Customer-Based Brand Equity Effects on Consumer Responses : A Study on Mobile Phone Brand

Brand equity is very important to marketers of' consumer goods and service. Brand equity facilitates in the effectiveness of brand extensions and brand introductions. This is because consumers who trust and display loyalty toward a brand are willing to accept possible brand extension and willing to recommend the brand to others. While there have been a lot of studies based on the financial value and management of brand equity, research in customer-based brand equity has been lacking. This paper studies the dimensions of customer-based brand equity focusing on the five dimensions that have been suggested by Lassar et al., (1995). Five dimensions are identified: performance, trustworthiness, social image, value/price, and attachment. 16 hypotheses have been constructed in which related to the objective of this study. The objective of this paper is to study the dimensions of customer-based brand equity effect on consumer responses. By way of hypothesis, 10 of the hypothesis have been proposed that these dimensions have no significant relationship on consumer willingness to recommend the brand to other and willingness to accept brand extension. While five of the hypothesis proposed that there have no significant difference on consumer responses based on selected demographic factors. The hypotheses have been tested in the mobile phone market in Ipoh, Perak. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistic, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson- Bivariate Correlation Analysis. The results obtained confirm the relationship between the dimensions of customer-based brand equity and consumer responses. However, there is no significant difference in consumer responses based on demographic factors