Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2014 Using Brand Concept Maps to Examine the Extension of Ford and Jeep Brands Yao Wei Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Art and Design Commons Recommended Citation Wei, Yao, "Using Brand Concept Maps to Examine the Extension of Ford and Jeep Brands" (2014). LSU Master's Theses. 3807. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/3807 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. USING BRAND CONCEPT MAPS TO EXAMINE THE EXTENSION OF FORD AND JEEP BRANDS A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in School of Human Ecology The Department of Textile, Apparel Design, and Merchandising by Yao Wei B.A., Shanghai Theater Academy, 2007 May 2015 This thesis is dedicated to the memory of my mother, Lingzhi Fei, who passed away in a car accident in 2001. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for believing that I am capable of anything. I hope you are smiling in heaven. ii Acknowledgements Looking back on the ups and downs I have been through while completing this research, it is rather hard to believe it finally comes to an end. In this special moment, I have to say I am incredibly thankful for the privilege of having worked with Dr. Chuanlan Liu, my major professor and mentor. I cannot thank you enough for your guidance, understanding, support, and encouragement. It is your unwavering confidence in me that carried me through those moments of doubt and uncertainty. I would like to extend sincere gratitude to the individuals who served on my thesis committee: Dr. Alvin Burns and Dr. Loren Marks. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and giving me advice. I truly appreciate the patience and support. My special thanks go to Dr. William Black for his challenging courses, insights and inspirations. This accomplishment would not have been possible without my family. To my parents who have loved me unconditionally, thank you for being my best support system emotionally and financially. Thank you for the many sacrifices that you have made for my well-being. I couldn’t forget to thank my aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws. I will always be indebted to my grandparents, who provided endless love and care throughout the process. There are many friends and colleagues, who provided invaluable support as I engage in the research. While it is impossible to list them all, several people deserve mention. My best friends from day one, Yang Mu and Nadia Miskowiec, thank you for your cherished friendship and companionship during difficult times. Cong Chen, thank you for always being there for me and my family, and the best meals and workouts when needed. Xiaoqian Xu, Langchao Zhang, Shuya Lv and Kate Allen, thank you for being good listeners and providing supports and encouragements. Dr. Jiyun Kang, thank you for being my elder sister and role model, motivating, iii inspiring and encouraging me and answering all my research and statistical questions. I would also like to thank all my friends for helping me run the pretests and collect the data. I am so grateful to my son, Aaron, the most amazing gift I received in my life while working on my thesis. Thank you for motivating and challenging me every day, for showing your love and happiness even when you were away from me, and for making me a better, stronger and more complete woman. Finally my deepest gratitude goes to my husband, Chen Guo, who has placed my happiness and welfare above all else. Thank you for sympathizing when I complained, nudging when I procrastinated, and encouraging when I was demotivated. Thank you for being my “rock” and letting me solely depend on you throughout these years. Thank you for being the best husband and friend in the world. I love you. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. x Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Statement of Problem··········································································· 1 1.2. Research Purpose ··············································································· 6 1.3. Definitions of Terms············································································ 6 Chapter 2. Literature Review .......................................................................................................... 8 2.1. Brands and Branding ··········································································· 8 2.2. Brand Equity ····················································································· 9 2.3. Brand Extension ················································································· 9 2.4. Measuring Brand Equity ······································································ 13 2.5. Brand Associations and Brand Association Categories ·································· 14 2.6. Measuring Brand Associations ······························································· 17 2.7. Concept Mapping and Analytical Mapping ················································ 19 2.8. Brand Concept Mapping ······································································ 21 2.9. Brand Engagement ············································································· 24 Chapter 3. Methodology ............................................................................................................... 26 3.1. Sampling and Sample ········································································· 26 3.2. Data Analysis Procedure ······································································ 26 3.3. Pretesting ························································································ 27 3.4. Data Collection ················································································· 29 Chapter 4. Research Results ......................................................................................................... 31 4.1. Sample Demographics ········································································ 31 4.2. Sample Demographics by Brand Engagement Level ····································· 32 4.3. Mapping Results ··············································································· 34 4.4. Brand Extension Evaluation and Mapping Comparison ································· 54 Chapter 5. Conclusions, Implications and Recommendations ...................................................... 58 5.1. Summary and Conclusions ··································································· 58 5.2. Implications ····················································································· 59 5.3. Study Limitations ·············································································· 60 5.4. Recommendations for Future Research ····················································· 61 References ..................................................................................................................................... 62 v Appendix A: IRB Forms ............................................................................................................... 69 Appendix B: Questionnaires ......................................................................................................... 70 Vita ................................................................................................................................................ 93 vi List of Tables Table 2.1 Korchia’s brand association categories......................................................................... 17 Table 2.2 Aggregation rules for BCMs......................................................................................... 23 Table 3.1 Word bank for Jeep automobile .................................................................................... 28 Table 3.2 Word bank for Jeep menswear ...................................................................................... 28 Table 3.3 Word bank for Ford automobile ................................................................................... 30 Table 3.4 Word bank for Ford menswear ..................................................................................... 30 Table 4.1 Profile of the sample ..................................................................................................... 31 Table 4.2 Scale items used to measure brand engagement in self-concept .................................. 32 Table 4.3 Engagement