Brand Relevance (Risk Reduction Function)

What it measures

A four-item scale measuring the degree to which a consumer uses brand name as a signal to reduce perceived purchase risk. Items capture risk-avoidance motivation for brand purchasing across quality assurance, disappointment prevention, and value-for-money judgments. Theorised as one of two determinants of brand relevance in a category, this subscale reflects the consumer's reliance on the brand as a dependability cue — a heuristic for reducing the uncertainty inherent in product quality evaluation.

Response format

7-point Likert

Scale items

• I purchase mainly brand name products because that reduces the risk of aggravation later.
• I purchase brand name products because I know that I get good quality.
• I choose brand name products to avoid disappointments.
• I purchase brand name products because I know that the performance promised is worth its money.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Multiple reliability estimates across countries in main study: α = .914 (France) to .937 (United States); pooled α = .928. Replication sample alphas: .927 to .946 — Fischer, Völckner & Sattler (2010). VALIDITY: Convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity supported across five countries and two independent datasets. NOTE: Scale was developed and validated in a cross-country study (France, Germany, Japan, UK, USA) — strong evidence of cross-cultural reliability. Companion scales: Brand Relevance (Social Demonstrance Function) and Brand Relevance in Category (BRIC) from the same study — together these form the conceptual framework for brand relevance measurement.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Fischer, Marc, Franziska Völckner, and Henrik Sattler (2010). How important are brands? A cross-category, cross-country study. Journal of Marketing Research, 47(5), 823–839.

Keywords