Do Prototypical Brands Have an Advantage Over Me-Too Brands in the Mature Marketplace?

Abstract

This article explores the differential impacts of prototypical and me-too brands on purchase intentions for MP3 players and bank loans. A total of 674 responses were collected from self-administered surveys across two studies. Findings suggest that prototypical brands lose their competitive advantage in a mature marketplace. For both studies, the prototypical brand posed as a stronger financial/performance risk to purchase intention. The prototypical brand also presented as stronger social risk and psychological risk in Study 2 and Study 1 respectively. Quality perceived in the me-too brands had a stronger influence on purchase intention in Study 1. For both studies, the prototypical brand's extrinsic cues exerted stronger influence on purchase intention. Finally, in Study 1, familiarity with the me-too brands had a stronger influence on purchase intention.

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