Tourism brands: An exploratory study of the brands box model

Abstract

This paper is based on exploratory research which seeks to apply the brands box model developed for physical goods by de Chernatony and McWilliam to the context of tourism brands. The brands box model is a four-cell matrix based on two dimensions of a brand, the ‘representationality’ dimension and the ‘functionality’ dimension. The methodology of an interview survey of a random sample of the general public was replicated as far as feasible, including the sample size, with adaptations in the Likert statements to allow for the replacement of physical goods by tourism brands. The choice of tourism brands was tested against an evaluation exercise using a convenience sample; all six brands were recognised as ‘household names’. As an exploratory study, the research sought to investigate the public perception in Oxford of the representationality and functionality dimensions of six tourism brands, and to suggest possible explanations for the pattern alongside implications for marketing practice. The emerging brands box matrix suggested that the brands were high on both dimensions, although there was some indication that the representationality dimension varied more than the functionality dimension.