Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reflections on customer-based brand equity: perspectives, progress, and priorities

  • Theory/Conceptual
  • Published:
AMS Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

“Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity,” published in the Journal of Marketing in 1993, was one of the early thought pieces and review papers on branding in the field. Written to be a comprehensive bridge between the theory and practice of branding, it has received a large number of citations and several awards through the years. Here, I look back at that article and provide some perspective as to how it was developed, highlighting some of its main contributions. I also outline some of my subsequent related branding research, as well as that of others. Finally, I consider some future research priorities in branding, putting emphasis on the online and digital developments that have occurred since the publication of the article.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aaker, J. L. (1997). Dimensions of brand personality. Journal of Marketing Research, 34(3), 347–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aaker, D. A., & Keller, K. L. (1990). Consumer evaluations of brand extensions. Journal of Marketing, 54(1), 27–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aaker, J. L., Fournier, S., & Brasel, S. A. (2004). When good brands do bad. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aggrawal, P., & McGill, A. L. (2012). When brands seem human, do humans act like brands? automatic behavioral priming effects of brand anthropomorphism. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(2), 307–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahluwalia, R. (2008). How far can a brand stretch? understanding the role of self-construal. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(3), 337–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahluwalia, R., & Gurhan-Canli, Z. (2000). The effects of extensions on the family brand name: an accessibility-diagnosticity perspective. Journal of Consumer Research, 27(3), 371–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barone, M. J., Miniard, P. W., & Romeo, J. B. (2000). The influence of positive mood on brand extension evaluations. Journal of Consumer Research, 26(4), 386–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Batra, R., Ahuvia, A., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2012). Brand love. Journal of Marketing, 76(2), 1–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellezza, S., & Keinan, A. (2014). Brand tourists: how non-core users enhance the brand image by eliciting pride. Journal of Consumer Research, 41(2), 397–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bettman, J. R. (1979). Memory factors in consumer choice: a review. Journal of Marketing, 43(2), 37–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bridges, S., Keller, K. L., & Sood, S. (2000). Explanatory links and the perceived fit of brand extensions: the role of dominant parent brand associations and communication strategies. Journal of Advertising, 29(4), 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldieraro, F., Ling-Jing, K., & Cunha, M. (2015). Harmful upward line extensions: can the launch of premium products result in competitive disadvantages? Journal of Marketing, 79(6), 50–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, C.-C., Lin, B.-C., & Chang, S.-S. (2011). The relative advantages of benefit overlap versus category similarity in brand extension evaluation: the moderating role of self-regulatory focus. Marketing Letters, 22(4), 391–404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, S. Y. Y., White, T. B., & Chaplin, L. N. (2012). The effects of self-brand connections on responses to brand failure: a new look at the consumer-brand relationship. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22(2), 280–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chernev, A., Hamilton, R., & Gal, D. (2011). Competing for consumer identity: limits to self-expression and the perils of lifestyle branding. Journal of Marketing, 75(3), 66–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cutright, K. M., Bettman, J. R., & Fitzsimons, G. J. (2013). Putting brands in their place: how a lack of control keeps brands contained. Journal of Marketing Research, 50(3), 365–377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Czellar, S. (2003). Consumer attitude toward brand extensions: an integrative model and research propositions. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 20(1), 97–115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Desai, K. K., & Keller, K. L. (2002). The effects of ingredient branding strategies on host brand extendibility. Journal of Marketing, 66(1), 73–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dommer, S. L., Swaminathan, V., & Ahluwalia, R. (2013). Using differentiated brands to deflect exclusion and protect inclusion: the moderating role of self-esteem on attachment to differentiated brands. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(4), 657–675.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dunn, L., & Hoegg, J. (2014). The impact of fear on emotional brand attachment. Journal of Consumer Research, 41(1), 152–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edell, J. A., & Keller, K. L. (1989). The information processing of coordinated media campaigns. Journal of Marketing Research, 26(2), 149–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edell, J. A., & Keller, K. L. (1999). Analyzing media interactions: the effects of coordinated TV-print advertising campaigns. Marketing Science Institute, Report No. 99–120.

  • Escalas, J. E. (1996). Narrative processing: building consumer connections to brands to brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 14(1-2), 168–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fedorikhin, A., Park, C. W., & Thomson, M. (2008). Beyond fit and attitude: the effect of emotional attachment on consumer responses to brand extensions. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 18(4), 281–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, R., Kirmani, A., & Matherly, T. (2013). Look at me! look at me! conspicuous brand usage, self-brand connection, and dilution. Journal of Marketing Research, 50(4), 477–488.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forehand, M. R., & Keller, K. L. (1996). Initial retrieval difficulty and subsequent recall in an advertising setting. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 5(4), 299–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: developing relationship theory in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(4), 343–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gurhan-Canli, Z., & Maheswaran, D. (1998). The effects of extensions on brand name dilution and enhancement. Journal of Marketing Research, 35(4), 464–473.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, R., & Chernev, A. (2010). The impact of product line extensions and consumer goals on the formation of price image. Journal of Marketing Research, 47(1), 51–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heath, T. B., DelVecchio, D., & McCarthy, M. S. (2011). The asymmetric effects of extending brands to lower and higher quality. Journal of Marketing, 75(4), 3–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, E. T. (1997). Beyond pleasure and pain. American Psychologist, 52(12), 1280–1300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Higgins, E. T. (2002). How self-regulation creates distinct values: the case of promotion and prevention decision making. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 12(3), 177–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoegg, J., Alba, J. W., & Dahl, D. W. (2010). The good, the bad, and the ugly: aesthetic influence on information processing. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 20(4), 419–430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • John, D. R., Loken, B., & Joiner, C. (1998). The negative impact of extensions: can flagship products be diluted? Journal of Marketing, 62(1), 19–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • John, D. R., Loken, B., Kim, K., & Monga, S. B. (2006). Brand concept maps: a methodology for identifying brand association networks. Journal of Marketing Research, Special Issue on Practitioner-Academic Collaborative Research, 43(4), 549–563.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L. (1987). Memory factors in advertising: the effect of advertising retrieval cues on brand evaluations. Journal of Consumer Research, 14(3), 316–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L. (1991a). Cue compatibility and framing in advertising. Journal of Marketing Research, 28(1), 42–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L. (1991b). Memory and evaluations in competitive advertising environments. Journal of Consumer Research, 17(4), 463–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketing, 57(1), 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L. (2001). Building customer-based brand equity: a blueprint for creating strong brands. Marketing Management, 10(2), 15–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L. (2003). Brand synthesis: the multi-dimensionality of brand knowledge. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(4), 595–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L. (2013). Strategic brand management (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice-Hall.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L., & Aaker, D. A. (1992). The effects of sequential introduction of brand extensions. Journal of Marketing Research, 29(1), 35–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L., & Aaker, D. A. (1998). The impact of corporate marketing on a company’s brand extensions. Corporate Reputation Review, 1(4), 356–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L., & Lehmann, D. (2003). How do brands create value. Marketing Management, 3, 27–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L., & Lehmann, D. (2006). Brands and branding: research findings and future priorities. Marketing Science, 25(6), 740–759.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L., & Sood, S. (2003). Brand equity dilution. MIT Sloan Management Review, 45(1), 12–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L., Heckler, S., & Houston, M. J. (1998). The effects of brand name suggestiveness on advertising recall. Journal of Marketing, 62(1), 48–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L., Sternthal, B., & Tybout, A. (2002). Three questions you need to ask about your brand. Harvard Business Review, 80(9), 80–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, H., & John, D. R. (2008). Consumer response to brand extensions: construal level as a moderator of the importance of perceived fit. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 18(2), 116–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirmani, A., Sood, S., & Bridges, S. (1999). The ownership effect in consumer responses to brand line stretches. Journal of Marketing, 63(1), 88–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krishna, A. (2013). Customer sense: How the 5 senses influence buying behavior. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, A. Y., Aaker, J. L., & Gardner, W. L. (2000). The pleasures and pains of distinct self-construals: the role of interdependence in regulatory focus. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(6), 1122–1134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, A. Y., Keller, P. A., & Sternthal, B. (2010). Value from regulatory construal fit. Journal of Consumer Research, 36(2), 735–747.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lei, J., Dawar, N., & Lemmink, J. (2008). Negative spillover in brand portfolios: exploring the antecedents of asymmetric effects. Journal of Marketing, 72(3), 111–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loken, B., & John, D. R. (1993). Diluting brand beliefs — when do brand extensions have a negative impact? Journal of Marketing, 57(3), 71–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mao, H., & Krishnan, H. S. (2006). Effects of prototype and exemplar fit on brand extension evaluations: a two-process contingency model. Journal of Consumer Research, 33(1), 41–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mathur, P., Jain, S. P., & Maheswaran, D. (2012). Consumers’ implicit theories about personality influence their brand personality judgments. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22(4), 545–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meyvis, T., Goldsmith, K., & Dhar, R. (2012). The importance of the context in brand extension: how pictures and comparisons shift consumers’ focus from fit to quality. Journal of Marketing Research, 49(2), 206–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milberg, S. J., Park, C. W., & McCarthy, M. S. (1997). Managing negative feedback effects associated with brand extensions: the impact of alternative branding strategies. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 6(2), 119–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milberg, S. J., Sinn, F., & Goodstein, R. C. (2010). Consumer reactions to brand extensions in a competitive context: does fit still matter? Journal of Consumer Research, 37(3), 543–553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monga, A. B., & Guhan-Canli, Z. (2012). The influence of mating mind-sets on brand extension evaluation. Journal of Marketing Research, 49(4), 581–593.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monga, A. B., & John, D. R. (2007). Cultural differences in brand extension evaluation: the influence of analytic versus holistic thinking. Journal of Consumer Research, 33(4), 529–536.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monga, A. B., & John, D. R. (2010). What makes brands elastic? the influence of brand concept and styles of thinking on brand extension evaluation. Journal of Marketing Research, 74(3), 80–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrin, M. (1999). The impact of brand extensions on parent brand memory structures and retrieval processes. Journal of Marketing Research, 36(4), 517–525.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muthukrishnan, A. V., & Weitz, B. A. (1990). Role of product knowledge in brand extensions. In R. H. Holman & M. R. Solomon (Eds.), Advances in consumer research (Vol. 18, pp. 407–413). Provo: Association for Consumer Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ng, S. (2010). Cultural orientation and brand dilution: impact of motivation level and extension typicality. Journal of Marketing Research, 47(1), 186–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, S., & Houston, M. (2006). Exemplars or beliefs? the impact of self-view on the nature and relative influence of brand associations. Journal of Consumer Research, 32(4), 519–529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oakley, J. L., Duhachek, A., Balachander, S., & Sriram, S. (2008). Order of entry and the moderating role of comparison brands in extension evaluations. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(5), 706–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pauwels, K. (2014). It’s not the size of the data: it’s how you use it: Smarter marketing with dashboard and analytics. New York: American Management Association (AMACOM).

    Google Scholar 

  • Pham, M. T., Geuens, M., & Pelsmaker, P. D. (2013). The influence of ad-evoked feelings on brand evaluations: empirical generalizations from consumer responses to more than 1,000 tv commercials. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 30(4), 383–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Puligadda, S., Ross, W. T., Jr., & Grewal, R. (2012). Individual differences in brand schematicity. Journal of Marketing Research, 49(1), 115–130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pullig, C., Simmons, C. J., & Netemeyer, R. G. (2006). Brand dilution: when do new brands hurt existing brands? Journal of Marketing, 70(2), 52–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rahinel, R., & Redden, J. P. (2013). Brands as product coordinators: matching brands make joint consumption experiences more enjoyable. Journal of Consumer Research, 39(6), 1290–1299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitt, B. (2012). The consumer psychology of brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22(1), 7–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shine, B. C., Park, J., & Wyer, R. S., Jr. (2007). Brand synergy effects in multiple brand extensions. Journal of Marketing Research, 44(4), 663–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sood, S., & Keller, K. L. (2012). The effects of brand name structure on brand extension evaluations and parent brand dilution. Journal of Marketing Research, 49(3), 373–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spiggle, S., Nguyen, H. T., & Caravella, M. (2012). More than fit: brand extension authenticity. Journal of Marketing Research, 49(6), 967–983.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swaminathan, V., Page, K., & Gurhan-Canli, Z. (2007). My brand or our brand: individual-and group-based brand relationships and self-construal effects on brand evaluations. Journal of Consumer Research, 34(2), 248–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swaminathan, V., Stilley, K., & Ahluwalia, R. (2009). When brand personality matters: the moderating role of attachment styles. Journal of Consumer Research, 35(6), 985–1002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swaminathan, V., Gürhan-Canli, Z., Kubat, U., & Hayran, C. (2015). How, when, and why do attribute-complementary versus attribute-similar cobrands affect brand evaluations: a concept combination perspective. Journal of Consumer Research, 42(1), 45–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson, M., MacInnis, D. J., & Park, C. W. (2005). The ties that bind: measuring the strength of consumers’ emotional attachments to brands. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 15(1), 77–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomson, M., Whelan, J., & Johnson, A. R. (2012). Why brands should fear fearful consumers: how attachment style predicts retaliation. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22(2), 289–298.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torelli, C. J., & Ahluwalia, R. (2012). Extending culturally symbolic brands: a blessing or curse? Journal of Consumer Research, 38(5), 933–947.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torelli, C. J., Özsomer, A., Carvalho, S. W., Keh, H. T., & Maehle, N. (2012). Brand concepts as representations of human values: do cultural congruity and compatibility between values matter? Journal of Marketing, 76(4), 92–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verrochi, C., & Williams, N. P. (2013). Feeling like myself: emotion profiles and social identity. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(2), 203–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Völckner, F., & Sattler, H. (2006). Drivers of brand extension success. Journal of Marketing, 70(2), 1–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yadav, M. S., & Pavlou, P. A. (2014). Marketing in computer-mediated environments: research synthesis and new directions. Journal of Marketing, 78(1), 20–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeo, J., & Park, J. (2006). Effects of parent-extension similarity and self regulatory focus on evaluations of brand extensions. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 16(3), 272–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeung, C. W. M., & Wyer, R. S. (2005). Does loving a brand mean loving its products? the role of brand-elicited affect in brand extension evaluations. Journal of Marketing Research, 43(4), 495–506.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yorkston, E. A., Nunes, J. C., & Matta, S. (2010). The malleable brand: the role of implicit theories in evaluating brand extensions. Journal of Marketing, 74(1), 80–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, S., & Sood, S. (2002). ‘Deep’ and ‘surface’ cues: brand extension evaluations by children and adults. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(1), 129–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, 100 Tuck Hall, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA

    Kevin Lane Keller

Authors
  1. Kevin Lane Keller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin Lane Keller.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Keller, K.L. Reflections on customer-based brand equity: perspectives, progress, and priorities. AMS Rev 6, 1–16 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-016-0078-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-016-0078-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation