Decoding the complexity of the consumer-based brand equity process

Brand equity is a valuable (intangible) asset for firms. Research examines brand equity from the side of consumers, firms, or other stakeholders. Consumer-based brand equity focuses on consumers and represents positive business outcomes. Despite its importance, most extant literature focuses on brand equity as a construct, thus failing to recognize the complexity of the phenomenon. This study uses complexity theory and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to put forth an empirically validated framework that shows consumer-based brand equity as a dynamic and sequential process consisting of three blocks: Brand building, brand understanding, and brand relationships. This study provides insights into the creation process of brand equity, and helps progress the discussion from a focus on brand equity as a construct to a focus on brand equity as a process. (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.