THE IMPACT OF BRAND EQUITY ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOR ON CROATIAN MOBILE PHONE MARKET

The mobile phone market is considered one of the fastest-growing in the world. It involves significant advertising investments, as well. For instance, Croatian mobile operators represented the second largest group of advertisers in 2018. Mobile phone no longer means just another simple need, but often an expression of brand preference, and sometimes even a status symbol. A customer-based brand equity model with three dimensions: brand loyalty, perceived quality, and brand awareness/brand associations as a composite dimension, was tested. The results pointed out that all three dimensions of the model have a strong and positive impact on brand equity, while brand loyalty represents the dominant component. Regarding the brand awareness/associations dimension, undergraduates showed higher values. Finally, the study findings showed that Croatian mobile phone consumers do not consider their phones as a status symbol. Still, there is a significant difference in favour of male and younger consumers