IndustrialMarketingManagement.docVIP

Industrial Marketing ManagementArticle in Press, Corrected Proof - Note to users doi:10.1016/j.indmarman.2010.06.024?|?How to Cite or Link Using DOICopyright ? 2010 Published by Elsevier Inc. ??Permissions Reprints A model to investigate the influence of marketing-mix efforts and corporate image on brand equity in the IT software sector Ji-Hern Kim1, a, and Yong J. Hyun, a, a Graduate School of Management, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 207-43 Cheongryang, Dongdaemoon, Seoul, Republic of Korea Received 17 December 2009;? revised 26 April 2010;? accepted 15 June 2010.? Available online 7 July 2010. Abstract A model is developed to examine the relationships among marketing-mix efforts (channel performance, value-oriented price, promotion, and after-sales service), corporate image, three dimensions of brand equity (brand awareness with associations, perceived quality, and brand loyalty), and market performance. The model considers three distinctive aspects of business markets. After-sales service is taken as a key marketing-mix effort. Corporate image is placed as a mediator from the marketing-mix efforts to the dimensions of brand equity. Personal selling is defined as a main component of promotion. The model is tested in the context of a Korean IT software sector. The test results show that all the marketing-mix efforts positively affect the overall value of brand equity, which is a proxy of market performance, via the three dimensions of brand equity. Corporate image mediates the effect of the marketing-mix efforts on the three dimensions of brand equity. Keywords: Brand equity; Industrial branding; Dimensions of brand equity; Marketing-mix efforts; Corporate image Article Outline 1. Introduction 2. Literature review 3. Model and hypotheses 3.1. Marketing-mix efforts and brand equity dimensions 3.1.1. Channel 3.1.2. Price 3.1.3. Promotion 3.1.4. After-sales service 3.2. Relationships between marketing-mix efforts and corpo