In the rapidly evolving landscape of 2026, the agricultural sector has moved far beyond simple commodity production, transforming into a sophisticated arena of brand competition where regional identity and quality assurance dictate market survival. As an authority in agricultural economics and marketing research, I have dedicated my career to deciphering the psychological and operational threads that bind consumers to regional public brands. This transition, fueled by national rural revitalization and agricultural modernization initiatives, has seen the rise of “umbrella brands” that aggregate the diverse outputs of entire regions under a single, trusted banner. My recent deep-dive into the Tianfu Hetao brand within Inner Mongolia serves as a cornerstone for understanding how tangible operational standards and digital traceability have replaced vague marketing promises as the primary drivers of consumer loyalty in the modern era.
The core themes of this exploration center on the intricate Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) framework, which reveals that marketing stimuli do not influence purchasing habits in a vacuum. Instead, there is a sequential journey from cognitive brand recognition to affective brand image, where the former acts as the critical gateway for the latter. We have moved past the era of relying solely on the Theory of Planned Behavior, focusing instead on how five specific dimensions—brand personality, products and services, sales, communication, and management—interact to shape a consumer’s internal state. The findings suggest a hierarchy of influence where product value and operational capabilities carry more weight than public relations, emphasizing that for educated, multigenerational households, the promise of a price premium must be backed by a transparent, verified supply chain.
High-quality product standards and strict supply chain management are central to consumer trust. How do these operational factors specifically translate into a preference for regional public brands over traditional alternatives?
In our research, we found that operational capability is the single most powerful predictor of a brand’s image, boasting a path coefficient of 0.200. This isn’t just a dry statistic; it represents the peace of mind a parent feels when they scan a QR code on a bottle of sunflower oil or a package of lamb from Bayannur City and see the entire journey from farm to table. When consumers perceive that a brand like Tianfu Hetao utilizes rigorous certification standards and sophisticated traceability systems, it creates a “halo effect” of safety and reliability that traditional, unbranded produce cannot match. These operational stimuli serve as the “Organism” triggers in our SOR model, transforming a simple commodity into a high-value asset. We observed that product value itself had the strongest influence on brand recognition at 0.187, meaning that the tactile quality—the richness of the grains or the freshness of the dairy—is what first anchors the brand in the consumer’s mind. By 2026, the market has become so saturated with information that only these tangible markers of quality can cut through the noise to establish a lasting preference.
The research highlights a distinction between “brand recognition” and “brand image” as mediators for consumer behavior. Could you elaborate on why cognitive recognition seems to be a more powerful predictor of final preference than the emotional brand image?
It is a common misconception in traditional marketing that you must first win the “heart” of the consumer to win their wallet, but our data from the 498 validated respondents tells a more nuanced story. Brand recognition showed a direct path coefficient of 0.317 to brand preference, significantly outperforming the 0.232 coefficient associated with brand image. This tells us that in the agricultural sector, the “gateway” is cognitive; consumers are practical, and their preference is often driven by the ease of identifying a trusted name in a crowded supermarket or digital marketplace. While an affective “brand image” creates an emotional bond, it is the clarity of recognition that provides the immediate confidence needed to complete a purchase. For a regional public brand, this means that having a distinctive brand name and a clear business culture acts as a foundational cognitive stimulus. Our sequential mediation analysis confirmed that for certain factors, like public relations or customer service, the impact on preference is realized exclusively through this cognitive-to-affective chain. Without that initial spark of recognition, even the most beautiful brand image remains invisible to the shopper.
Your study utilized a very specific demographic of consumers, many of whom are young and highly educated. What does this shift in consumer demographics mean for the future of regional branding?
The demographic profile we uncovered was truly eye-opening, with the 20-29 age bracket representing 35.9% of our participants, followed closely by the 30-39 bracket at 26.5%. These are digital natives who value transparency and efficiency, and 41.4% of them hold bachelor’s degrees, making them highly discerning and less susceptible to empty slogans. Furthermore, since 43.6% of our respondents live in multigenerational households with children or elderly relatives, their purchasing decisions are often weighted by a deep sense of responsibility toward family health. These consumers are looking for “omnichannel” experiences that bridge the gap between specialty retail stores and digital survey platforms like Credamo. They aren’t just buying food; they are investing in the rural revitalization of regions like Inner Mongolia. This demographic shift requires us to pivot our marketing toward factual, traceable data and accessible shopping channels, as these educated consumers are the ones driving the noticeble market price premiums that authorized regional products now command.
While advertising and product value are shown to be effective, certain traditional factors like public relations and brand protection did not show a direct impact on brand image. Why might these “soft” marketing efforts be failing to resonate?
This was one of the most surprising structural refinements in our model, where paths like brand protection predicting brand image actually showed a negative critical ratio of -0.627. What this suggests is that in 2026, things like institutional brand protection and anti-counterfeiting measures are seen as “baseline” expectations rather than “bonus” features that enhance a brand’s emotional image. Similarly, public relations activities had a non-significant probability value of 0.657 when predicting brand image. It appears that consumers have become somewhat cynical or perhaps just exhausted by superficial promotional events and “fluff” narratives. They don’t want to see a gala celebrating a brand; they want to see the brand working for them through responsive customer service and accessible purchasing channels. Our analysis shows that PR can help with brand recognition (0.130), but it doesn’t independently foster deep emotional goodwill. If the product value and operational traceability aren’t there to back up the PR, the consumer perceives a “value gap,” and the psychological transmission to brand preference is broken.
The “Tianfu Hetao” brand covers everything from grains and oils to cashmere and traditional Chinese medicine. How does such a broad product range influence the way a regional brand must manage its marketing stimuli?
Managing an umbrella brand that spans seven primary categories—including livestock meat, dairy, and even traditional medicinal materials—is an immense administrative challenge that requires a unified marketing strategy. Our research proves that for such a diverse portfolio, the “operational capability” dimension is the glue that holds everything together. Whether a consumer is buying cashmere or fruit, they are looking for that consistent 0.200 impact of operational standards and certification. This means the government-guided structure and the state-owned platform enterprise must ensure that the “brand personality” and “brand name” are applied with surgical precision across all categories to maintain that 0.187 link to brand recognition. If the quality of the dairy slips, it potentially damages the recognition of the grains. We found that the shopping experience and advertising communication must be “omnichannel” to accommodate this variety, ensuring that whether a customer is in a large supermarket or an agricultural trade expo, the “Tianfu Hetao” identity remains a singular, cohesive stimulus that triggers a predictable, positive response.
What is your forecast for the evolution of regional public agricultural brands?
I forecast that the next several years will see a “great consolidation” where only regional brands that successfully integrate digital twins and real-time biometric traceability into their operational management will survive. We are moving toward a market where the path coefficient of operational capability will likely rise even further as consumers demand even more granular data about the environmental impact and ethical sourcing of their food. I expect to see a decline in the effectiveness of traditional advertising, which currently has a 0.033 indirect effect on preference, in favor of “experience-led” marketing where the shopping journey itself—both online and offline—becomes the primary stimulus. By 2030, the regional brands that thrive will be those that treat their “public brand” status not as a policy-driven shield, but as a rigorous, data-backed guarantee of excellence that justifies a 20% to 30% price premium through undeniable, transparent product value.
