The marketing advantages of strong brands

Abstract

Building strong brands has become a marketing priority for many organisations. The presumption is that building a strong brand yields a number of marketing advantages. In this paper, a comprehensive summary of empirical findings is provided from some of the major marketing journals that reveal how brand strength, operationalised in various ways, can create differential responses by consumers to various marketing activities — a well-accepted view of brand equity. Additionally, some underlying theoretical mechanisms on which these findings are based are identified and organised. Lastly, some current gaps in the literature are identified, and an agenda put forth for future research on the marketing advantages of strong brands.