Measuring customer‐based brand equity: empirical evidence from the sportswear market in China
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420910972783 |
| Pages | 262-271 |
| Published date | 17 July 2009 |
| Date | 17 July 2009 |
| Author | Xiao Tong,Jana M. Hawley |
| Subject Matter | Marketing |
Measuring customer-based brand equity:
empirical evidence from the sportswear
market in China
Xiao Tong
Department of Clothing, Textiles, and Interior Design, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA, and
Jana M. Hawley
Department of Apparel, Textiles and Interior Design, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
Abstract
Purpose – This study seeks to examine the practicality and applications of a customer-based brand equity model in the Chinese sportswear market.
Design/methodology/approach – Based on Aaker’s well-known conceptual framework of brand equity, this study employed structural equation
modeling to investigate the causal relationships among the four dimensions of brand equity and overall brand equity in the sportswear industry. The
present study used a sample of 304 actual consumers from China’s two largest cities, Beijing and Shanghai.
Findings – The findings conclude that brand association and brand loyalty are influential dimensions of brand equity. Weak support was found for the
perceived quality and brand awareness dimensions.
Research limitations/implications – Future research needs to be done if the results are to be expanded into other regional Chinese markets in light
of the significant gaps between different regions. Further research also could strengthen this analysis by adding performance measurement into the
model.
Practical implications – The paper shows that sportswear brand managers and marketing planners should consider the relative importance of brand
equity in their overall brand equity evaluation, and should concentrate their efforts primarily on building brand loyalty and image.
Originality/value – This study contributes to the scant literature testing the applicability of consumer-based brand equity in the sportswear industry.
Since China is the world’s fastest-growing market for sportswear products, this study also provides important insights about the understanding of
Chinese consumers’ perceptions of overall brand equity and its dimensions.
Keywords Brand equity, Sports, Clothing, China, Consumers
Paper type Research paper
An executive summary for managers and executive
readers can be found at the end of this article.
Introduction
The active sportswear and athletic footwear product group is
one of the most heavily branded areas in the global apparel
market. Estimates hold that over three-quarters of the total
active sportswear market, and nearly 80 percent of authentic
footwear, are branded. According to Just-style, three global
sportswear brands, Nike, Adidas, and Reebok, had 33 percent
of the global active sportswear and athletic footwear market in
2007 (Newbery, 2008). Branding remains the industry’s
largest source of competitive advantage. This is an area of
clothing in which customers’ purchasing choices are
frequently determined by the sports figures they admire, or
the teams they follow, and the brands they aspire to wear
(Newbery, 2008). Therefore, brand equity plays a strategic
role in helping sportswear brand managers gain competitive
advantage and make wise management decisions. When
correctly measured, it is the appropriate metric for evaluating
the long-term impact of marketing decisions (Simon and
Sullivan, 1993).
Although the literature identifies several dimensions of
brand equity from other industries, existing research on brand
equity in the sportswear industry is still spare. Despite the
growing importance of the Chinese market in sportswear
products, the topic of how a sportswear firm builds brand
equity there appears to be under-researched. By retesting the
most popularly adopted brand equity dimensions, this study
aims to empirically test and operationalize the customer-
based brand equity components and how they interact within
the context of sportswear brands in a Chinese sample. The
end results of this research also lead to a deeper
understanding of a sportswear brand equity concept as well
as some implications for practitioners working in the
sportswear industry.
To accomplish the above stated goals, this paper offers a
brief introduction to China’s sportswear market, followed by a
review of relevant theoretical literature and a description of
the hypotheses of the study. Next, it describes the
methodology and rationale for measuring customer-based
brand equity. Conclusions and managerial implications
follow.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
18/4 (2009) 262–271
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/10610420910972783]
262
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