The brand dependence scale: measuring consumers’ use of brand name to differentiate among product alternatives
| Date | 01 November 2002 |
| Pages | 343-356 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420210445488 |
| Published date | 01 November 2002 |
| Author | Dennis N. Bristow,Kenneth C. Schneider,Drue K. Schuler |
| Subject Matter | Marketing |
The brand dependence scale:
measuring consumers' use of
brand name to differentiate
among product alternatives
Dennis N. Bristow
Associate Professor of Marketing, St Cloud State University, St
Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Kenneth C. Schneider
Professor of Marketing, St Cloud State University, St Cloud,
Minnesota, USA
Drue K. Schuler
Associate Professor of Marketing, St Cloud State University, St
Cloud, Minnesota, USA
Keywords Brand equity, Consumer behaviour
Abstract The marketing literature provides substantial discussion of branding and brand
equity, but reveals limited research on the use of brand name in the consumer decision-
making process. Further, most such studies have included the manipulation of product
brand name as an independent variable. The primary objective in this study was to
address that lack of attention to consumers' use of brand names by developing and
empirically testing a multi-item scale called the brand dependence scale (BDS). The
psychometric properties of the scale were assessed and the relationship between brand
dependence and brand disparity was explored. The results of the study showed that the
BDS demonstrated adequate internal reliability and that a significant positive
relationship between brand dependence and brand disparity existed. Implications of the
study results and managerial applications for the scale are discussed.
Introduction
Perhaps now more than ever before, for virtually any product or service
available, from computers to beer, from appliances to pizza, consumers can
choose from a variety of increasingly similar offerings, regardless of brand
name (Frankel and Phillips, 1986; Gralpois, 1998; Rogers, 1998). Across
product categories, consumers face the task of searching for, evaluating and
differentiating among a plethora of comparable products that may be capable
of satisfying the consumer's needs to a greater or lesser degree. Further,
customer satisfaction is an important component of most consumer decision
making, and a consumer who makes a poor decision ± that is, fails to
effectively differentiate among competing product alternatives ± faces the
problems of dissatisfaction, cognitive dissonance, and/or a variety of
associated risks (i.e. financial, safety, social, psychological). From a
marketing perspective, such consumer decision-making failures and the
resultant discomfort could result in the erosion of a product's brand equity
and, ultimately, the loss of relational exchanges with customers.
The value of brands can perhaps be better and more realistically documented
if we consider the concept of brand equity and an impressive array of related
statistics. Some products enjoy high brand loyalty, name awareness,
perceived quality, and strong brand associations among and with consumers
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Comparable products
JOURNAL OF PRODUCT & BRAND MANAGEMENT, VOL. 11 NO. 6 2002, pp. 343-356, #MCB UP LIMITED, 1061-0421, DOI 10.1108/10610420210445488 343
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