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Umbrella Branding and the Provision of Quality

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  • Hendrik Hakenes
  • Martin Peitz

Abstract

Consider a two-product firm that decides on the quality of each product. Product quality is unknown to consumers. If the firm sells both products under the same brand name, consumers adjust their beliefs about quality subject to the performance of both products. We show that if the probability that low quality will be detected is in an intermediate range, the firm produces high quality under umbrella branding whereas it would sell low quality in the absence of umbrella branding. Hence, umbrella branding mitigates the moral hazard problem. We also find that umbrella branding survives in asymmetric markets and that even unprofitable products may be used to stabilize the umbrella brand. However, umbrella branding does not necessarily imply high quality; the firm may choose low-quality products with positive probability.

Suggested Citation

  • Hendrik Hakenes & Martin Peitz, 2004. "Umbrella Branding and the Provision of Quality," CESifo Working Paper Series 1373, CESifo.
  • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_1373
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jeanine Miklós-Thal, 2012. "Linking reputations through umbrella branding," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 10(3), pages 335-374, September.
    2. Aguiar, Luis & Gagnepain, Philippe, 2022. "Absorptive capacity, knowledge spillovers and incentive contracts," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    3. Livat, Florine & Alston, Julian M. & Cardebat, Jean-Marie, 2019. "Do denominations of origin provide useful quality signals? The case of Bordeaux wines," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 518-532.
    4. Zvika Neeman & Aniko Öry & Jungju Yu, 2019. "The benefit of collective reputation," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 50(4), pages 787-821, December.
    5. Amir Fazli & Jeffrey D. Shulman, 2018. "Implications of Market Spillovers," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 64(11), pages 4996-5013, November.
    6. Choi, Jay Pil & Peitz, Martin, 2018. "You are judged by the company you keep: Reputation leverage in vertically related markets," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 351-379.
    7. Nadja Silberhorn & Yasemin Boztuğ & Lutz Hildebrandt, 2017. "Does umbrella branding really work? Investigating cross-category brand loyalty," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 87(3), pages 397-420, April.
    8. E. Bacchiega & M. Colucci & M. Magnani, 2019. "What goes around, comes around: Reciprocal effects and double-sided moral hazard in the choice of brand licensing," Working Papers wp1136, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    9. Eric Rasmusen, 2011. "Leveraging of Reputation Through Umbrella Branding with and Without Market Power," Working Papers 2011-07, Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, Department of Business Economics and Public Policy.
    10. Drasko Nikolic & Dusko Bodroza, 2012. "Positioning and Re-positioning of National Brand of Serbia in order to Increase to Increase Exports, Foreign Direct Investments and Tourism Development," Book Chapters, in: João Sousa Andrade & Marta C. N. Simões & Ivan Stosic & Dejan Eric & Hasan Hanic (ed.), Managing Structural Changes - Trends and Requirements, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 27, pages 488-505, Institute of Economic Sciences.
    11. Kaifu Zhang, 2015. "Breaking Free of a Stereotype: Should a Domestic Brand Pretend to Be a Foreign One?," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 34(4), pages 539-554, July.
    12. Cabral, Luís M.B., 2009. "Umbrella branding with imperfect observability and moral hazard," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 206-213, March.
    13. Hakenes, Hendrik & Peitz, Martin, 2009. "Umbrella branding and external certification," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(2), pages 186-196, February.
    14. Belleflamme,Paul & Peitz,Martin, 2015. "Industrial Organization," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107069978, January.
    15. Luis M. B. Cabral, 2001. "Optimal Brand Umbrella Size," Working Papers 01-06, New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Department of Economics.
    16. Fishman, Arthur & Finkelstein, Israel & Simhon, Avi & Yacouel, Nira, 2018. "Collective brands," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 316-339.
    17. Jungju Yu, 2021. "A Model of Brand Architecture Choice: A House of Brands vs. A Branded House," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 40(1), pages 147-167, January.
    18. Sridhar Moorthy, 2012. "Can Brand Extension Signal Product Quality?," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(5), pages 756-770, September.
    19. Miklos-Thal, Jeanine, 2008. "Linking Reputations: The Signaling and Feedback Effects of Umbrella Branding," MPRA Paper 11045, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Brishti Guha, 2017. "Moral hazard, Bertrand competition and natural monopoly," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 121(2), pages 153-171, June.
    21. Alexander Nagel & Philipp Sandner, 2015. "Evaluation Of New Generic Top Level Domains From A Brand And A Trademark Perspective," International Journal of Management and Marketing Research, The Institute for Business and Finance Research, vol. 8(1), pages 93-112.
    22. Nadja Silberhorn & Lutz Hildebrandt, 2012. "Does umbrella branding really work? Investigating cross-category brand loyalty," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2012-028, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
    23. Garcia, Daniel, 2014. "Branding and Collusion in Vertically Differentiated Industries," MPRA Paper 54010, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    umbrella branding; reputation transfer; signaling; experience goods;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation
    • L15 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Information and Product Quality
    • M37 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Marketing and Advertising - - - Advertising
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design

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