The impact of program brands on consumer evaluations of television and radio broadcaster brands

Purpose – The goal of this paper is to examine how broadcaster brand images are affected by programming decisions. Design/methodology/approach – Two sets of experiments were undertaken with regular viewers/listeners of TV and radio stations. Subjects were presented with scenarios describing program success (failure) and program congruity (incongruity). Findings – Results show that perceptions of program brand success (failure) have an enhancement (dilution) effect on broadcaster brand image. Program familiarity intensifies these effects. Results also show that congruity (incongruity) of program brand image produces enhancement (dilution) effects on broadcaster brand image. Research limitations/implications – Program success and congruity are conceptually and empirically linked to broadcaster branding. Further work is required to examine the drivers of success and congruity. Practical implications – Results are of direct relevance for those managing broadcaster brands. They need to be aware that perceptions of a broadcaster can be enhanced (diluted) when viewers/listeners are exposed to evidence of (a) successful (unsuccessful) programs and (b) congruous (incongruous) programs. This calls for active management of perceptions of success and congruity. Originality/value – This is one of only a small number of papers in marketing to focus on the commercially important area of broadcaster branding. It highlights issues that are of significance for broadcasters and for those in communications and entertainment more broadly.