Marketing (Beograd. 1991) (Jan 2006)
Are media still the message? A comparative study of high and low involvement brands in Serbia
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate the importance of media choice for branding of high and low involvement products. Given the magnitude of branding today and the complexity of the media environment, the lack of modern studies comparing different media from the consumers' perspective especially in different cultural settings, is both profound and surprising. Studies of Larkin (1978) and Stephens (1981) are not only outdated but also US-specific. Furthermore, although McLuhan (2002) has famously claimed that the medium is the message, there is no contemporary marketing study examining this claim in relation to major branding elements such as brand awareness perceived quality, brand attitude, and brand image. The study's major contribution is that it attempts to fill in this research gap by investigating if and how consumers differentiate brands, with respect to the media that they appear in. A comparison between low and high involvement brands was considered apparent for a more comprehensive research approach. This study is a deductive and a quantitative one. Sample consisted of 160 respondents in Serbia, ranging from 18 to 59 years old, and the data collection method was a self-administered e-mail questionnaire. Major findings suggest that different media indeed affect various aspects of branding, with magazines favoring most of brand image characteristics, and television favoring brand awareness. However, analysis also indicated a clustering of television, magazine, and outdoor as media with similar scores in almost every aspect. This clustering has the potential to affect both branding and media planning decisions. Internet is found to be a promising medium for the future in Serbia but not so much for the present.
