Perceived quality and image: When all is not “rosy”

The “meaning” of a brand resides in the minds of consumers, based on what they have learned, felt, seen, and heard over time. This study explores the relationship between quality and image with special attention on brands plagued with negative impressions, including instances where consumersʹ perceptions of a productʹs quality conflict with its perceived “image”. Data confirm that quality and image impact attitudes in a distinct manner, and overall, low brand image is more damaging than low quality. In addition, findings show that (1) hedonic attitudes towards brands are most driven by image, whereas utilitarian attitude formation/change processes are dominated by quality, (2) non-attribute brand beliefs are a stronger predictor of hedonic attitudes when quality or image is low versus high, while (3) attribute-based beliefs are strong predictors of utilitarian attitudes across image and quality levels.