Report: Reputation commands a price premium

Companies with a good ​reputation​ can command a premium for its products, says UTS

Corporate branding is more important than ever, as companies with a good reputation can command a minimum 9 per cent premium for products, a new study has shown.

The study, The relative impact of corporate reputation on consumer choice: beyond a halo effect, recently released by the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), found consumers are willing to pay more for products that not only have the features they want but also are delivered by businesses with a good reputation.

Associate Professor of Marketing at UTS Business School, Paul Burke, one of the report co-authors, said companies evaluated by consumers as better than competitors in terms of corporate reputation command about a 9 per cent premium for its products, and an even higher premium when there are desirable extra features. 

“The impact of corporate reputation on consumer choices is substantial compared to the competitive advantage offered by varying product features,” Burke said. 

“Marketing managers need to be concerned about corporate reputation not only because it builds loyalty and trust but also because product features appear more valuable, so consumers are willing to pay more."

The research, with co-authors Professor Grahame Dowling and Dr Edward Wei, focused on consumers in the market for televisions. The televisions were made by Sony, Panasonic or Toshiba.

The study found holding a better reputation than direct competitors increases the overall utility of a product, and reduces price sensitivity. Reputation effects partially depending on how much the consumer knows about the company associated with the product they are considering.

Not surprisingly then, companies with poorer reputations are less likely to have their products chosen by consumers, and are also likely to lose ground on several other product feature.

However, the report also found consumers have a limit to how much they are willing to pay for some product features even when the most reputable company is offering the feature. As a result, those with poorer reputations were advised not to compete against competitors with better reputations based on price. Instead, they need to work on corporate branding activities, as well as finding ways in which to offer more attractive products for consumers.

Corporate reputation encompasses a range of dimensions including how people feel about the company, the quality and innovativeness of its products, its workplace environment and workforce, its vision and leadership, financial performance and social and environmental responsibility. 

Conversely, brand damage occurs when companies become embroiled in scandals and crises such as financial corruption, leadership failure or environmental destruction. 

In the UTS study, participants were first asked to give an evaluation of the corporate reputation of each of the TV makers. Separately, the were asked to choose between televisions based on fairly standard features such as warranty, price or size, and in addition by novel features such as backlight control or dynamic range control. 

The research showed consumers were willing to pay extra for a product with important features and a good brand reputation, but less willing to pay a premium for products with novel features regardless of reputation. 

“Corporate reputation is not something that can be readily controlled by marketing managers, but it is definitely something that should command their attention,” Burke said. 

“Companies need to work hard to communicate they are environmentally and socially responsible, support good causes, have a positive work environment, and excellent leadership and financial performance, and do their best to mitigate brand damage."

Follow CMO on Twitter: @CMOAustralia, take part in the CMO conversation on LinkedIn: CMO ANZ, join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CMOAustralia, or check us out on Google+:google.com/+CmoAu  

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.
Show Comments

Latest Videos

More Videos

More Brand Posts

What are Chris Riddell's qualifications to talk about technology? What are the awards that Chris Riddell has won? I cannot seem to find ...

Tareq

Digital disruption isn’t disruption anymore: Why it’s time to refocus your business

Read more

Enterprisetalk

Mark

CMO's top 10 martech stories for the week - 9 June

Read more

Great e-commerce article!

Vadim Frost

CMO’s State of CX Leadership 2022 report finds the CX striving to align to business outcomes

Read more

Are you searching something related to Lottery and Lottery App then Agnito Technologies can be a help for you Agnito comes out as a true ...

jackson13

The Lottery Office CEO details journey into next-gen cross-channel campaign orchestration

Read more

Thorough testing and quality assurance are required for a bug-free Lottery Platform. I'm looking forward to dependability.

Ella Hall

The Lottery Office CEO details journey into next-gen cross-channel campaign orchestration

Read more

Blog Posts

Marketing prowess versus the enigma of the metaverse

Flash back to the classic film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Television-obsessed Mike insists on becoming the first person to be ‘sent by Wonkavision’, dematerialising on one end, pixel by pixel, and materialising in another space. His cinematic dreams are realised thanks to rash decisions as he is shrunken down to fit the digital universe, followed by a trip to the taffy puller to return to normal size.

Liz Miller

VP, Constellation Research

Why Excellent Leadership Begins with Vertical Growth

Why is it there is no shortage of leadership development materials, yet outstanding leadership is so rare? Despite having access to so many leadership principles, tools, systems and processes, why is it so hard to develop and improve as a leader?

Michael Bunting

Author, leadership expert

More than money talks in sports sponsorship

As a nation united by sport, brands are beginning to learn money alone won’t talk without aligned values and action. If recent events with major leagues and their players have shown us anything, it’s the next generation of athletes are standing by what they believe in – and they won’t let their values be superseded by money.

Simone Waugh

Managing Director, Publicis Queensland

Sign in