Does the brand affect the quality perception of news articles? – An experimental study on news media brands in Switzerland

ABSTRACT

Branding has become of increasing importance to news media companies as strategy to face fierce competition. But branding measures within news media are perceived controversially – because brands could disguise a possible loss of journalistic quality. This study investigates if recipients evaluate the quality of the news articles based on the content or the brand, and to what extend the brand and its constructs affect the quality perception of news articles. By doing so, the study aims at underlining the necessity of sustaining journalistic quality and the need for quality news brands to pursue a quality orientation. Results of the online experiment indicate that the quality evaluation is rather based on the actual content than the brand, although the brand also showed to be influential.

KEYWORDS:

• News outlets
• journalistic quality
• media branding
• media brands
• online experiment
• audience perception

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. A definition of journalistic quality is difficult for media products and often controversially discussed (Picard, 2000; Wyss, 2002). This study does not aim at further elaborating these debates but rather refers to Siegert’s (2015) definition of quality news brands. Journalistic quality of the content is understood from a normative perspective and therefore should refer to and reflect journalistic quality criteria, such as objectivity, impartiality and diversity (Schatz & Schulz, 1992; Wyss, 2002) as well as the fulfilment of societal functions (Curran, 2005).

2. Contrary to the US media market, newspapers continue to be an important news source in German-speaking markets and enjoy far higher levels of trust than other media sources (e.g. Esser & Brüggemann, 2010; Van Eimeren & Ridder, 2011).

3. Customer-based brand equity (CBBE) is a construct that integrates and allows the measurement of consumers’ attachment to a brand that has gained popularity in recent years within research (e.g. Aaker, 1991; Keller, 1993). The CBBE construct represents a consumer-based behavioural view of brand equity (Yoo & Donthu, 2001) which includes loyalty, quality perception, brand associations and brand awareness.

4. Chan-Olmsted et al. (2013) refers to the relationship intention construct in an online communication environment suggested by Kumar, Bohling and Ladda (2003) including five dimensions: involvement, expectation, forgiveness, feedback and fear of loss.

5. The article covered a service story on ticks, tick-borne diseases and possible precautionary measures against ticks.

6. Factor loadings: credibility of the article (.856), objectivity of the article (.849), journalistic quality (.815).

7. Prior to the study, participants were initially asked if they are familiar with the brands investigated. Only participants who were familiar with the brands displayed were included into the analysis. Due to the absence of a brand, members of the control group were excluded from all brand-related questions and analysis.

8. The items used for further analysis are described in Table 1.

9. Yoo and Donthu (2001) originally used the item “Even if there is a newspaper with the same quality I would prefer this newspaper” within an overall brand equity construct. We included the item into the loyalty construct because it aims at the loyalty of usage.

10. The mean score name is shortened. The score includes the reputation, perceived quality and relationship intention constructs.

11. Scheffé post-hoc test was performed. For all significant results reported, p < .05 applies, if not reported differently.