Research Seminar by Prof. Justin Paul

Posted on July 29, 2022 by administrator

A research seminar by Dr. Justin Paul, Professor at University of Puerto Rico, USA, Visiting Professor at Henley Business School, UK
and a Distinguished Visiting Scholar, IIM Kozhikode was held on 28 July 2022.

Topic – Masstige model and measure for brand management

Abstract of the research paper on which the talk was based

The purpose of this article is to reconceptualize the term “masstige” (Mass Prestige) marketing, develop
a masstige model for brand management, and extend the use of the Masstige Mean Scale (MMS). The
study was conducted based on data from 600 individuals living in the United States, France, and
India using a structured questionnaire consisting of different factors/sources of brand equity, such as
mass prestige, brand knowledge, and perceived quality. On the basis of the findings, we establish that
the greater the brand’s Masstige Mean Index (MMI) value (“MMIV”), the higher the potential customers’
top-of-mind brand awareness. Low MMIVs imply that firms have a long way to go to build their brands.
We argue that MMI may allow firms to measure brand equity in different regions, within a country or in
foreign countries, to derive insights into the popularity of their brands. We posit three theoretical
propositions and develop two theoretical models (i) a hexagon model and (ii) a three-stage model for
masstige marketing to define, reconceptualize, and explain the phenomenon.