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Examining Online Brand Image Dimensions from Hotel Managers’ and Customers’ Perspectives in relation to

Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory

Duangthida Nunthapirat (Amy), Andrew Lockwood, Brigitte Stangl, and Hesham Al-Sabbahy

School of Hospitality and Tourism ManagementUniversity of Surrey, UK.

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Research aims

• To explore the dimensions of online brand image from a holistic point of view and to investigate the online brand attributes that determine online brand image

• To explore online brand attributes in relation to Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory (1959)

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Agenda• Literature review

– Brand Image and Online Brand Image

– Online Brand Image and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory (1959)

• Qualitative approach: Semi-structured interviews with – Hotel marketing managers

– Hotel customers

• Results & theoretical discussion

• Managerial implications

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Brand Image • Brand image is the idea that consumers buy brands not only for their

physical attributes and functions, but also because of the meanings connected with the brands (Levy & Glick, 1973)

• Brand image can be considered as the combined effect of brand associations (attributes, benefits and attitude), brand personality and marketing communications held in the consumer’s memory (Aaker, 1997; Biel, 1992; Keller, 1993; Park et al., 1986).

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Offline vs. Online Brand Image The dimensions of brand image in the offline and online contexts are similar (e.g., Park et al, 1986; Aaker1997; Keller, 1993; Coupland et al., 2003; Morgan et al., 2003; de Chernatony and Christodoulides, 2004; Da Silva and Syed Alwi, 2008)

Integration between offline and online brand image is essential (Kwon and Lennon, 2009)

Brand Associations

Customer Experience

Brand Personality

Market Communication

Offline Brand Image

Online Brand Attributes

Customer Experience

Brand Personality

eWOM

Online Brand Image

Integration

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Online brand image & Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory (1959)

(Christodoullides and de Chernatony, 2004)

Herzberg’s two-factor theory (1959) Online brand image

Herzberg’s (1959), and Park et al.’s (1986) theories deal with human motivation and needs and what is required to meet those needs.

• Hygiene factors prevent employee dissatisfaction

• Motivational factors make people satisfied

The customer may start with the rational (or functional) value first then progress to a higher level, the emotional value

• Hygiene factors: Salary and working condition

• Motivational factors: achievement and growth

• Hygiene factors: Online brand attributes such as navigation and ease of use

• Motivational factors: brand personality

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Methodology

Exploratory research to find out which online brand attributes determine online brand image• Study 1: Semi-structured interviews with marketing

managers from nine-branded hotels • Study 2: Semi-structured interviews with hotel customers

Step 1

Interview before activities

Step 2

Scenario-based activity

Step 3

Website image testing

Step 4 Interviews after

activities

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MethodologyThe interviewees: Customers who had experience in searching and booking a hotel online• Step 1: General questions related to customers’ previous hotel information

search experience• Step 2: Scenario-based activity: Search for a hotel in Thailand

Step 4: Questions concerning search experience • Step 3: Five hotel website images were shown with logo covered

Step 4: Questions about their opinions on these 5 images

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Findings

The findings are delineated under two major dimensions:

1. Brand attributes2. Online marketing

communication

Ease of use Search engines

Content eWOM

Structure and layout

Site appearance

Price

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(1) Ease of use

“Websites should be easy to use. If it takes so much time for customers to navigate online, they will feel upset about it and it will impact on our

hotel brand image (M2).”

“I don’t think there is an excuse for having a poor website. Don’t make it too hard to get somewhere; don’t make me go to a lot of screens. If I

want to go to page 3, I should get that quickly (C2).”

1. Online brand attributes

• Related to website design (Song and Zahedi, 2005)• Online image (Da Silva and Syed Alwi, 2008)

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(2) Site Appearance

“When it comes to your visuals, it affects your image and your brand. You need to make sure that you are on top of everything, because every

single touch point can affect your brand perception” (M4).

“The colour on the website is purple which coordinates with the brand image that we can see everywhere. Every time I think of this brand, it is purple - even inside the room, it has been decorated in purple colour”

(C18).

• Influences attitude towards experience (Santos, 2003; Venkatesh and Agarwal, 2006)

1. Online brand attributes

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(4) Structure and Layout Structure and layout was not mentioned by hotel managers

“I can see that image because it’s consistent; you are bombarded with it; the hotel could draw the logo because it’s a consistent sort of image. When you look at the

page, it’s not even the words, it’s not even anything else; it is a kind of picture, layout page, colour that use to present its corporate message every page, you get

a certain feel to it” (C8).

“This website has a white background; it does not provide any information on the first page, and you need to flip to the next page. This looks like an upper-class

hotel, something which is quite elegant (C4).

• Consistent layout, good use of frames, company logo on each page to enhance branding (Santos, 2003)

1. Online brand attributes

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(5) Price

“We use Expedia and we offer a promotional price; yes it dilutes our brand image but unfortunately for us the strength of the brand with Expedia is quite a bit

stronger than using internal communication. I agree that it dilutes our brand and it takes people away but in another way it allows you to be found” (M1).

“Really, this brand (hotel A), I am quite surprised as actually I would expect it to be more expensive. Maybe they don’t want to appeal so much up-market. It’s

interesting as well; you’ve got here rooms from £69 but actually I would not associate that price with this (hotel A). I would expect you would pay more than

£100 for staying in it” (C19).

• Price is an indicator of quality and consequently impacts on brand image (Cretu and Brodie, 2007)

1. Online brand attributes

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2. Online marketing communication

(1) Search engines

“The Internet can make us more visible; you need to make sure that you are well presented in the internet; … how you are found in the internet through SEO is

very important. It is critical because people do not actually look through to page 2, 3, and 4 of their search. They will not look any further from the first

page” (M6).

“When I search for a hotel, I will use Google and I believe that first three pages on the search engine are up-to-date and reliable” (C15).

• Search engines contain branding elements such as symbols, logos, names (Jansen et al., 2007)

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2. Online marketing communication

(2) Electronic word-of-mouth

“Online reviews impact our brand image, which is quite difficult to handle. Where’s the reliability and credibility of information? Customers see different comments from different websites and they can compare. We have built long

term offline brand image so online negative comment might impact a bit” (M1)

“I think customer review is very important to me; sometimes a brand is big but the customer review is poor. The comment said “the room is too old, even though

it’s big chain hotel; I just really don’t want to stay there” (C2).

• Create empathy and emotional involvement (Ye et al., 2009)• Reviews impact on decision making (O’Conner, 2010)

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Methodology

Assigning online brand image attributes to Herzberg’s two-factors

Definitions based on literature

Statements from customers and

managers

Motivational or Hygiene factor

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Assigning attributes to Herzberg’s Two-Factors (1959)

Motivational Factors Hygiene Factors

Ease of useContent

Structure and layoutSEO

Site appearanceeWOM

Symbolic benefits

(emotion)

Functional benefits

Price

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Theoretical reflection• Both managers and customers claimed that ease of use, content, site

appearance, price, search engines and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) impact their perception of a hotel brand.

• Structure and layout were not mentioned by hotel marketing managers but were noted by hotel customers.

• Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory (1959):– Hygiene factors (functional value): Ease of use, content, structure and

layout, and search engine optimization– Motivational factors (emotional value): Site appearance and electronic

word-of-mouth– Functional and/or emotional value: Price Target group

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Managerial Implications• Positive hotel brand image:

– Online brand attributes (website)– Search engines and– eWOM

• Hotels should make sure to satisfy needs with regards to hygiene factors while being aware that these factors are not sufficient to boost positive hotel brand image.

• Structure and layout: Closing the gap between brand identity and brand image is still important by integrating both online and offline marketing communication.

• Consequences of different prices on various platforms for brand image

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THANK YOUQ & A