Abstract
We explored the way that children use brand names in making consumer judgments. Brand names can serve as a simple perceptual cue that identifies a product as one people are familiar with or one they associate with certain perceptual features. Brands can also be associated with symbolic or conceptual meanings, conveying status, prestige, or trendiness. We proposed that young children relate to brands on a perceptual level, whereas older children relate to brands on a conceptual basis as well. We examined this proposition in an experiment conducted with children 8, 12, and 16 years of age. Participants were asked to evaluate an advertised product (e.g., athletic shoes) with a familiar brand name that was either popular (e.g., Nike®) or less popular (e.g., Kmart®). The advertised product was physically identical in both cases, allowing us to explore whether the brand name had meaning for children apart from its name familiarity or perceptual features. The use of conceptual brand meanings was assessed by asking participants to make several types of brand-related judgments including evaluations of the advertised product, impressions of the owners of the advertised product, and evaluations of possible extensions of the popular brand name advertised. Results indicate that by the time children reach 12 years of age, they use brand names as an important conceptual cue in consumer judgments.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 205-219 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Journal of Consumer Psychology |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2003 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We thank the staff and students of Sibley East and Norwood-Young America school districts for their participation in the study. This research was funded, in part, by a dis- sertation fellowship award from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota.