An Applied Study on Brand Equity: Factors Affecting Brand Equity Case Study of Mtn Telecom Cameroon

Abstract

Despite of economic downturn in recent years, the Telecommunication industry has performed well in Cameroon and has grown by 4.1% in 2014^[1]. Now, Telecom players in Cameroon like Mtn, Orange, Yoome, Creolink, Camtel, Equacomm, Foris Cameroon, Vodacom, Ringo, are in a battle of differentiating their products/services and offers, as the degree of competition are moderately high in the market. Hence, building a strong brand image has apparently become a foremost competitive tactics in industry. This study help to apprehend the factors affecting telecom sector which is increasingly growing in Africa and enables telecommunication operators to understand market, consumers and to control strategies of differentiation toward competitors.  The study presents the findings of empirical research sampling consumers of mobile communication brands. We proposed a brand equity model with four dimensions (brand awareness, perceived quality, brand trust and brand loyalty) and the relationship among those four dimensions and their effects on brand equity is empirically investigated. The model is tested by structural equations and the sample of 215 students was selected from Cameroon. Data was gathered by the 22-items questionnaire in self-reporting and online way. The finding shows that relations among brand awareness, perceived quality, brand trust and brand loyalty on brand equity are significant and positive effect. Brand awareness has a positive effect on perceived quality; Perceived quality, brand trust and brand loyalty will mediate the effect between brand awareness and brand equity.

Keyword: Brand, Brand Equity, Factors affecting brand equity, MTN Telecom Cameroon.

[1] BuddeComm based on various sources