The Role of New Energy Vehicles as Brand Shapers
(2015) MGTN59 20151Department of Business Administration
- Abstract
- Recent studies have paid strong attention to the field of brand extension, whilst comparatively limited research has focused on line extension and the reciprocal effects on the brand. Barely any attention has been paid to the effect of green product launches on brand evaluation in an automotive context or the influence of the actual awareness for the extensions. This thesis examines the role of New Energy Vehicles as brand shapers for established automotive brands. Current studies have revealed that car purchases are strongly influenced by the strength of the manufacturers’ brand. Hence, a positive effect of New Energy Vehicles on brand evaluation would be beneficial for car manufacturers. The authors therefore linked literature focusing... (More)
- Recent studies have paid strong attention to the field of brand extension, whilst comparatively limited research has focused on line extension and the reciprocal effects on the brand. Barely any attention has been paid to the effect of green product launches on brand evaluation in an automotive context or the influence of the actual awareness for the extensions. This thesis examines the role of New Energy Vehicles as brand shapers for established automotive brands. Current studies have revealed that car purchases are strongly influenced by the strength of the manufacturers’ brand. Hence, a positive effect of New Energy Vehicles on brand evaluation would be beneficial for car manufacturers. The authors therefore linked literature focusing on consumer-based brand equity to the findings in the fields of brand and line extension. The developed hypotheses were tested through a survey targeting existing and potential customers of New Energy Vehicles in Sweden and Germany. In order to attain a more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing the mutual extension effects, face-to-face Interviews with car salesmen were conducted, both revealing implications for future management actions. The outcomes of the study endorsed the hypothesis that New Energy Vehicles have the ability to be utilized as a brand shaper. Moreover, a linear regression analysis confirmed a statistically highly significant relationship between the perceived fit of New Energy Vehicles and the positive influence on brands. Descriptive and statistical tests validated the hypothesis that upscale extensions both enjoy higher consumer awareness and higher positive effects on a brand than downscale extensions and extensions that may be depicted as “in-line” with the existing product portfolio. The outcomes of the quantitative research also suggest that introducing a sub-brand, solely dedicated to New Energy Vehicles, can be very successful in terms of customer awareness for the products as well as positive influence on the brand, outreaching vertical and horizontal line extension strategies. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/5473746
- author
- Gassner, Maximilian Alexander LU and Kosch, Sebastian LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- MGTN59 20151
- year
- 2015
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- automotive industry, brand awareness, brand equity, brand extension, brand shaper, consumer-based brand equity, electric cars, green products, hybrid cars, line extension, New Energy Vehicles, product awareness, sub-branding
- language
- English
- id
- 5473746
- date added to LUP
- 2015-06-29 14:28:53
- date last changed
- 2015-06-29 14:28:53
@misc{5473746,
abstract = {{Recent studies have paid strong attention to the field of brand extension, whilst comparatively limited research has focused on line extension and the reciprocal effects on the brand. Barely any attention has been paid to the effect of green product launches on brand evaluation in an automotive context or the influence of the actual awareness for the extensions. This thesis examines the role of New Energy Vehicles as brand shapers for established automotive brands. Current studies have revealed that car purchases are strongly influenced by the strength of the manufacturers’ brand. Hence, a positive effect of New Energy Vehicles on brand evaluation would be beneficial for car manufacturers. The authors therefore linked literature focusing on consumer-based brand equity to the findings in the fields of brand and line extension. The developed hypotheses were tested through a survey targeting existing and potential customers of New Energy Vehicles in Sweden and Germany. In order to attain a more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing the mutual extension effects, face-to-face Interviews with car salesmen were conducted, both revealing implications for future management actions. The outcomes of the study endorsed the hypothesis that New Energy Vehicles have the ability to be utilized as a brand shaper. Moreover, a linear regression analysis confirmed a statistically highly significant relationship between the perceived fit of New Energy Vehicles and the positive influence on brands. Descriptive and statistical tests validated the hypothesis that upscale extensions both enjoy higher consumer awareness and higher positive effects on a brand than downscale extensions and extensions that may be depicted as “in-line” with the existing product portfolio. The outcomes of the quantitative research also suggest that introducing a sub-brand, solely dedicated to New Energy Vehicles, can be very successful in terms of customer awareness for the products as well as positive influence on the brand, outreaching vertical and horizontal line extension strategies.}},
author = {{Gassner, Maximilian Alexander and Kosch, Sebastian}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The Role of New Energy Vehicles as Brand Shapers}},
year = {{2015}},
}