Dear Label_Name,

Greetings! I hope you are well.

I am writing on behalf of an international publishing house, Science and Education Publishing, USA (http://www.sciepub.com).

Science and Education Publishing (SciEP) is a multidisciplinary open access publisher of Journals covering the fields of Science, Technology and Medicine. All SciEP publications are subject to high-quality peer review, editorial and production processes and are freely available online.

Welcome to the April, 2013 edition of SciEP newsletter, providing monthly summaries of articles on science & education related topics of interest to scientist and professionals. The mission of our journals is to provide an open access forum for publishing new findings on issues pertinent to scientific and academic field. We also invite you to submit original research papers, review articles, short reports, or case studies are considered for publication in our Multidisciplinary Journals.

American Journal of Public Health Research
DOI: 10.12691/ajphr-1-1-3

The Implementation of a Tele-Homecare System with Service Oriented Architecture and HL7 Message Transmission Standard
Ching-Sung Wang

American Journal of Medical and Biological Research
DOI: 10.12691/ajmbr-1-1-2

The Influence of Ethanol on Pyruvate Kinases Activity in Vivo, in Vitro, in Silico
Lelevich Sergey Vladimirovich, Khrustalev Vladislav Victorovich, Barkovsky Eugene Victorovich, Shedogubova Tatyana Aleksandrovna

American Journal of Medical Sciences and Medicine
DOI: 10.12691/ajmsm-1-1-1

Clinical and Histological Features in Wegener Granulomatosis
Li Cavoli Gioacchino, Passantino Rita, Bono Luisa, Tortorici Calogera, Ferrantelli Angelo, Giammarresi Carlo, Rotolo Ugo

American Journal of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
DOI: 10.12691/ajidm-1-1-2

The Curse of Lymphatic Filariasis: Would the Continual Use of Diethylcarbamazine Eliminate this Scourge in Papua New Guinea?
Anne Lanham, Lillian Mwanri

We have released issues of some journals on February 2013.
American Journal of Public Health Research
American Journal of Medical Sciences and Medicine
American Journal of Medical and Biological Research
American Journal of Pharmacological Sciences
American Journal of Clinical Medicine Research
American Journal of Nursing Research
American Journal of Cancer Prevention
American Journal of Medicine Studies
American Journal of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
American Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research
American Journal of Biomedical Research
American Journal of Mechanical Engineering
American Journal of Microbiological Research
Journal of Preventive Medicine
American Journal of Food and Nutrition
American Journal of Hypertension Research
American Journal of Sports Science and Medicine
Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment
American Journal of Zoological Research
Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology
American Journal of Microbiological Research
Biomedical Science and Engineering

We are pleased to announce that submissions are now being accepted for peer review for all the journals across all our subject areas in SciEP.

Please submit your manuscript via our online submission system:
http://www.sciepub.com/author/signin

To unsubscribe from our mailing list, please click on the following link: unsubscribe

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

David Rain
Email:join@sciepub.com
Science and Education Publishing (http://www.sciepub.com)

Antecedents of Customer Based Brand Equity-Research in Azerbaijan

Shahin AKBAROV

Faculty Of Turkish World Of Business Administration, Economy and Business Administration, Azerbaijan State University of Economics / UNEC, Baku, Azerbaijan

Abstract: The purpose of this research is to determine the relationship between the elements of customer-based brand equity. 248 questionnaire was gained through convenience sample. Data was analyzed with SPSS AMOS-23. Confirmatory factor analysis first done and then path analysis with AMOS 23.It was determined that brand awareness has a direct and significant effect on perceived quality, brand loyalty and overall brand equity, an indirect and significant effect on brand loyalty and overall brand equity. It was also determined that the perceived quality has no direct effect on overall brand equity, but has direct effect on brand loyalty and indirect effect on overall brand equity. The most influential factor on overall brand equity is brand loyalty. The study is important because it is carried out in Azerbaijan, a country where brand perception is a new phenomenon. The results of the research are thought to be beneficial to both the theorist and the practitioner.

Keywords: brand awareness, perceived quality, brand loyalty, customer based brand equity, azerbaijan

Citation: Shahin AKBAROV, Antecedents of Customer Based Brand Equity-Research in Azerbaijan. Journal of Business and Management Sciences, 6 (2). 54-58. January 2018. doi:10.12691/jbms-6-2-5

1. Introduction

Brand equity structures can be divided into three main groups: customer mindset structure, brand performance structure and shareholder value structure [1]. The customer mindset measures the general attitude of the customer directly toward a brand. The brand performance structure measures the brand market performance, which is the result of the customer mindset, and includes dollar sales, volume sales, revenue premium, price premium, volume premium, and share premium. The shareholder value structure measures the value created by the brand for the overall company.

The consumer-related method of measuring brand equity can be divided into two groups: those involving consumer perceptions (perceptual dimension) such as brand awareness, brand associations, perceived quality; and those involving consumer behaviour (behavioural dimension) such as brand loyalty [2,3].

Generally, customer-based brand equity studies represent two theoretical frameworks: Aaker's customer-based brand equity model and Keller's customer-based brand equity theory [4]. Aaker’s [5,6] customer-based brand equity dimensions included brand awareness, brand associations, perceived quality, brand loyalty, and other proprietary brand assets. Because proprietary brand assets are firm related, only consumer-related components have been adopted by subsequent researchers, resulting in a four-dimensional CBBE (customer-based brand equity) including awareness, associations, quality, and loyalty [7]. Utilizing Aaker's and Keller's brand equity concepts, Yoo and Donthu [8] developed a multidimensional scale to measure customer-based brand equity. Yoo and Donthu [8] suggest that the brand loyalty is one of the components of customer-based brand equity, and that three brand equity dimensions affect overall brand equity. Also brand awareness and brand associations are considered as the same dimension. Nam et al. [9] claims that the brand loyalty is one of the components of customer-based brand equity, but an outcome rather than antecedent of brand equity. Buil et al. [10] argued that brand associations, brand awareness and perceived quality influence brand loyalty [11]. Liu et al., [4] used perceived quality, brand loyalty, brand awareness, and brand image as common dimensions of CBBE. The common denominator in all models is adoption of one or more dimensions from the Aaker model [4].

The purpose of this research is to determine the relationship between the elements of customer-based brand equity. In this context, firstly literature review was made on the subject, a model based on the theory was put forward and the model was tested and the results were obtained.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Brand Equity

Brand equity refers to the customer's subjective and intangible assessment of the brand, above and beyond its objectively-perceived value [12]. Furthermore, brand equity can reflect the consumers' thinking, feelings and actions toward the brand, and can even help to increase the value, market share and benefits of a firm [13]. Aaker [5] defines CBBE as a multidimensional concept, which is“a set of brand assets and liabilities linked to a brand, its name and symbol that adds to or subtracts from the value provided by a product or service to a firm and/or to that firm's consumers.” Keller [14] defined customer-based brand equity as the differential effect that brand knowledge has on consumer response to the marketing of that brand. Customer-based brand equity occurs when the consumer has a high level of awareness and familiarity with the brand and holds some strong, favorable, and unique brand associations in memory [14]. CBBE is“a set of perceptions, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors on the part of consumers that results in increased utility and allows a brand to earn greater volume or greater margins than it could without the brand name” [15].

2.2. Brand Awaraness

Different brands have different relative strengths in consumers’ minds. This strength has been referred to as brand awareness and is an integral part of brand equity [16]. Brand awareness is one of the dimensions of brand equity [5,17,18]. It is the first step to creating brand equity [10] and it is the ability of a customer to recognize or recall that a brand is a member of a certain product category [19]. According to Aaker, brand awareness is the foundation of overall brand equity and the other three dimensions (brand associations, perceived quality, brand loyalty) [20]. Aaker [5] considers that brand awareness may result in brand equity in four different ways: creating a brand node in consumer’s memory, providing a sense of familiarity of the brand in the consumer’s mind, acting as a signal of trust in the brand and being enough reason for the consumer to consider the brand in his consideration set [21]. When consumers are aware of a brand, it is more likely to be chosen over other brands with lesser awareness [22]. Keller, conceptualized that brand awareness consists of brand recognition as well as brand recall [16].

While several researchers proposed brand awareness as a direct antecedent of brand equity-that is, brand awareness not conceptualized as a component of brand equity, other empirical results showed that brand awareness, along with other brand related attitudes, could positively influence future brand choice and market share [23].

Brand awareness with strong associations develops a specific perception of brand image (e.g., quality, feelings) and is positively related to brand equity because it can signal quality and loyalty, which leads to a favorable purchase behavior [24]. Some studies consider brand awareness and brand associations as a joint dimension, causing difficulty in untangling the effect of brand awareness from brand association [25].

Several studies found positive impact of brand awareness on percieved quality [10,20,26,27], on brand loyalty [20,21], on CBBE [19] and on customer satisfaction [28]. On the other hand some studies did not found significant impact of brand awareness on brand loyalty [26,28] and on CBBE [9,16,29,30,31,32].

2.3. Brand Association

Brand associations are the informational nodes linked to the brand node in memory and contain the meaning of the brand for consumers (Keller, 2013). Brand association refers to all the thoughts in consumers' minds related to a brand [22]. Brand associations may be either brand attributes or benefits. Brand attributesare those descriptive features that characterize a product or service. Brand benefits are the personal value and meaning that consumers attach to the product or service attributes [14].

There is a strong connection between awareness and association; some argue that the former precedes the latter [33]. Some empirical evidence suggests that association and awareness should be combined into one [34]. As we used Yoo and Donthu`s [8,35] scale because of its cross cultural validation, we took association and awareness as the same construct.

2.4. Perceived Quality

Perceived quality is another core dimension of customer-based brand equity [19]. It is not the real quality of the product but the customer’s perception of the overall quality or superiority of the product (or service) with respect to its intended purpose, relative to alternatives [31]. Perceived quality is related to consumers' judgments, which are formed after consumers compare expectations with perception of actual service [4]. Yoo et al. [36], Pappu and Quester [37,38], Tong and Hawley [31] empirically validated perceived quality as one of the dimensions of customer-based brand equity [19].

Several studies found positive impact of percieved quality on brand loyalty [20,26,27,28], on brand equity [10,16,19,27,32] and on customer satisfaction [28]. On the other hand some studies did not found significant impact of percieved quality on brand loyalty [10,21] and on CBBE [21,29,31].

2.5. Brand Loyalty

Brand loyalty is the core dimension of customer-based brand equity [19]. It is the commitment to buy again or patronize a preferred product or service consistently in the future, thereby causing repetitive same-brand or same brand-set purchasing, despite situational influences and marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior [39]. Loyal customers are less likely to switch to a competitor solely because of price; they also make more frequent purchases than comparable non-loyal customers [31]. Brand-loyal consumers are willing to pay more for that brand and respond more favorably to a brand than nonloyal or switching consumers [4].

One of the observable differences among different CBBE studies is the role of the loyalty component. Loyalty is included as a component of CBBE in some studies, but treated as an outcome of CBBE in other studies [7]. In Yoo ve Donthu`s [8] study, brand loyalty refers to the tendency to be loyal to a focal brand, which is demonstrated by the intention to buy the brand as a primary choice.

Several studies found positive impact of brand loyalty on brand equity [10,19,21,29,30,31,32,40]. On the other hand some studies did not found significant impact of brand loyalty on brand equity [16].

Figure 1. Research Model

3. Research Model and Hypotheses

As a result of the literature review, the following model (Figure 1) has been adopted and hypotheses have been developed for testing.

4. Methodology

Items measuring variables were taken from Yoo and Donthu`s [8,35] (Yoo and Donthu developed a multidimensional scale for customer -based brand equity and test its psychometric properties. They observed only three dimensions for customer-based brand equity as discussed in this paper) customer-based brand equity construct due to its cross-cultural validity. The items were translated into Azerbaijani language and after the approval of the language and marketing experts, pilot study were conducted with 20 respondents. Then, 248 questionnaires were collected using convenience sampling method. The universe of research is Baku population over 16 years old.

The questionnaire consists of demographic questions and items that measure customer-based brand equity structure. The customer-based brand equity items were measured on a five-point Likert type scale where 1 representing "strongly disagree" and 5 "strongly agree". Respondents were asked to answer questions, taking into account any brands they used. The data were analyzed with the SPSS AMOS 23.

5. Analysis and Findings

Some socio-demographic characteristics of the sample are presented in Table 1.

AMOS 24 was used for data analysis. For investigating model fit confirmatory factor anlysis were performed. Indicators related model fit are all acceptable: 3>CMIN/DF = 2,103; 0.90<GFI=0,929; 0.95<CFI=0,974; 0.08>RMSEA=0,067 [41].

For determining relations among variables path analysis performed using SPSS Amos. Figure 1 presents path estimates, and Table 2 shows standardized direct effects (estimates), standart errors (SE) and significance of relationships (P). As shown in table direct effect of perceived quality (PQ) on overall brand equity (OBE) is not statistically significant, thats H5 were not supported. All other direct effects are statistically significant, thus H1, H2, H3, H4, H6 were supported.

To investigate indirect effects, bootstrapping procedure were implemented (n = 500, BC - %95). Table 3 presents the indirect effects of awareness on loyalty, awareness on overall brand equity, and perceived quality on overall brand equity. Results indicate that all indirect effects are statistically significant. That is hypothesis H7, H8 and H9 were supported.

Table 1. Socio-demographic characteristics of the sample

Figure 2. SPSS Amos Path Analysis Output

Table 2. Standardized Direct Effects

Table 3. Standardized Indirect Effects

Squared multiple correlations for structural equations indicate that (Table 4) the predictors of perceived quality explain 72,8 percent of its variance, the predictors of loyalty explain 66,6 percent of its variance and the predictors of overall brand equity explain 79,5 percent of its variance.

Table 4. Squared Multiple Correlations

6. Conclusions

In this paper we first introduce literature review about customer-based brand equity. Almost all researchers that we reviewed refer to Aaker`s and Keller`s customer based brand equity concept and accept their definition. In this article we accept Yoo and Donthu`s [8] customer-based brand equity scale as they test its psychometric properties in the cross-cultural setting. As in majority research, Yoo and Donthu [8] also identified brand equity construct dimensions as proposed by Aaker [5] and Keller [18].

According to research model nine hypotheses was determined. Eight hypotheses was supported, only H5, which claims the direct effect of perceived quality on overall brand equity has been rejected. However, the indirect and significant effect of perceived quality on overall brand equity has been determined. The most influential factor on overall brand equity is brand loyalty.

The results present some implications for theorists and practitioners.

Although being tested in different countries, it is thought that to test customer-based brand equity structure in Azerbaijan will contribute to filling the gap in this field, as that Azerbaijan is a Post-Soviet country, with the mix of Islamic, European, Caucasian cultures. The other characteristics of Azerbaijan are its rapid development with oil incomes and new acquaintance with world brands.

Domestic and foreign companies which operate in Azerbaijan may use the findings of this research to create customer-based brand equity. So, companies that want to create customer-based brand equity are in need of brand awareness, increasing perceived quality and creating loyalty. Besides brand loyalty is tightly linked with perceived quality.

As major constraints of the research, it is possible to show that only Baku has taken as a universe and the sample size is small. Larger sample sizes will be better for comprehensiveness.

References

[1]   | Keller KL, Lehmann DR. (2003), How do brands create value? Marketing management, May/June; p. 26-31.
[2]   | Bamert Thomas, Hans Peter Wehrli, (2005) “Service quality as an important dimension of brand equity in Swiss services industries”, Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, Vol. 15 Issue: 2, pp. 132-141.
[3]   | Mohan Bijuna C., A.H. Sequeira, (2016), The impact of customer-based brand equity on the operational performance of FMCG companies in India, IIMB Management Review, 28, 13-19.
[4]   | Liu Matthew Tingchi, Ip Kin Anthony Wong, Ting-Hsiang Tseng, Angela Wen-Yu Chang, Ian Phau, (2017), Applying consumer-based brand equity in luxury hotel branding, Journal of Business Research, 81, 192-202.
[5]   | Aaker, D. A. (1991), Managing brand equity: Capitalizing on the value of a brand name, New York: The Free Press.
[6]   | Aaker, D. A., (1992), The value of brand equity, Journal of Business Strategy, 13(4), 27-32.
[7]   | Tasci Asli, (2018), Testing the cross-brand and cross-market validity of a consumer based brand equity (CBBE) model for destination brands, Tourism Management, 65, 143-159.
[8]   | Yoo Boonghee, Naveen Donthu, (2001), Developing and validating a multidimensional consumer-based brand equity scale, Journal of Business Research, 52, 1-14.
[9]   | Nam, J., Ekinci, Y., & Whyatt, G., (2011), Brand equity, brand loyalty and consumer satisfaction, Annals of Tourism Research, 38(3), 1009-1030.
[10]   | Buil Isabel, Eva Martínez, Leslie de Chernatony, (2013) “The influence of brand equity on consumer responses”, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 30 Issue: 1, pp. 62-74.
[11]   | Çifci Sertaç, Yuksel Ekinci, Georgina Whyatt, Arnold Japutra, Sebastian Molinillo, Haytham Siala, (2016), A cross validation of Consumer-Based Brand Equity models: Driving customer equity in retail brands, Journal of Business Research, 69, 3740-3747.
[12]   | Rust, R.T., Zeithaml, V.A., & Lemon, K.N., (2000), Driving customer equity: How customer lifetime value is reshaping corporate strategy, New York: The Free Press.
[13]   | Lin Yi Hsin, (2015), Innovative brand experience's influence on brand equity and brand satisfaction, Journal of Business Research, 68, 2254-2259.
[14]   | Keller Kevin Lane, (2013), Strategic Brand Management, 4th Global Edition, Pearson Education Limited.
[15]   | Chatzipanagiotou Kalliopi, Cleopatra Veloutsou, George Christodoulides, (2016), Decoding the complexity of the consumer-based brand equity process, Journal of Business Research, 69, 5479-5486.
[16]   | Sharma Rajesh, (2017), Metamorphosis, Building Customer-based Brand Equity of Domestic Brands: Role of Brand Equity Dimensions, 16(1) 45-59.
[17]   | Aaker, D. A., (1996), Measuring brand equity across products and markets, California Management Review, 38(3), 102.
[18]   | Keller, KL., (1993), Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketing, 57(1), 1-22.
[19]   | Kumar Ravi Shekhar, Satyabhusan Dash, Prem Chandra Purwar, (2013) “The nature and antecedents of brand equity and its dimensions”, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 31 Issue: 2, pp. 141-159.
[20]   | Tong Xiao, Jana M. Hawley, (2009b) “Measuring customer-based brand equity: empirical evidence from the sportswear market in China”, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 18 Issue: 4, pp. 262-271.
[21]   | Gil R. Bravo, E. Fraj Andrés, E. Martínez Salinas, (2007) “Family as a source of consumer-based brand equity”, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 16 Issue: 3, pp. 188-199.
[22]   | Foroudi Pantea, Zhongqi Jin, Suraksha Gupta, Mohammad M. Foroudi, Philip J. Kitchen, (2018),Perceptional components of brand equity: Configuring the Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Paths to brand loyalty and brand purchase intention, Journal of Business Research.
[23]   | Hsu Cathy H. C., Haemoon Oh, and A. George Assaf, (2012), A Customer-Based Brand Equity Model for Upscale Hotels, Journal of Travel Research, 51(1) 81-93.
[24]   | Kim Eun Young, Dee K. Knight, and Lou E. Pelton, (2009), Modeling Brand Equity of a U.S. Apparel Brand as Perceived by Generation Y Consumers in the Emerging Korean Market, Clothing & Textiles Research Journal, 27(4) 247-258.
[25]   | Huang Rong, Emine Sarigöllü, (2012), How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix, Journal of Business Research, 65, 92-99.
[26]   | Hyun Sunghyup Sean and Wansoo Kim, (2011), Dimensions of Brand Equity in the Chain Restaurant Industry, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 52(4) 429-437.
[27]   | Hanaysha Jalal, (2016), Testing the Effect of Service Quality on Brand Equity of Automotive Industry: Empirical Insights from Malaysia, Global Business Review, 17(5) 1060-1072.
[28]   | Kaur Gurjeet and Neetu Mahajan, (2011), Exploring The Impact Of Brand Equity And Customer Satisfaction On Customer Loyalty, Metamorphosis, Vol. 10, No. 2.
[29]   | Atilgan Eda, Şafak Aksoy, Serkan Akinci, (2005) “Determinants of the brand equity: A verification approach in the beverage industry in Turkey”, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 23 Issue: 3, pp. 237-248.
[30]   | Rios Rosa E., Hernan E. Riquelme, (2008) “Brand equity for online companies”, Marketing Intelligence & Planning, Vol. 26 Issue: 7, pp. 719-742.
[31]   | Tong Xiao, Jana M. Hawley, (2009) “Creating brand equity in the Chinese clothing market: The effect of selected marketing activities on brand equity dimensions”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, Vol. 13 Issue: 4, pp. 566-581.
[32]   | Rodrigues Paula, Francisco Vitorino Martins, (2016) “Perceptual and behavioural dimensions: measuring brand equity consumer based”, Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, Vol. 20 Issue: 4, pp. 507-519.
[33]   | Chow Hsueh-wen, Guo-Jie Ling, I-yin Yen, Kuo-Ping Hwang, (2017), Building brand equity through industrial tourism, Asia Pacific Management Review, 22, 70-79.
[34]   | Pappu Ravi, Pascale G. Quester, Ray W. Cooksey, (2005) “Consumer-based brand equity: improving the measurement-empirical evidence”, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 14 Issue: 3, pp. 143-154.
[35]   | Yoo Boonghee, Naveen Donthu, (2002) “Testing cross-cultural invariance of the brand equity creation process”, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 11 Issue: 6, pp. 380-398.
[36]   | Yoo, B., Donthu, N., & Lee, S., (2000), An examination of selected marketing mix elements and brand equity, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 28, 195-211.
[37]   | Pappu, R. and Quester, P., (2006), “Does customer satisfaction lead to improved brand equity? An empirical examination of two categories of retail brands”, Journal of Product and Brand Management, Vol. 15 No. 1, pp. 4-14.
[38]   | Pappu, R. and Quester, P., (2008), “Does brand equity vary between department stores and clothing stores? Results of an empirical investigation”, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 17 No. 7, pp. 425-435.
[39]   | Oliver, R.L. (1997), Satisfaction: A Behavioral Perspective on the Consumer, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
[40]   | Taylor Steven A., Kevin Celuch, Stephen Goodwin, (2004) “The importance of brand equity to customer loyalty”, Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 13 Issue: 4, pp. 217-227.
[41]   | Yilmaz Veysel and Semra Varol, (2015), Structural Equation Modeling With Software: Amos, Eqs, Lisrel, Dumlupınar University Journal of Social Sciences, Number 44, April, pp. 28-44.