Customer perceptions of services brands: a case study of J.D. Wetherspoons

Abstract

The service sector has dominated the economy of most advanced capitalist societies for some time but the branding of services has received much less attention than the branding of products in the literature. This case study of J.D. Wetherspoons, the UK’s leading pub brand, offers a simple and exploratory examination of a prominent services brand and as such looks to add to the growing number of studies in this field. The case outlines the development of pub brands within the UK and the origins and growth of J.D. Wetherspoons and its definition of its own brand attributes. The empirical investigation goes on to explore customers’ perceptions of the Wetherspoons brand. The case study suggests that the company has been successful in establishing a distinctive brand identity as a pub that sells a wide range of beers at cheap prices, but that some of the company’s other brand attributes are much less clearly perceived by customers and that staff behaviour is not always very effective in supporting and enhancing the brand.

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