An Investigation of Factors Contributing to Consumer Brand Confusion

Abstract

The courts regularly address the question of whether an imitating mark or product is likely to confuse consumers and thus harm the owner of the mark. Consumers, however, can also be harmed by brand confusion. The results of this study reveal whether individual characteristics might predispose consumers to confusion and why some consumers appear more likely to become confused than others. A better understanding of why they may become confused can help both firms and overseer bodies, like the FTC, formulate more focused policies to help prevent this harm.

Variations in Strategic Philosophy among American and Mexican Managers

“…Indeed, competitors may distort consumer perceptions and reap the benefits of the initial strategic change. For example, a number of consumer goods companies are "imitators" (Foxman et al, 1990), and many consumers purchase the imitation product thinking it is the original. If the consumer dislikes the product, this dissatisfaction can be transferred to the original.…”

When High-Similarity Copycats Lose and Moderate-Similarity Copycats Gain: The Impact of Comparative Evaluation

“…These threats are based on the idea that the greater the similarity is between copycat and leader, the higher is the likelihood of brand confusion, and the more positive is consumers' evaluation of the copycat (Loken, Ross, and Hinkle 1986;Warlop and Alba 2004). Thus, copycatting research has focused on demonstrating potential brand confusion caused by high-similarity copycats (Foxman, Muehling, and Berger 1990;Howard, Kerin, and Gengler 2000;Kapferer 1995;Miaoulis and d'Amato 1978;Simonson 1994), and these are typically the cases brought to court (Collins-Dodd and Zaichkowsky 1999;Mitchell and Kearney 2002).…”

La estrategia me-too: un producto semejante con un nombre distintivo ubicado junto al líder

“…B. Cohen y Basu, 1987). Adicionalmente, una decisión equivocada que se atribuye a la semejanza entre empaques genera en el consumidor insatisfacción y rechazo hacia el producto que genera confusión (Arboleda, 2011;Foxman et al, 1990). Por otro lado, el uso de la estrategia me-too o actos de imitación pueden beneficiar a la sociedad en general en la medida en que aumenta la competitividad entre las empresas, aumentando la demanda por el producto, obligando a cambios que establezcan diferencias entre los productos de una categoría y ofreciendo al consumidor más alternativas al momento de elegir un producto (Sohn, 2008).…”