Creating Consumer-based Brand Equity in the Chinese Sports Shoes Market: Measurement, Challenges and Opportunities
Author
Cui, Wenbo
Term
4. term
Publication year
2011
Abstract
China’s sportswear market is expanding rapidly and is highly competitive, making brand equity critical for differentiation. This thesis examines how brand equity is created for sports shoes in China by measuring the links between four core brand equity dimensions (brand awareness, brand associations, perceived quality, and loyalty) and consumer-based brand equity, as well as the effects of selected promotional activities. Using a quantitative design, 84 Chinese respondents aged 21–36 evaluated five sports shoe brands; data were analyzed using factor analysis, reliability checks, and multiple regression. Findings indicate that all four dimensions significantly contribute to overall brand equity. In addition, store image positively influences the brand equity dimensions, whereas celebrity endorsement shows no measurable effect on them. Advertising, word of mouth, sales promotion, and event sponsorship were also examined, but their specific effects are not provided in this excerpt. Managerially, the results suggest prioritizing the strengthening of core brand equity dimensions and investing in store image, while being cautious about expecting celebrity endorsements alone to enhance brand equity dimensions. The results pertain to sports shoes and a younger adult sample within the Chinese market.
Det kinesiske sportswear-marked vokser hurtigt og er præget af hård konkurrence, hvilket gør brandequity til et centralt redskab for differentiering. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan brandequity skabes for sportsko i Kina ved at måle sammenhængen mellem fire kerne-dimensioner af brandequity (brandkendskab, brandassociationer, oplevet kvalitet og loyalitet) og forbrugerbaseret brandequity samt effekterne af udvalgte markedsføringsaktiviteter. Studiet anvender en kvantitativ tilgang: 84 kinesiske respondenter i alderen 21–36 vurderede fem sportskobrand, og data blev analyseret med faktor- og reliabilitetsanalyser samt multiple regressioner. Resultaterne viser, at alle fire dimensioner bidrager signifikant til den samlede brandequity. Desuden har butikimage en positiv indflydelse på brandequity-dimensionerne, mens kendisendorsement ikke har nogen målbar effekt herpå. Reklame, word of mouth, sales promotion og eventsponsoring blev også undersøgt, men deres specifikke effekter er ikke angivet i dette uddrag. Praktisk peger fundene på, at brands bør prioritere at styrke kerne-dimensionerne og investere i et stærkt butikimage, mens man bør være varsom med at forvente, at kendisendorsement i sig selv forbedrer brandequity-dimensioner. Resultaterne er baseret på sportsko og en yngre voksen målgruppe og gælder den kinesiske kontekst.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]