The Effects of the Image Differentiated Positioning Strategy on Airlines Consumer Behavior: An Application of the Schema Theory

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to establish and test a model of the image differentiation positioning strategy in the airline industry. This study is based on the schema, which is defined as “a stored framework of cognitive knowledge that represents information about a topic, a concept, or a particular stimulus, including its attributes and the relations among the attributes” (Aggarwal & McGill, 2007, p. 470). The objectives of the study are: (a) to compare the differences between two models (schema plus tag model and subtyping model) of the schematic process; (b) to identify the relationship between the image differentiated positioning strategy and the schematic process; and (c) to assess how the schematic process influences future consumer behavior (attitude and purchasing behavior). Results showed that the airline's image differentiated positioning strategy had a positive effect on future consumer behavior through the schema.

Keywords:

• Image differentiation
• positioning
• schema
• airline service
• consumer behavior
• schema plus tag
• subtyping

Acknowledgments

We would like to give our special thanks to Prof. Dr. Chul Won Kim from the Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea who advised the idea of applying the schema theory to the airline industry in the first and helped complete the reaserch.

Notes