Investigating the components of brand equity and their impacto n consumers' buying decisions : an application to the MP3 player market.

The objective of the study is to investigate the relative significance of the various components of brand equity and their influence on a consumer's decision to buy a brand and apply it to the MP3 player market. We hope to use the results of our study to recommend strategies that firms can use to enhance the equity of their brands and improve sales. Our study is done within the context of the Apple and Creative brands in the MP3 player industry. Data will be collected via a survey. We will first use factor analysis to identify the four components of brand equity as defined in Aaker's (1991) model. We will then examine the relative significance of each component and their impact on consumers' buying decisions using statistical tests and linear regression