Decoding the complexity of the consumer-based brand equity process

Brand equity is a valuable (intangible) asset for firms. Research examines brand equity from the side of consumers, firms, or other stakeholders. Consumer-based brand equity focuses on consumers and represents positive business outcomes. Despite its importance, most extant literature focuses on brand equity as a construct, thus failing to recognize the complexity of the phenomenon. This study uses complexity theory and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis to put forth an empirically validated framework that shows consumerbased brand equity as a dynamic and sequential process consisting of three blocks: Brand building, brand understanding, and brand relationships. This study provides insights into the creation process of brand equity, and helps progress the discussion from a focus on brand equity as a construct to a focus on brand equity as a process