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The image of a strong brand always provides something that could not be copied easily (Keller 2003). As a result, names like Hewlett Packard, Sony, Toshiba, IBM, or Apple are well known and the products of those companies have enjoyed a high perception of quality and reliability (Hamann et al 2007). However, the product ranges of high-tech companies have become diversified so that brand has become diluted. As a result, companies have made efforts to develop a brand image that builds up a positive synergy between the brand and its products. (Lindstorm 2003).

Many studies reveal a positive relationship between a favourable brand image and performance. Fombrun & van Riel (1997) indicate that brand reputation which represents the brand's performance is a stable construct that stands for the essence of multiple images over time. Moreover, Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) argue that every brand is expected to have its own descriptive characteristics that shape an image over time. Oh (2000) and Chaudhuri (2002) report that important antecedents of customer value and behavioural intentions were brand effect, such as brand reputation.

Brand Positioning

It is common to distinguish brands based on their positioning. Positioning a brand means stressing the distinctive characteristics that make it different from its competitors. As a result, brand position reminds us that consumer choices are made on the basis of comparison. Positioning is a two-stage process: first, indicating to what category the brand should be associated and compared with (association phase); second, indicating what the brand's essential differences are in comparison to the other products and brands of the category (differentiation phase) (Dickson & Ginter 1987; Sujan & Dekleva 1987; Kapferer 2004b; Punj & Moon 2002).

.There are two positioning options provided by Punj & Moon (2002). Exemplar-based positioning attempts to demonstrate brand consideration through direct comparisons with the market leader or other major brands to associate with the brand chosen as the exemplar, facilitating the entry of the advertised brand into the consumer's consideration set.

In contrast, abstraction-based positioning is also to achieve brand consideration but without direct comparisons with the market leader or a major brand (Punj & Moon 2002). In the latter instance, Miniard et al (1993) argue that consumers are more likely to refer to standard ''constructed'' from memory about the attributes of the product category, because no brand comparison is provided or encouraged by the advertiser.

In Punj & Moon's (2002) research, choosing between two positioning options should be driven by a knowledge of how consumers categorise (identify and evaluate) brands with the processing of brand level information including product market definition (Srivastava et al 1984), structure of market and competition, history of industry organisation and market share condition (Carpenter et al本论文由英语论文网提供整理，提供论文代写，英语论文代写，代写论文，代写英语论文，代写留学生论文，代写英文论文，留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。