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If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to report the use of decision system analysis (DSA) mapping the streams of communications (i.e. interactions), thoughts, actions and decisions involved for advertising agencies as executives in these firms gain client approval, and design creative, promotional and media strategies. Design/methodology/approach -This study uses DSA. This little-used technique requires protocol analysis, interviews and observation before transcription of the organizational decision processes into flow charts. Findings -The research first identifies four models, describing four specific decision types, then derives a general model from them. Executives from four agencies not in the original sample later confirms the models. The models generally confirm the existing knowledge base, with a few minor exceptions.Research limitations/implications -This qualitative technique suffers the common malady of the researchers losing objectivity because of their immersion in the case-companies. Wherever possible the research employs quantitative techniques to verify observational judgments. Practical implications -The "thick description" and the summary charts of the advertising agency decision processes have the potential to aid agency decision makers to better structure their decision processes. Originality/value -The findings themselves are of significance to those involved in the advertising industry, and there is an element of originality in the classification and the thick descriptions of advertising agency decision systems. The resurrection of DSA and the demonstration that the technique is viable and valuable is also a contribution of the study.

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Purpose -Cyber-brands are regularly valued but, to date, there has been no reported research designed to understand the derivation of cyber brands' equity, so that attempts can be made to increase their brands' equity efficiently. This research aims to address the issue. Design/methodology/approach -To measure the strength of cyber brands, prior off-line research is replicated, taking a customer focus to identify determinate variables. These customer-focused variables are tested against cyber consumers' stated satisfaction and site-visit intention behavior, using regression analysis. Findings -The results satisfactorily justify the suggested model, which has a predictive power ranging from 62 to 72 per cent. Practical implications -The study shows that practitioners intent on raising the power of their cyber brand can be guided by the same model as used off-line. Originality/value -The major theoretical contribution of the study is to show that there is little difference between measuring and increasing brand power on or off-line.

Purpose -In most markets it is possible to identify a brand leader and a number of brand followers. The purpose of this paper is to address the following question: "Why should any consumer purchase a 'second-best' option?" Design/methodology/approach -Consideration of the way in which these two groups of consumers (brand leaders and followers) trade off product attributes (utilitarian benefits, hedonistic benefits and price fairness) during the choice process is made in the study by path analysis of the appropriate structural equation models and then a consideration of the level and the differences between the means of the three variables. Findings -The paper finds that utilitarian attributes are of paramount importance to satisfaction with the brand. This is not in accordance with conventional wisdom, which leads us to believe that price is most important to buyers of second-tier brands and hedonic considerations most important to buyers of leading brands.Research limitations/implications -The model fit attained is only good enough for exploratory work (GFI ¼ 0:88=0:90) so replication with a larger sample would be appropriate. In addition, the research is carried out in South Korea -although we know of no reason why this should affect the results it would be of interest to generalize the results to a western economy. Nevertheless, the method of first fitting the model then trading off the attribute levels is unusual and quite interesting. Practical implications -Marketers of leading brands should not concern themselves about price but merely stress the benefits, whereas marketers of follower brands should make much of the price differential. Originality/value -The importance of utilitarian benefits have hitherto not often been stressed when marketing premium brands -this research suggests that this is wrong.