"An investigation on the importance of brand names to consumers".

Authors Avatar
"An investigation on the importance of brand names to consumers"

Introduction:

The aim of this research is to find out why brand names are important to consumers. The reason why this research has been undertaken is because branding is an interesting topic, which plays a major part in everyday life. Brands are found everywhere that hardly anything today is unbranded, including clothes, food, furniture and even cars. The research will show why brands are important to consumers. This research proposal will report other authors who have commented on brands. The author will be conducting primary research in forms of questionnaires and interviews. This is an important study for the reason that it demonstrates the way people buy and the justifications of their choice.

Aims & Objectives or Hypothesis:

Research question:

Why brand names are important to consumers?

Aims & Objectives.

The main objective of the proposal is to examine why brand names are important to consumers which could also consist of what branding is and how important it is to consumers in everyday life.

Hypothesis

My hypotheses are as follows:

The higher the satisfaction with one brand name, the more the customer will trust the brand name.

The brand name is used to make the customer secure with products/service.

The geographical implications on the brand i.e. if the brand name is well established in particular areas.

Literature Review/Theoretical underpinning:

The Literature that used to complete this research proposal was obtained from the resource centre in the University of Luton, I used a variety of sources, which included textbooks, journals and the Internet played a vital tool in obtaining the research.

The literature reviews is as follows:

Textbooks:

Brand power (edited by Paul Stobart, Interbrand group PLC, 1994)

Brands: the new wealth creators (edited by Susanna Hart & John Murphy, 1998)

Building Brands Directly (edited by Stewart Pearson, 1996)

Journals:

'Fashion Involvement, self Monitoring and the Meaning of Brands'

BBC News. 'Cheap Jeans Better Than Designer Denim'

The case for brands (Economist) 9/8/2001, vol.360 issue 8238

Besides, brands are important to brand owners, brands are also important to consumers. A brand represents a pact between brand owner and consumer. Branding therefore is not a cynical activity imposed on the unsuspecting consumer against their will. Brands allow consumers to shop with confidence in what is an increasingly complex world. The brand offers the consumer a guarantee of quality, value and product satisfaction. Therefore as long as the brand keeps its part of the bargain the consumer will continue to support it. However, should the consumer not like the brand, or should it fail to deliver what the consumer requires, or should another brand appear which suits the consumer's needs better, then the brands identity allows the consumer to avoid the brand and purchase an alternative brand.
Join now!


Brands are defined in various ways by different authors, one definition by Leslie De Chernatony and Malcom H.B McDonald (1994):

"A successful brand is an identifiable product, service, person or place, augmented in such a way that the buyer or the user perceives relevant unique added values which match their needs more closely".

A recent study found that leading consultants are not willing to limit themselves to a single definition (De Chernatony and Riley 1996). As it is difficult to find a universal definition (some are limited and some are too in-depth). Cowing and Hawkinson (1993) ...

This is a preview of the whole essay