International higher education brand alliance: the role of brand fit and world-mindedness

PurposeThis research investigates three major research questions. First, how does brand alliance type, defined by a partner's location and brand quality, affect consumers' emotional value perceptions of higher education brand alliances for dual-degree programs? Second, does perceived brand fit mediate the relationship between brand alliance type and emotional value perceptions? Third, do individual differences in world-mindedness moderate the influence of brand alliance type on emotional value perceptions?Design/methodology/approachIn total, two experiments are performed. Experiment one examines the effect of brand alliance type, at varying combinations of partner brand quality and partner location (domestic or foreign), on consumers' emotional value perceptions. Experiment two examines the moderating role of world-mindedness in the relationship between brand alliance type and consumers' emotional value perceptions.FindingsResults provide evidence that consumers' perception of brand fit mediates the relationship between brand alliance type and consumers' emotional value perceptions of the alliance. Results also indicate that world-mindedness moderates the relationship between brand alliance type and emotional value perceptions.Originality/valueThis research extends the previous literature on higher education dual-degree brand alliances and introduces world-mindedness as an important consumer-based characteristic to consider in this line of research. It answers calls for more research on higher education branding and calls for research into the potential mediating role and importance of brand fit. It provides several theoretical and managerial implications relevant to the higher education brand alliances, particularly in dual-degree programs.

Co-Branding as Assemblage: Assemblage Theory, and Brand Alliances in the Digital Era

The article outlines the contours of a new methodology in the study of co-branding, based on M. DeLanda’s theory of assemblages, developed in line with the cutting edge of modern philosophical thought: object-oriented ontology. It is demonstrated that the relevance of its development is linked to the changes in brand alliance practices occurring under the influence of globalisation and digitalisation processes. Transformations characteristic to merging brands, and related to both their rise in number and diversification were proven to be part of a more global tendency towards the complication of social reality, and cannot be explained within the ‘perceived conformity’ paradigm that dominates co-branding. The author’s approach is conceptualised using comparative and discursive analysis methods, the essence of which lies in deconstructing the established notions of brand alliances as internally consistent alliances with an intelligible logic. Real co-branding cases were provided to demonstrate a tendency towards forming alliances evaluated as ‘irrational’, ‘sudden’, and ‘unpredictable’. To bridge the gap between theory and practice, it has been suggested that co-branding should be seen as an assembly process and that alliances themselves should be seen as systems of an assemblage nature. It is stressed that the representation of brands through the lens of the assemblage theory allows us to demonstrate their heterogeneity, plasticity and openness to change and interactions, which contributes to the formation of brand alliances. The conclusion outlines the prospects of applying the author’s approach to the field of co-branding, highlighting that the proposed optics of the theory of assemblage contribute to achieving the necessary flexibility in forming brand alliances relevant to the complexity and diversity of the modern digital era.

Understanding consumer attitudes in cause-brand alliances in sports: the role of sport entity attitudes

PurposeThis study examines the effects of congruence and reliability on cause-brand alliance (CBA) program attitudes—exploring how CBA program attitudes and sport entity attitudes affect attitudes toward a sport-related and sport-unrelated brand in a single CBA.Design/methodology/approachAbout 240 survey participants answered questions before and after being exposed to information about the NFL Play 60 program. Consistent partial least squares structural equation modeling is utilized to test the hypotheses.FindingsResults suggest both congruence and reliability positively influence CBA program success; and both sport-related and sport-unrelated brands positively affect consumer attitudes when they participate in a CBA with a high-profile sport entity. This occurs directly through CBA program attitudes for a sport-unrelated brand and indirectly through sport entity attitudes for a sport-related brand.Originality/valueThis study extends the CBA literature in sports by showing (1) the role of reliability on CBA program attitudes, (2) the role of sport entity attitudes on other cause partner attitudes and (3) different paths for sport-related versus sport-unrelated brands that are partnered with a premium sport entity to achieve CBA program brand enhancements.