مقاله سال ۲۰۱۶

 مجله تحقیقات بازاریابی – Journal of Business Research

Marketers attempt to cultivate and leverage brand-centric relationships with key stakeholders in order to enhance the equity of their respective brands (e.g., Fournier, 1998; Keller, 2013). Brand resonance refers to the nature of heightened brand-centric relationships that transcend mere product or service dimensions to include deep psychological attachments and active supportive behaviors directed toward the focal brand (Fournier, 1998; Keller, 2013; Thomson, MacInnis, & Park, 2005). Keller (2013, p.92, italics in original) describes brand resonance “in terms of intensity, or the depth of psychological bond that customers have with the brand, as well as the level of activity engendered by this loyalty.” The cultivation of brand resonance, therefore, has the potential to enhance the success of marketing programs in both business-to-consumer and business-to-business contexts.

In franchising relationships, where alliances between franchisors and franchisees are formed using brands as the foundation, brand resonance among franchisees holds tremendous importance for the equity of the franchised brand. Both franchisors and franchisees share the responsibility for promoting and sustaining the equity of the franchised brand (Nyadzayo, Matanda, & Ewing, 2011) and, although neither party has complete control over the brand management process, they are mutually dependent on one another to safeguard the identity and image of the franchised brand (Pitt, Napoli, & Van Der Merwe, 2003).

For instance, franchisors are responsible for building the equity of their brand within the franchising network as well as among end-consumers (Davis & Mentzer, 2008). On the other hand, franchisees are key brand contacts for consumers and bear responsibility for reflecting the franchised brand’s meaning consistently as well as influencing consumer attitudes and behaviors toward the brand (Gould, 2005; Leiser, 2012). When franchisees develop strong relationships with the franchised brand, they are more likely to surpass contractually specified behaviors and volitionally engage in actions that enhance the brand’s value (Nyadzayo et al., 2011). However, although prior research has focused extensively on brand relationships in consumer and business contexts (e.g., Fournier, 1998; Keller, 2013; Kotler & Pfoertsch, 2007), very little is known about the cultivation of brand-centric relationships among franchisees and, specifically, the drivers of brand resonance in franchising networks (Nyadzayo et al., 2011).