Product Overview

This note was written as an updated version of "Perspectives on Brand Equity" (UVA-M-0668), and may be used in its place. This note provides a resource to aid in understanding brand equity: its creation, maintenance, measurement, and value. Suitable for use in introductory courses in marketing at the undergraduate and MBA levels, this note presents an overview of brand perspectives including those of Millward Brown, Young & Rubicam, David Aaker, William Moran, and Interbrand.Brand equity refers to a value premium that a company generates from a product with a recognizable name when compared to a generic equivalent. Companies can create brand equity for their products by making them memorable, easily recognizable, and superior in quality and reliability.Unlike Tesla, which battled to sell cars directly to the public, Uber created value by adding a layer between limos and prospective riders, organizing the market for convenience and transparency for both sides. Where Uber stirred up the competitive equivalent of a hornet's nest was with expansion from the livery car market into the taxi service market with UberX. The material allows for a lively discussion around disruptive digital technology and the firm's business model.

Learning Objectives

Brand equity is a marketing term that describes a brand’s value. That value is determined by consumer perception of and experiences with the brand. If people think highly of a brand, it has positive brand equity. When a brand consistently under-delivers and disappoints to the point where people recommend that others avoid it, it has negative brand equity.