BRAND IMAGE AND CONSUMER BRAND PREFERENCE: EVIDENCE FROM NIGERIAN BREWERIES PLC, BENIN CITY

Abstract

Due to the lack of consensus inherent in scholarly studies on the effect of brand image and
consumer preference, this study examined the effect of brand image on consumer preference. The
study involves the administration of questionnaires by means of convenience sampling on 400
respondents in Benin City. Of this number, 381 completed copies of the questionnaire were
retrieved. The balance could not be retrieved from the respondents in spite of repeated reminder
while some were not available at home despite several calls on them.All the 381 copies of the
questionnaire returned were found usable. This represents a response rate of 95.3 per cent. The
research hypotheses were analyzed using multiple regression. The study found that brand name
has no significant effect on consumer preference; brand advertsing has no significant effect on
consumer preference; and brand packaging has no significant effect on consumer preference.
However, brand name and brand packaging exerted significant effect on consumer preference.
The study recommends amongst others that Nigerian Breweries should advance and uphold
imaginative brands that convey product positive and specific features and benefits in a consistent
method that goes a long way to differentiate the product from that of the competitors in the
market place.