Exploration of Apparel Brand Knowledge

Four phases of research were conducted to explore female college consumers’ apparel brand knowledge using students from a Southeastern university. First, results from a survey revealed a positive correlation between apparel brands’ recall and recognition performances (Phase 1). In Phase 2, through a brand-sorting task, four major apparel brand categories commonly perceived by female college consumers were identified. An online survey with a random sample of students (Phase 3) discovered that brands with higher levels of brand awareness were not necessarily linked to more favorable brand associations. Finally, an online experiment revealed that consumers’ cognitive structures of brand-category memberships were significantly affected by the model of categorization they were asked to use by the researchers (Phase 4). This study provided insight into the constructs of brand awareness, brand associations, and the three models of categorization which may aid consumers when identifying and classifying apparel brands in the market.