Brand-Nation Connection Scale

Abstract

The Brand-Nation Connection Scale (BNC), developed by He & Ge (2023), is a specialized inventory designed to measure the strength of the psychological bond between consumers and a commercial brand in relation to its national identity. This measure critically re-evaluates the traditional “country of origin” concept, framing it within the dynamics of increasing globalization by focusing on the interaction between the commercial entity and the nation as a brand itself.

Initially comprising 14 items, the scale was structured around two dimensions: the strength of the Nation-to-Brand Association and the strength of the Brand-to-Nation Association. After rigorous validation studies, including translation via a back-translation procedure into Chinese, the final structure was refined using factor analysis. The resulting measure consists of eight items, loading onto the two distinct factors (four items each). The primary purpose of the BNC Scale is to assess the role of this connection in influencing consumer perceptions of perceived brand globalness and brand competence.

Keywords

Nation-To-Brand Association, Brand-To-Nation Association, Brand-Nation Connection, Brand Names, Brand Preferences, Consumer Attitudes, Consumer Behavior, Marketing, Sociocultural Factors, Consumer Measures

Authors

He, Jiaxun, Ge, Jiaye

Purpose

The core purpose of the Brand-Nation Connection Scale is to provide a reliable and valid instrument for researchers and marketing practitioners to quantify the strength of the connection consumers perceive between a commercial brand and its originating nation.

Specifically, the measure is designed to assess the strategic influence of the brand-nation connection in predicting two crucial downstream consumer perceptions: the extent to which a brand is perceived as global (perceived brand globalness) and the consumer belief in the brand’s ability to perform effectively (brand competence). This assessment is vital for developing effective international marketing and branding strategies.

Construct

The Brand-Nation Connection (BNC) is conceptualized as a dual-dimensional psychological construct capturing the reciprocal relationship between a brand and its nation. Unlike traditional concepts that view the country of origin as a static descriptor, the BNC treats both the nation and the brand as dynamic entities influencing each other.

The two distinct factors that constitute the BNC are:

• Nation-to-Brand Association: This dimension captures the perceived link where the nation’s characteristics, image, or reputation are positively associated with and transferred to the commercial brand.
• Brand-to-Nation Association: This dimension captures the reciprocal influence, measuring the extent to which the commercial brand’s success, image, or reputation reflects positively upon, and thereby strengthens, the perception of the nation itself.

Validity

The validity of the scale was established through robust psychometric testing, with strong evidence supporting its construct validity.

Across all samples analyzed, the composite reliabilities (CR) for both the Nation-to-Brand and Brand-to-Nation dimensions consistently exceeded 0.80, which is significantly higher than the recommended minimum threshold of 0.70. Furthermore, the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) for both dimensions was calculated to be greater than 0.50. By satisfying both the CR and AVE requirements, the scale successfully demonstrated strong convergent construct validity.

Reliability

The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency, confirming its reliability across both measured factors.

For the Nation-to-Brand Association factor, both the Cronbach’s alpha and the Composite Reliability (CR) values were reported at 0.90. The Brand-to-Nation Association factor showed similar strength, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87 and a CR value of 0.88. In separate validation samples, the Cronbach’s alpha for each construct ranged from 0.78 to 0.93, consistently surpassing the commonly recommended value of 0.70, thereby confirming the high internal consistency of the two dimensions.

Factor Analysis

The dimensional structure of the BNC Scale was confirmed through sequential Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (EFA and CFA).

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis: The EFA yielded the final 8-item structure loading onto two distinct factors, successfully explaining 79.06% of the total variance. The CFA subsequently confirmed that this two-factor model was statistically superior to a combined single-factor model. The CFA fit indices for the core scale showed a χ²(df) = 178.78 (19), with a χ²/df ratio of 9.41. Other fit indices included GFI = 0.90, NNFI = 0.91, and CFI = 0.92.

The scale was also tested within a larger structural model incorporating constructs such as brand innovativeness, national traditions, perceived brand globalness, brand competence, technological turbulence, and cultural change. The fit indices for the large model remained robust: Sample 1 showed χ²/df = 2.44 (p < 0.001), RMSEA = 0.07, and CFI = 0.92. Sample 2 showed χ²/df = 1.84 (p < 0.001), RMSEA = 0.06, and CFI = 0.91.

Common Method Bias: Harman’s 1-factor test was employed to assess common method bias. The results indicated that the first factor explained only 40.47% of the total variance, confirming that no single factor accounted for the majority of the variance among the variables. This finding suggests that common method bias does not significantly threaten the validity of the scale’s findings (Podsakoff et al., 2003).

Instrument

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: Items are rated using seven-point scales, ranging from “totally disagree” to “totally agree.”

Language Available: English and Chinese.

Population Group: Human (Male and Female consumers).

Age Group: Adulthood (18 years & older), including Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs), Thirties (30-39 yrs), and Middle Age (40-64 yrs).

Population Details: The initial validation studies utilized samples of consumers located in China.

Test Methodology: The validation methodology included Test Validity, Construct Validity, Content Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Exploratory Factor Analysis.

Keywords

Nation-To-Brand Association, Brand-To-Nation Association, Brand-Nation Connection, Brand Competence, Perceived Brand Globalness, Consumer Attitudes

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier:

• He, Jiaxun: orcid.org/0000-0002-6324-514X
• Ge, Jiaye: orcid.org/0000-0001-9162-1854

Affiliation:

• He, Jiaxun: Faculty of Economics and Management, East China Normal University
• Ge, Jiaye: Institute for Nation(al) Branding Strategy, East China Normal University

Email addresses:

• He, Jiaxun: [email protected]

Correspondence Address:

• He, Jiaxun: [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

Commercial Use: No

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

He, J., & Ge, J. (2023). The dual impetus for perceived brand globalness and brand competence in a rapidly changing environment: The role of Brand-Nation Connection. International Marketing Review, 40(1), 4–27. doi.org/10.1108/IMR-06-2021-0210

Items of the Brand-Nation Connection Scale

No data is Available

The full item list is available in the published research paper cited in the references above: doi.org/10.1108/IMR-06-2021-0210