Abstract

Two multi-brand models of consumer brand choice behavior have emerged and have been tested over the years and in a number of countries. The Brisoux-Laroche brand categorization model permits one to predict consumer brand choice by knowing the focal brand's location in a certain category or set in the consumer's mind. The competitive vulnerability model allows prediction of consumer's brand choice by knowing his or her cognitions of, attitudes and intentions toward, and confidence in evaluation of the focal brand as well as competing brands. The net utility analysis is yet another approach to forecasting changes in the consideration set membership. Bliemel's (1984) price-quality evaluations framework sheds more light on the brand categorization process and assists in understanding consumers' brand choice behavior from a perspective of the net utility concept. In this study we test the Brisoux-Laroche categorization model, price-quality framework and the Laroche's competitive vulnerability model in a setting new to the North American tradition of consumer behaviour research, a post-Soviet country with a transitional economy, Kazakhstan. Testing all three frameworks in this study is led by a general goal--to understand how Kazakhstan consumers arrive at their purchase decisions. It was hypothesized that three frameworks would be useful in explaining brand choice and categorization behaviors of Kazakhstan consumers. The Kazakhstan beer market serves as a subject of study. The study is concluded with interesting managerial implications that could be useful to manufacturers, brand managers and other marketing practitioners working in Kazakhstan beer industry.