Branding in the promotion of healthy movement behaviours

Abstract

Organizations and health resources or products with strong brands can augment interventions encouraging people to move more, sit less, and sleep better. This manuscript-based dissertation is composed of four studies that were designed with the purpose of enhancing our understanding of what makes a strong brand for promoting the full continuum of movement behaviours from sleep to vigorous physical activity. Study 1 examined a physical activity organization brand to test the brand equity pyramid. Participants were a large, representative sample of Canadian adults. The analyses indicated that there was a five-factor brand equity framework (i.e., brand identity, brand meaning, brand responses, brand resonance, and intentions), and that each factor positively predicted the next. Study 2 examined a product brand to test the brand equity pyramid. Participants were a representative sample of Canadian parents with a child 5-12 years of age. The study demonstrated a four-factor brand equity framework in this case (i.e., brand identity, brand meaning [performance beliefs and imagery beliefs], and brand resonance), and that brand identity predicted performance and imagery, and performance and imagery predicted resonance. Study 3 also explored the brand of a product to test the brand equity pyramid. This study was an experiment comparing a brand intervention group to a control group. Participants in this study were similar in make-up to those in Study 2. Most importantly, the intervention group displayed a more positive attitude toward reducing their child’s sedentary behaviour and this effect was mediated by product credibility, warmth, and fun. Finally, Study 4 investigated determinants of attitude toward an organization’s promotion of a behaviour (i.e., brand extension attitude) to their child. Participants in this study were similar to individuals in Studies 2 and 3. The results generally indicated that participants were most amenable to the organization’s promotion of more light and moderate to vigorous physical activity, more sleep, and less sedentary behaviour when participants had a positive organizational attitude and when the participants perceived strong fit between the organization and the behaviour. This dissertation demonstrated that branding matters in the promotion of optimal movement patterns. The results identify brand equity variables that organizations can target to enhance their interventions.