Abstract

The concept of brands and the process of branding have been in use for centuries (Nancarrow & Nancarrow, 2007). Branding has enabled producers to differentiate their products more easily from one another. In addition to product differentiation, brands also communicate a firm's values through a variety of names, slogans, symbols, and designs. Through a process of communication, brands can facilitate a relationship-building process that can mimic human-to-human interactions. In the current market, it is an ongoing challenge for firms to stay current with consumer trends. Keeping up with what is considered cool can often determine a firm's success. Traditionally coolness has been considered a human attribute. However, in recent years, it has also been associated with inanimate objects and brands (Belk, 2006). Firms that strive to be perceived as cool have been shown to be more noticeable and are viewed more positively. Although coolness is ubiquitous in marketing and branding practices, it is still unclear how it is positioned amongst other branding constructs. Due to its similarities, scholars have often placed brand coolness alongside brand personality, yet there is a need to confirm its relationship with brand personality (Warren et al., 2019). In addition, considering brand personality's important role in understanding brand identity (Kapferer, 2012), the relationship between brand coolness and brand identity needs to be explored, as brand identity is known to influence purchase intentions (You & Hon, 2021). Lastly, this dissertation aims to examine the practical applications of brand coolness and its impact on wine consumer attitudes and behaviors. To address these issues, this dissertation conducted three studies. The first and second studies applied survey research design and generated a self-administered online questionnaire that was hosted on Qualtrics.com and MTurk. Anderson & Gerbing's two-step approach to SEM was applied and the data were analyzed to investigate brand coolness, brand personality, brand identity, and purchase intentions. The third study applied a between-subjects quasi-experimental design and examined the impacts of wine brand characteristics on perceived brand coolness, purchase intentions, and willingness to pay more. The results suggest that brand coolness is a separate construct from brand identity, that brand coolness plays an important role in the understanding of brand identity and its relationship with purchase intentions, and that brand characteristics, such as celebrity association, can have a positive impact on perceptions of brand coolness, intentions to purchase, and consumers' willingness to pay more for cool products. This dissertation provides important theoretical and managerial implications by establishing and confirming the relationship between brand coolness and brand personality, proposing brand coolness as a central component of brand identity, and providing practical applications for wine brands that utilize brand coolness to influence consumer attitudes and behavior.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2022

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Back, Robin

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

Degree Program

Hospitality Management

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0009033; DP0026366

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0026366

Language

English

Release Date

May 2027

Length of Campus-only Access

5 years

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Campus-only Access)

Location

Rosen College of Hospitality Management

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Restricted to the UCF community until May 2027; it will then be open access.

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