About Prof. Barbara Kahn
Barbara E. Kahn is the Dorothy Silberberg Professor and Vice Dean and Director of the Wharton Undergraduate Division. She is a noted scholar whose
research on consumer choice, variety seeking and brand loyalty gives
marketing managers a better understanding of the hows and whys of consumer behavior. One
study Kahn led answered questions about how people''s buying habits change when they see what looks like unlimited, or too much, variety. Other recent work found that
consumers react positively to imaginative product names even if they are not particularly descriptive. The research may have strong implications for Internet marketers whose customers cannot see a product first-hand and tend to rely more on written descriptions when making purchases. Finally, another research study investigated how perceived variety in assortment might affect consumption quantities; this research has implications for dietary suggestions to curb over-eating tendencies.
In a second research stream, Kahn investigates the various factors that influences consumers'' decisions to take part in preventative health measures such as screening tests or safety devices. In one study Kahn investigated how false positive test results might affect future mammography decisions. In another study, Kahn examined the effects of emotional advertising in influencing undergraduate students to use various protective measures (e.g., condoms, bicycle helmets). This stream of research is designed to help public policy decision makers understand the critical factors that will encourage consumers to engage in preventative measures repeatedly.
A prolific scholar, Kahn''s research has been published in top-tier academic journals including the Journal of
consumer Research, the Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science and the Journal of Consumer Psychology. She is also the co-author of the 1997 book, Grocery Revolution: The New Focus on the Consumer, which chronicled the dramatically changing supermarket industry and outlined how consumers make supermarket choices.
Xing Zong: Prof. Kahn, your undergraduate degree is in English major and now you’re a top scholar specializing in marketing. Many readers will be curious to know that, in your opinion, is there any connection between Shakespeare and modern business world?
Kahn: No one has ever asked me that before! And I’m not sure I remember enough of my Shakespeare to give you a definitive answer. However, the skills one learns in reading and writing for an English literature degree are certainly useful in the modern business world.
Xing Zong: What are the major developments you have noted in the marketing field in recent years?
Kahn: I’m not sure if you are asking about marketing education or marketing practice, but I will answer for both. In marketing practice, obviously the new media (internet, texting, 24/7 connections, individualized media sources) have radically changed the marketing world. Viral marketing and buzz marketing are more important than ever in creating strong
brands. Consumers are now connected and they become the communicators of a firm’s
brand message. This is powerful but firms lose some of their direct control of their brand this way. In marketing education, the changes have been to move more and more towards experiential learning. More and more marketing courses are using simulations, hands-on learning projects and field work. It is now much easier for students to collect actual market research data using survey software on the internet, so students can produce quantitative results to support their projects.
Xing Zong: In modern business world, customers face too many brand temptations. When they turn on TV: hundreds of channels; browse internet: thousands of great websites; have some drink? Coca, Pepsi… What are the general principles to build a brand that can distinguish you from your competitors?
Kahn: The key to a good, strong brand is differentiatipositioning. What your brand means needs to be clear to a consumer within 30 seconds, and this brand meaning must be differentiated from other brands, and it must be important to the target consumer.
Xing Zong: The brand management is an interesting topic. Prof. Kahn, could you offer some insights on brand management for Chinese companies----how to maintain and increase the brand value? Another question is, why some companies give different names to their products? For example, Lexus car is produced by Toyota, but has another name. From brand management, will this bring any challenges?
Kahn: Marketers understand now that brand names are a very important asset to the firm, hence the term “brand equity.” Marketing managers are now thinking about building brands in a long term strategic fashion. This means one not only has to think of the brand in the present but also in the future. Further, a marketing manager would want to leverage the brand name in positive ways. This leads to the whole concept of brand architecture – people call it a “house of brands” or a “branded house.” Basically it becomes the marketer’s goal to think about the possible connections, fit and leverage one can have among the different brands in one’s brand architecture. Sometimes it makes sense to have a brand extension; other times it makes more sense to have an endorsed brand; and sometimes it makes more sense to develop a whole new brand name. The decisions are based on the strength and brand image and positioning of the brand, the nature of the product category, the relevant target customer and the nature of the competition.
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