The (Mis)alignment between Offline and Online Brand Image

Abstract: Title: The (Mis)alignment between Offline and Online Brand Image: A Qualitative Study based on Customers’ Brand Associations of the Swedish Beauty Retailer Kicks. Purpose: The purpose is to explore the alignment or misalignment of a beauty retailer’s offline and online brand image based on customers’ brand associations. Theory: To explore a beauty retailer’s offline and online brand image, Keller’s (1993) framework of brand association is used and built upon to include Aaker’s (1997) framework of brand personality. Together, brand attributes, brand benefits and brand personality create the conceptual framework and thus, the concept of retailer brand image alignment. Methodology: This study follows a qualitative research strategy with an abductive approach grounded in a relativist and constructionist position. The empirical material consisted of 13 semi-structured interviews with Swedish customers of Kicks selected through convenience sampling, influenced by purposive sampling. The data was analysed through the process of sorting, reducing, and arguing. Findings: The findings indicate that both alignments and misalignments can be discovered between a retailer’s offline and online brand image. The empirical material shows that none of the elements were to its entirety aligned between the offline and online brand image. Symbolic benefits was the only brand image element found to be entirely misaligned. Implications: Academically, this study has suggested a comprehensive outline to explore the alignments or misalignments within a retailers’ offline and online brand image. It has contributed qualitatively to ongoing literature on brand image and through the creation of the retailer brand image alignment conceptual framework. Managerially, this new framework can work as a tool and could be valuable for brands and brand managers operating across various channels.