Marketing & consumer behavior
Brand equity scale: what it is and how to measure it
- Concept
- Brand Equity
- Field
- Marketing & consumer behavior
- Scales in the library
- 4
- Items
- 14
Customer-based brand equity is the added value a brand brings in customers' minds and choices. Yoo and Donthu (2001) measure it following Aaker and Keller with the multidimensional MBE scale (10 items, 3 components: brand loyalty, perceived quality, brand awareness and associations) and the 4-item overall OBE scale. In Vietnam, the scale is often used for brand equity of phones, cosmetics, beverages, banks, tourist destinations, and for the effects of advertising and social media.
Comparing the scales
| Scale | Author (year) | Items | Response format | When to use it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Brand Equity (OBE) Consumer-based brand equity | Yoo, Donthu & Lee (2000) | 4 | Likert 7-point | Overall brand equity, 4 items, usually the dependent variable. |
| Brand Loyalty (BL) Consumer-based brand equity | Yoo & Donthu (2001) | 3 | Likert 7-point | Brand loyalty, 3 items. |
| Perceived Quality (PQ) Consumer-based brand equity | Yoo & Donthu (2001) | 2 | Likert 7-point | Perceived quality, 2 items. |
| Brand Awareness/Associations (BAA) Consumer-based brand equity | Yoo & Donthu (2001) | 5 | Likert 7-point | Brand awareness and associations, 5 items, including 1 reverse-worded item (BAA5). |
Items of each scale
Original English wording from the published source. Replace placeholders such as [system] or
[brand] with what your study is about, and pilot the questionnaire with 20 to 30 respondents first.
Overall Brand Equity (OBE) · Consumer-based brand equity
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| OBE1 | It makes sense to buy [brand] instead of any other brand, even if they are the same. |
| OBE2 | Even if another brand has same features as [brand], I would prefer to buy [brand]. |
| OBE3 | If there is another brand as good as [brand], I prefer to buy [brand]. |
| OBE4 | If another brand is not different from [brand] in any way, it seems smarter to purchase [brand]. |
Source: Yoo, Donthu & Lee (2000). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Consumer-based brand equity.
Brand Loyalty (BL) · Consumer-based brand equity
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| BL1 | I consider myself to be loyal to [brand]. |
| BL2 | [brand] would be my first choice. |
| BL3 | I will not buy other brands if [brand] is available at the store. |
Source: Yoo & Donthu (2001). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Consumer-based brand equity.
Perceived Quality (PQ) · Consumer-based brand equity
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| PQ1 | The likely quality of [brand] is extremely high. |
| PQ2 | The likelihood that [brand] would be functional is very high. |
Source: Yoo & Donthu (2001). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Consumer-based brand equity.
Brand Awareness/Associations (BAA) · Consumer-based brand equity
| Code | Item |
|---|---|
| BAA1 | I can recognize [brand] among other competing brands. |
| BAA2 | I am aware of [brand]. |
| BAA3 | Some characteristics of [brand] come to my mind quickly. |
| BAA4 | I can quickly recall the symbol or logo of [brand]. |
| BAA5 (R) | I have difficulty in imagining [brand] in my mind. |
Source: Yoo & Donthu (2001). Response scale, licence and APA reference: Consumer-based brand equity.
(R): reverse-coded item; recode before analysis. Consumer-based brand equity: 1–7 scale: new score = 1 + 7 − score = 8 − score; 1–5 scale: new score = 1 + 5 − score = 6 − score.
Tips
- A common model: the three MBE components affect overall brand equity (OBE).
- Perceived quality has only 2 items; report the correlation between the two items if alpha is low.
- BAA5 is reverse-worded and must be reverse-coded.
- Replace 'X' in the items with a specific brand name; each questionnaire should ask about one brand the respondent already knows.
Once you have a scale, put the concept in the research model drawer to state your hypotheses, work out the minimum sample size, and after data collection check reliability with the Cronbach's alpha calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What components does brand equity have?
According to Yoo and Donthu (2001): brand loyalty, perceived quality, and brand awareness and associations, plus overall brand equity measured separately.
Do I need to measure both MBE and OBE?
If your hypothesis is that the components affect brand equity, you need both. If brand equity is only an independent variable, the 4-item OBE is enough.
Who should a brand equity study survey?
People who know or have used the brand; put a screening question at the start of the questionnaire to exclude those who have never heard of it.
References
- Yoo, B., & Donthu, N. (2001). Developing and validating a multidimensional consumer-based brand equity scale. Journal of Business Research, 52(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(99)00098-3