Beanie Babies: a case study in the engineering of a high-involvement/relationship-prone brand

Provides an example of a firm's use of distinguishing product attributes to engineer and nurture strong consumer-brand relationships. Ty Inc., manufacturer of the popular Beanie Babies brand, has effectively engineered the brand to incorporate attributes of nostalgic value, personification, uniqueness, facilitation, engagement, aesthetic appeal, quality/excellence, association, social visibility and image congruence, and price risk. By incorporating these attributes and actively nurturing consumer-brand relationships, Ty has benefited from greater customer satisfaction, which has led to higher purchase volumes, brand loyalty, and positive word-of-mouth communications. The straightforward methodology used to examine customer perceptions of Beanie Babies involved asking respondents to rate Beanie Babies on the ten characteristics associated with high-involvement, relationship-prone products. The same measurement approach could be easily replicated by managers of other firms to evaluate the relational potency of their own brands.