The Impact of Brands on Consumer Purchase Intention

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this chance for thanking my research facilitator, friends & family for support they provided & their belief in me as well as guidance they provided without which I would have never been able to do this research.

DECLARATION

I, (Your name), would like to declare that all contents included in this thesis/dissertation stand for my individual work without any aid, & this thesis/dissertation has not been submitted for any examination at academic as well as professional level previously. It is also representing my very own views & not essentially which are associated with university.

Signature:

Date:

ABSTRACT

This paper highlights the effect of brands on consumer purchase decisions. There has been much research confirming the importance of brands in marketing, yet an exact measure for the concept of 'brand' is lacking. This project will help in gaining a better understanding of the brand concept. The aim of this paper is to provide an answer as to whether branding influences consumers' purchase decisions or not. Both primary and secondary data collection techniques have been used for the gathering the information regarding the impact of brands over the purchase intentions of the customers. For consumers, brands simplify the decision making process. Brands stand for some indication of product features and quality. It has been found that strong, favourable, and unique brand associations have a positive effect on consumers' brand choice, preferences and purchase intention, their willingness to pay a price premium for the brand, accept brand extensions and recommend the brand to others. Consumer behaviour is driven by perceptions of a brand, and the way consumers perceive brands is a key determinant of long-term business-consumer relationships.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION1

Background1

Aims and Objectives3

Research Questions3

Ethical Considerations4

CHAPTER 02: LITERATURE REVIEW5

Classical Branding Theory5

Branding7

Brand Equity10

Brand Awareness11

Brand Image12

Brand Attitudes15

Aaker's Customer-Based Brand Equity Framework16

Keller's Customer-Based Brand Equity Framework18

Overview of Background Knowledge22

Brand Familiarity22

Customer Satisfaction23

Brand Trust24

CHAPTER 03: METHODOLOGY26

Research Philosophy26

Research Design27

Data Collection28

Timescale29

CHAPTER 04: RESULTS AND FINDINGS30

Reliability/Dependability30

Validity31

Interpretations34

CHAPTER 05: CONCLUSION47

Brand Loyalty47

Behavioural Loyalty47

Attitudinal Loyalty48

Importance of Branding and Brand Knowledge49

REFERENCES53

APPENDICES68

Questionnaire68

CHAPTER 01: INTRODUCTION

Background

Nowadays, there has been a great shift in the marketplace, which has led to companies adopting a customer-oriented approach to running their business and paying more attention to customers than ever before in order to keep up, meet or even exceed their expectations and establish a long-term relationship. The existence of any products or services depends on customers (Ritson, 2004). Therefore, intense competition between companies to attract customers leads to too many products which provide several choices for customers when they want to buy.

One of the crucial topics in this regard is the 'brand', which considers customers to be a focal point of its activities, and where the aim is to create a favourable brand image and loyalty among customers. The brand has become one of the most important elements in marketing strategies, and counts as a key asset for any organization (Kotler, 2000).The main aim of a brand is to identify products and the services of a seller, and to differentiate between what it offers and ...