The Impact of Advertising on Building Brand Equity: A Case of Zimbabwean Universities

Abstract

Over the years studies have been done that sought to establish the effect of advertising on building brand equity for producers of physical products. This study in particular focuses on the impact of advertising (print, outdoor and broadcast) on building brand equity for universities in Zimbabwe. The research was based on the premise that little research has been done on establishing advertising’s role in building brand equity for non–profit making organisations in a highly competitive marketing environment. A quantitative survey research was employed which adopted a descriptive survey design to explore the relationship between selected advertising variables and brand equity. A sample size of 150 (90 males and 60 females) was used to gather data using a structured questionnaire. A quota sampling technique was adopted proportionately (11 males and 4 females) from the selected institutions. A multiple regression model was used to establish the correlation between the two variables. Data analysis was executed using SPSS version 14.0. The overall findings of the research were reflective of the fact that Zimbabwean universities have not been proactively employing advertising in order to build brand equity and the implications are that there is need for those running these institutions to take a more positive and proactive stance to effectively blend advertising variables in order to develop hybrid advertising mix strategies which can help their not-for-profit making organizations to develop reputable brands capable of attracting a potential large market.

Key words: advertising, print advertising, outdoor advertising, broadcast advertising, brand equity.