A COMPARATIVE AND INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OF AAKER AND KELLER: TOWARDS A THREE-LAYER FRAMEWORK OF BRAND EQUITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69980/73c18b62Keywords:
brand equity, Aaker model, Keller CBBE, integrative review, theoretical integration, brand trustAbstract
This review paper develops an integrative framework that reconciles Aaker’s asset-based model and Keller’s Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) pyramid, two dominant but traditionally parallel perspectives in brand equity research. While prior studies have compared these frameworks, they have largely remained analytically separate. This study synthesises their theoretical foundations, structural differences, and areas of complementarity through an integrative review approach. Aaker conceptualises brand equity as a portfolio of strategic assets, whereas Keller frames it as a staged process of consumer relationship development. Building on this distinction, the paper proposes a three-layer framework integrating structural foundations, consumer processes, and market outcomes, with brand trust as a mediating mechanism. Ten theoretical propositions are derived to guide future empirical research across digital, cross-cultural, and sustainability contexts. By formalising the integration of asset-based and consumer-based perspectives, this review contributes to advancing brand equity theory and offers a structured basis for both academic research and managerial application.
References
This review paper develops an integrative framework that reconciles Aaker’s asset-based model and Keller’s Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) pyramid, two dominant but traditionally parallel perspectives in brand equity research. While prior studies have compared these frameworks, they have largely remained analytically separate. This study synthesises their theoretical foundations, structural differences, and areas of complementarity through an integrative review approach. Aaker conceptualises brand equity as a portfolio of strategic assets, whereas Keller frames it as a staged process of consumer relationship development. Building on this distinction, the paper proposes a three-layer framework integrating structural foundations, consumer processes, and market outcomes, with brand trust as a mediating mechanism. Ten theoretical propositions are derived to guide future empirical research across digital, cross-cultural, and sustainability contexts. By formalising the integration of asset-based and consumer-based perspectives, this review contributes to advancing brand equity theory and offers a structured basis for both academic research and managerial application.
