Factors influencing brand preference of beer consumption in port-harcourt metropolis, Rivers state, Nigeria.

The objective of this study was to identify the factors influencing preference for a brand of beer in Port-Harcourt metropolis and determine their relationship with brand preference of beer consumption. The variables included in this study are advertisement, peer group influence, situational variation as independent variables and brand preference of beer as dependent variable. A sample of 354 beer consumers was systematically selected for this study. A structured questionnaire based on likert type scale was used to elicit information from the sampled respondents in three zones for which Port-Harcourt metropolis was divided. The instruments were validated and their reliability established through a test – re-test method. Our hypotheses were supported. Result of the data analysis revealed significant positive relationship between advertisement (r = 1.0), peer group influence (r = 0.96), situational variation (r = 0.98) and brand preference of beer consumers. The implication of this finding is that beer producing firms who wants to be on the cutting edge of competition should develop a more effective advertising campaign programme to increase consumer’s preference for their brand. Advertisement for beer brands should convey information about the advantages which the brand being advertise would offer over the others. The advert should encourage group purchasing and the positive effect of such purchase (security, acceptability of choice, championship etc) and depict friendship situation. Producers should in their advertisement emphasize social groups; they should exploit this further through segmenting their markets into distinctive social classes Keywords: Advertisement, Peer group influence, situational variation, Brand preference and Beer consumptio