when the purchase decision is made outside the store. When it comes to low-
involvement categories and the purchase decision primarily is taken in-store, a high
level of recognition might be enough. Here, the consumer does not need to be able to
recall the brand in order to make a purchase decision. When a low-involvement
brand is recognized in the supermarket, it is often the one that gets chosen.
Make consumers pay attention to your brand
After meticulously having investigated and mapped brand associations, the
marketer is equipped with the tools to choose the right brand elements. The
marketer has an exact overview of the types of association held in the minds of
consumers, as well as the favourability, strength and uniqueness of the associa-
tions. Hereby, the marketer is aware whether the consumer-based brand equity is
positive or negative.
Equipped with this knowledge, the marketer is able to make a detailed strategy
by having the answers to the following questions and many more: Which elements
are the most central? Which are strongest? Which are more unique? Which associ-
ations lack in favourability? Hereafter, the marketer can accurately plan where to
make an effort and on which parameters the brand is strong enough. In this fashion,
the marketer is able to create a detailed and well founded future work schedule.
Some elements might require special attention. The marketer can organize
investigations of key elements in order to further fine-tune brand communication
to accommodate the mechanisms of the cognitive consumer. Box 6.6 provides
insight into the many considerations that might be taken into account before
choosing the brand name. The right brand name is only one of the many important
elements a marketer has to decide.
Box 6.6 Things to consider when choosing the right brand name
The brand name is a very important brand element as it is most often the key
node activating the spreading activity in the associative network of brand
knowledge. The brand name spurs brand awareness, which is the pre -
requisite for talking about brand image and customer-based brand equity in
the first place.
In Dimensions of Consumer Expertiseresearchers Alba and Hutchinson
(1987) list things to consider when choosing the right brand name adjusted
for easy recognition.- The brand name should be easily read. Consumers scan shelf displays
rapidly when in a supermarket and do not take time to read carefully
each name on display. In order to test the readability of a word, respon-
dents can be exposed to the word extremely briefly or can be exposed to
a name with letters missing.
The consumer-based approach 105