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Intern. J. of Research in Marketing 25 (2008) 82–93

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Intern. J. of Research in Marketing

j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w. e l s ev i e r. c o m / l o c a t e / i j r e s m a r

The meanings of branded products: A cross-national scale development and meaning assessment

Yuliya Strizhakova a, Robin A. Coulter b,⁎, Linda L. Price c

a b c

School of Business and Economics, Michigan Technological University, United States School of Business, University of Connecticut, 2100 Hillside Road, Storrs, CT 06269-1041, United States Eller College of Management, University of Arizona, United States

A R T I C L E

I N F O

A B S T R A C T

This research develops a scale to assess branded product meanings, including quality, values, personal identity, and traditions. Using data gathered in the U.S. and three emerging markets (Romania, Ukraine, and Russia), we demonstrate a valid and reliable measure that exhibits cross-national measurement invariance. Our findings document quality is the most important branded product meaning across countries; identityrelated and traditions-related meanings are more important in the U.S. than the emerging markets. We discuss these findings, provide important managerial implications, and offer future research opportunities related to branding and measurement. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Article history: First received in 7 May 2007 and was under review for 3 months Area Editor: Marnik G. Dekimpe

1. Introduction Over the past decade, the importance of branded products has been well documented both by academics (Aaker, Fournier, & Brasel, 2004; Fournier, 1998; Holt, 2004; Holt, Quelch, & Taylor, 2004; Keller, 2003) and by practitioners (Gobé, 2001; Schmitt, 1999). The majority of the discourse related to brands has focused upon specific brands such as Nike, Marlboro, or Harley Davidson. Several authors (e.g., Coulter, Price, & Feick, 2003; Fournier, 1998), however, have...