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An Exploratory Study on Measuring Brand Image from a Network Perspective

네트워크 관점에서 바라본 브랜드 이미지 측정에 대한 탐색적 연구

  • Jung, Sangyoon (Information Systems, Graduate School of Business, Seoul National University) ;
  • Chang, Jung Ah (Associate of Marketing team, NAVER SNOW) ;
  • Rho, Sangkyu (Information Systems, Graduate School of Business, Seoul National University)
  • Received : 2020.08.31
  • Accepted : 2020.10.30
  • Published : 2020.11.30
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Abstract

Along with the rapid advance in internet technologies, ubiquitous mobile device usage has enabled consumers to access real-time information and increased interaction with others through various social media. Consumers can now get information more easily when making purchase decisions, and these changes are affecting the brand landscape. In a digitally connected world, brand image is not communicated to the consumers one-sidedly. Rather, with consumers' growing influence, it is a result of co-creation where consumers have an active role in building brand image. This explains a reality where people no longer purchase products just because they know the brand or because it is a famous brand. However, there has been little discussion on the matter, and many practitioners still rely on the traditional measures of brand indicators. The goal of this research is to present the limitations of traditional definition and measurement of brand and brand image, and propose a more direct and adequate measure that reflects the nature of a connected world. Inspired by the proverb, "A man is known by the company he keeps," the proposed measurement offers insight to the position of brand (or brand image) through co-purchased product networks. This paper suggests a framework of network analysis that clusters brands of cosmetics by the frequency of other products purchased together. This is done by analyzing product networks of a brand extracted from actual purchase data on Amazon.com. This is a more direct approach, compared to past measures where consumers' intention or cognitive aspects are examined through survey. The practical implication is that our research attempts to close the gap between brand indicators and actual purchase behavior. From a theoretical standpoint, this paper extends the traditional conceptualization of brand image to a network perspective that reflects the nature of a digitally connected society.

스마트폰의 등장으로 우리는 언제 어디서나 쇼핑이 가능하고, 소셜미디어로 연결된 광범위한 인적 네트워크와 웹사이트를 통해 손쉽게 다양한 정보와 전문가들의 의견을 살펴볼 수 있게 되었다. 제한된 정보 창구로 인해 브랜드 인지도에 의존하였던 과거와는 다르게, 다양한 창구를 통해 제품과 서비스에 대한 정보를 손쉽게 얻을 수 있는 시대가 도래한 것이다. 그 결과, 디지털 시대의 소비자들은 과거와는 다르게 기업의 일방적인 의도대로 브랜드 이미지를 수용하는 것에서 벗어나, 소비자들 간의 소통을 통해 브랜드 이미지의 형성에 영향을 미칠 정도로 그 영향력이 증대되었다. 소비자들은 더 이상은 그 브랜드를 안다고 해서 혹은 그 브랜드가 유명하다고 해서 바로 구매를 하지 않는다. 따라서, 이렇게 변화한 시대에 전통적인 브랜드 측정 방법의 유효성에 대해 의문을 제시하게 되었다. 그러나 아직까지 변화한 사회환경을 반영한 측정 방법은 논의된 바가 없으며, 실무자들은 현재까지 전통적인 측정 방법을 이용해 오고 있는 것이 현실이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 기존 브랜드의 정의와 측정방법에 대해 한번 살펴보고, 디지털 시대에 보다 적합하면서 직접적인 측정 방법을 제안하고자 한다. 본 연구에서 제안하는 측정 방법은 "친구를 보면 그 사람을 알 수 있다"는 속담처럼, 함께 구매되는 상품의 브랜드를 통해 해당 브랜드의 진정한 위치와 이미지를 파악하는 방법이다. 이를 위해 온라인 커머스 사이트인 아마존에서 함께 구매되는 화장품 데이터를 브랜드 단위의 네트워크로 구축하고, 이를 토대로 브랜드 이미지를 평가하는 방법을 제시하였다. 기존에는 소비자의 인식 혹은 인지적인 측면을 설문조사로 파악하거나 기업의 재무상태를 통해 브랜드를 측정했던 과거와는 달리, 본 연구에서 제시하는 방법은 실질적인 구매 데이터를 통해 구축된 제품의 네트워크를 분석함으로써 관련 브랜드 지표와 실질적인 구매 행동 간의 간극을 좁히고자 한 데에 의의가 있다. 또한 연결된 세상의 네트워크 관점을 바탕으로 전통적인 브랜드 개념을 보다 확장하였으며, 이를 통해 보다 현실에 적합한 측정도구를 제시하였다는 것에 의의가 있다.

Keywords

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