intensity, such that the linear (negative) and quadratic (positive) effects are stronger when competitive intensity is low.

Suggested Citation

  • Brown, Brian P. & Zablah, Alex R. & Bellenger, Danny N. & Johnston, Wesley J., 2011. "When do B2B brands influence the decision making of organizational buyers? An examination of the relationship between purchase risk and brand sensitivity," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 194-204.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ijrema:v:28:y:2011:i:3:p:194-204
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijresmar.2011.03.004
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    3. Reichert, Michael Justus & Fantapié-Altobelli, Claudia, 2016. "Country-of-origin effects in industrial goods markets: Do country-of-origin image effects differ for different buying center members?," jbm - Journal of Business Market Management, Free University Berlin, Marketing Department, vol. 9(2), pages 623-649.
    4. Zhang, Yin & Lu, Baozhou & Zheng, Haidong, 2020. "Can buzzing bring business? Social interactions, network centrality and sales performance: An empirical study on business-to-business communities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 170-189.
    5. Seyedghorban, Zahra & Matanda, Margaret Jekanyika & LaPlaca, Peter, 2016. "Advancing theory and knowledge in the business-to-business branding literature," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(8), pages 2664-2677.
    6. Torsten Bornemann & Martin Klarmann & Martin Moosbrugger, 2020. "Verhaltenswissenschaftliche Forschung zum organisationalen Einkaufsverhalten: Überblick über die Marketingliteratur [Behavioral B2B Buying Research—An Overview of the Marketing Literature]," Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research, Springer, vol. 72(4), pages 447-478, December.
    7. Pyper, Keith & Marie Doherty, Anne & Gounaris, Spiros & Wilson, Alan, 2022. "A contingency-based approach to the nexus between international strategic brand management and export performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 148(C), pages 472-488.
    8. Mehrabi, Hamed & Coviello, Nicole & Ranaweera, Chatura, 2021. "When is top management team heterogeneity beneficial for product exploration? Understanding the role of institutional pressures," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 775-786.
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    10. Ferguson, Jodie L. & Brown, Brian P. & Johnston, Wesley J., 2017. "Partitioned pricing, price fairness perceptions, and the moderating effects of brand relationships in SME business markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 80-92.
    11. Kocaman, Barış & Gelper, Sarah & Langerak, Fred, 2023. "Till the cloud do us part: Technological disruption and brand retention in the enterprise software industry," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 316-341.
    12. A. V. Trachuk & N. V. Linder, 2018. "Fourth Industrial Revolution: How The Internet Of Things Influenceson Industrial Business Relationships?," Strategic decisions and risk management, Real Economy Publishing House, issue 3.
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    14. Kienzler, Mario & Kowalkowski, Christian & Kindström, Daniel, 2021. "Purchasing professionals and the flat-rate bias: Effects of price premiums, past usage, and relational ties on price plan choice," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 403-415.

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