Skip to main content
Log in

The battle of brands in the Swedish market for consumer packaged food: A cross-category examination of brand preference and liking

Journal of Brand Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In a very dynamic industry such as the retail industry, it is important to get an overall view of differences in brand strength between international vs domestic brands, store brands vs manufacturer brands and single-category vs extended multi-category brands. We propose that a fruitful approach to obtain a nuanced comparison of brand strength at a general level, across categories and brand strategies, is to combine the measures brand preference and brand liking. By doing so, three different types of brand strength emerge. The results, based on a web survey conducted with 4 × 500 Swedish consumers, show that although the domestic brands are dominating in terms of presence (as expected), there is no support that domestic brands generally are more liked or preferred than international brands. Moreover, the analysis shows that manufacturer brands out-perform store brands in terms of preference, and that single-category brands appear to be stronger than multi-category brands.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anselmsson, J., Johansson, U. and Persson, N. (2007) ‘Understanding price premium for grocery products: A conceptual model of customer-based brand equity’, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 16, No. 6, pp. 401–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoch, S. J. (1996) ‘How should national brands think about private labels?’ Sloan Management Review, Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 89–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L. (1993) ‘Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity’, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 57, No. 1, pp. 1–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aaker, D. A. (1991) ‘Managing Brand Equity’, The Free Press, New York, NY.

  • Netemeyer, R. G., Krishnan, B., Pullig, C., Wang, G., Yagci, M., Dean, D., Ricks, J. and Wirth, F. (2004) ‘Developing and validating measures of facets of customer-based brand equity’, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 57, No. 2, pp. 209–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sethuraman, R. (2003) ‘“Measuring national brands” equity over store brands’, Review of Marketing Science, Vol 1, No. 2, pp. 1–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burt, S., Davies, K., McAuley, A. and Sparks, L. (2005) ‘Retail internationalisation: From formats to implants’, European Management Journal, Vol. 23, No. 2, pp. 195–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies, K. and Burt, S. (2007) ‘Consumer co-operatives and retail internationalisation: Problems and prospects, International’, Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 145–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Acebrón, L. B. and Dopico, D. C. (2000) ‘The importance of intrinsic and extrinsic cues to expected and experienced quality: An empirical application for beef’, Food Quality and Preference, Vol. 11, pp. 229–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thakor, M. V. and Lavack, A. M. (2003) ‘Effect of perceived brand origin associations on consumer perceptions of quality’, Journal of Product and Brand Management, Vol. 12, No. 6, pp. 394–407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L. (2003) ‘Brand synthesis: The multidimensionality of brand knowledge’, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 29, pp. 595–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hui, M. K. and Zhou, L. (2003) ‘Country-of-manufacture effects for known brands’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 133–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, S. and Wyer Jr., R. S. (1990) ‘Determinants of product evaluation: Effects of the time interval between knowledge of a products country of origin and information about its specific attributes’, Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 277–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Samiee, S., Shimp, T. A. and Sharma, S. (2005) ‘Brand origin recognition accuracy: Its antecedents and consumers cognitive limitations’, Journal of International Business Studies, Vol. 36, No. 4, pp. 379–397.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ailawadi, K. L. (2001) ‘The retail power-performance conundrum: What have we learned?’ Journal of Retailing, Vol. 77, No. 3, pp. 299–318.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, S. C. and Coughlan, A. T. (2006) ‘Private label positioning: Quality versus feature differentiation from the national brand’, Journal of Retailing, Vol. 82, No. 2, pp. 79–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Juhl, H. J., Esbjerg, L., Grunert, K. G., Bech-Larsen, T. and Brunso, K. (2006) ‘The fight between store brands and national brands-what's the score?’ Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Vol. 13, No. 5, pp. 331–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • AC Nielsen. (2007) ‘The power of private label 2005—A review of growth trends around the world’, www.acnielsen.se/site/documents/ThePowerofPrivateLabel2005_A4.pdf (accsessed 5th November, 2007).

  • Laaksonen, H. and Reynolds, J. (1994) ‘Own brands in food retailing across Europe’, The Journal of Brand Management, Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 37–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Euromonitor. (2007) ‘Private label: Seizing a greater share of the global shelf’, http://www.euromonitor.com/Private_label_Seizing_a_greater_share_of_the_global_shelf (accessed 5th November, 2007).

  • Aaker, D. A. and Joachimsthaler, E. (2000) ‘The brand relationship spectrum’, California Management Review, Vol. 42, No. 4, pp. 8–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pitta, A. P. and Katsanis, L. (1995) ‘Understanding brand equity for successful brand extension’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 169–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loken, B. and John, D. (1993) ‘Diluting brand beliefs: When do brand extensions have a negative impact?’ Journal of Marketing, Vol. 57, No. 3, pp. 71–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dacin, P. A. and Smith, D. C. (1994) ‘The effect of brand portfolio characteristics on consumer evaluations of brand extensions’, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 229–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinez, E. and deChernatony, L. (2004) ‘The effect of brand extension strategies upon brand image’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 39–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feldwick, P. (1996) ‘What is brand equity anyway, and how do you measure it?’ Journal of Market Research Society, Vol. 38, pp. 85–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keller, K. L. and Lehmann, D. R. (2003) ‘How do brands create value?’ Marketing Management, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 26–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kapferer, J. -N. (2004) ‘The New Strategic Brand Management: Creating and Sustaining Brand Equity Long Term’, Kogan Page, London.

  • Aaker, D. A. (1996) ‘Measuring brand equity across products and markets’, California Management Review, Vol. 38, No. 3, pp. 102–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Agarwal, M. K. and Rao, V. R. (1996) ‘An empirical comparison of consumer-based measures of brand equity’, Marketing Letters, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 237–247.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava, R. K., Shervani, T. A. and Fahey, L. (1998) ‘Market-based assets and shareholder value: A framework for analysis’, Journal Of Marketing, Vol. 62, No. 1, pp. 2–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simon, C. J. and Sullivan, M. J. (1993) ‘The measurement and determinants of brand equity: A financial approach’, Marketing Science, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 28–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aaker, D. A. and Jacobson, R. (1994) ‘The financial information content of perceived quality’, Journal of Marketing Research, Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 191–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madden, T. J., Fehle, F. and Fournier, S. (2006) ‘Brands matter: An empirical demonstration of the creation of shareholder value through branding’, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 224–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mortanges, C. P. D. and Van Riel, A. (2003) ‘Brand equity and shareholder value’, European Management Journal, Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 521–527.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, B. E. and McAlister, L. M. (1997) ‘Grocery Revolution: The New Focus on the Consumer’, Addison-Wesley, New York.

  • Ye, G. and Van Raaij, W. F. (2004) ‘Brand equity: Extending brand awareness and liking with signal detection theory’, Journal of Marketing Communications, Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 95–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lassar, W., Mittal, B. and Sharma, A. (1995) ‘Measuring customer-based brand equity’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 11–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, J., Grewal, D., Mangleburg, T. F., Park, J-O., Chon, K-S., Claiborne, C. B., Johar, J.S. and Berkman, H. (1997) ‘Assessing the predictive validity of two methods of measuring self-image congruence’, Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 229–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lau, G. T. and Lee, S. H. (1999) ‘Consumers’ trust in a brand and the link to brand loyalty’, Journal of Market Focused Management, Vol. 4, pp. 341–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoek, J., Gendall, P., Hedderley, D. and Lynch, N. (2000) ‘Likeability: A behavioural analysis’, viewed 5th October, 2007, available at: http://smib.vuw.ac.nz:8081/www/ANZMAC2000/home.htm.

  • Sääksjärvi, M. and Samiee, S. (2007) ‘Non-price antecedents of consumer preference for cyber and extension brands’, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 22–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jamal, A. and Goode, M. M. H. (2001) ‘Consumers and brands: A study of the impact of self-image congruence on brand preference and satisfaction’, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 19, No. 6–7, pp. 482–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olson, E. L. and Thjomoe, H. M. (2003) ‘The effects of peripheral exposure to information on brand preference’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 37, No. 1–2, pp. 243–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yoo, B. and Donthu, N. (2001) ‘Developing and validating a multidimensional consumer-based brand equity scale’, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 1–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atilgan, E., Aksoy, S. and Akinci, S. (2005) ‘Determinants of brand equity: A verification approach in the beverage industry in Turkey’, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, Vol. 23, No. 3, pp. 237–248.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ries, A. and Trout, J. (1990) ‘Positioning cuts through chaos in market place’, in Enis, B.M., Cox, K.K. and Mokwa, M.P. (eds) ‘Marketing Classics’, 8th edn, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Niklas Persson.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table A1.

Table a1 Complete list of survey categories and strongest brands per category

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Anselmsson, J., Johansson, U. & Persson, N. The battle of brands in the Swedish market for consumer packaged food: A cross-category examination of brand preference and liking. J Brand Manag 16, 63–79 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2008.21

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2008.21

Keywords

Navigation