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TheRelationshipofBrandEquityDimensions:ACaseStudyof
SamsungBrandinThailand.
ZhangJing,ChatchaiPitsaphol*,RizwanShabbir
SchoolofManagement,HuazhongUniversityofScienceandTechnology,1037LuoyuRoad,Wuhan,430074,
P.R.China.
*
Email:cpitsaphol@gmail.com
ThisresearchissponsoredbytheNationalNaturalScienceFoundationofChinaunderGrant71272125and
FundamentalScientificandResearchProgramofChineseCentralUniversitiesunderGrant2014QN207
Abstract
Themarketingsituationwithaspecificregionisquitedifferentascomparedtoglobalmarkets.Togainhigher
marketshareandcompetitivenessfirmshasbeenlearningtheconsumersneedandvalues.Therefore,thisstudy
inducedthefactorsofconsumerbasedbrandequitythatinfluenceconsumerbrandrelationshipinThailand.For
developingastrongbaseforconsumerbrandrelationship,marketingstrategiesmustbecomposedofbuilding
brandawareness,perceivedqualityandbrandimage.Suchrelationshipwithbrandcouldbedevelopedby
designingstrongerbrandloyalcustomers.Thispaperanalyzedthevariablesofbrandequitybyconsidering
SamsungSmartphonebrandbecauseitistheleadingsmartphonefirminThailand.Thefindingsshowedthat
brandawareness,perceivedqualityandbrandimagewassignificantstatisticallyassociatedbutonlybrand
awarenesswasnotinfluencedonbrandloyalty.Aseachdimensionofbrandequityresultscanincrease
profitabilityandfirmsperformanceofthecompany,sothemodelofbrandloyaltyinthisstudycouldguide
marketingstrategiesofSmartphoneindustrytocreateacompetitiveadvantageandexpanditsconsumerbasein
Thailandmarket.Thus,investorsandmarketersshouldconsidertheirdimensionsforbuildingastrong
Smartphonebrand.
Keywords:BrandEquity,BrandAwareness,PerceivedQuality,BrandImageandSmartphone
1.Introduction
InSmartphoneIndustry,brandequitystrategiesareoneofthemostimportantmarketingtoolstoincrease
customerbasebecausemanufacturersdifferentiatethembasedonbrandequity.Thecompetitivenessof
SmartphonemarketinThailandiscontendingfiercelybecausethefeaturesandattributesofallSmartphones
resembleintheconsumermarket.Therefore,itisverydifficultforconsumerstodistinguishbetweenproducts
duetothevarietyandaccessibility.Tocapturehighermarketshareandconsumerloyalty,themanufacturers
shouldfocusonbrandingstrategiesandmarketingcampaignsoftheproducttogetsuccessintheirindustries.
EspeciallySmartphonemanufacturers,thoseareintroducingtheirproductsinThailandmarkethavetocompete
withinternationalbrandlikeiPhone,SamsungandnationalbrandsuchasGnet,Imobile.Insuchasituation,
consumerloyaltyplayedavitalroleingeneratingrevenuesandincreasingbrandequity.Inthisstudy,we
selectedSamsungSmartphonebrandbecauseSamsunglauncheditsSmartphoneswithintensiveandenergetic
marketingcampaignsinThailandmarket.Theresearchwasaimedtoexplorethedistinctiveaspectsofbrand
equity,whichcomposeonbrandawareness,brandimage,perceivedqualityandcountryoforigin.Italso
analyzedtheinfluenceofthesedimensionsonbrandloyaltyofSamsungSmartphone.Simultaneously,from
investmentperceptiveinThailandthisstudycouldguideinvestorsandmanagersaboutthecrucialaspectsto
generaterevenuesbasedonbrandequitydimensions.
2.Theoreticalbackgroundandresearchhypothesis
Fromconsumeraspects,brandequityisthevalueofthebusinessandexpectationsofconsumerstothe
organization,productsandservices,includingtheexperienceofcommunicationandawarenessofthebrand
(Auken,2002).Brandequitymanagementcanbemeasuredbybrandloyaltyorwillingnesstopayhigherprices

(Blackston,1995).Thus,manufacturershavetocreatebrandloyaltyinmindoftheconsumerbybuildinga
strongbrandwhichconsistsofdevelopingtheproductfeaturesandmakesadifferenceuntilitprotectsthebrand
andattractconsumers(Randall,1997).Priorresearchonconsumerperspective,suchasAaker(1991)concluded
thatbrandequitycouldbemeasuredbyfivedimensionswhichconsistofbrandawareness,brandassociation,
perceivedquality,brandassetsandbrandloyalty.Onthecontrary,Keller(1993)hadpresentedtheconceptof
(CBBE)customerbasebrandequitythatmeasuredvalueofthebrandfromconsumerperceptions.Itisa
guidelineforanalyzingthebehaviorofconsumerstowardsthebrandandtocreatemarketingprogramsthatare
associatedwiththebrand.
Thebrandknowledgeistheimportantkeytobuildcustomerbasebrandequityandcanbedividedintotwo
components:brandawarenessandbrandimagewhichexitsinthecustomermemory.Meanwhile,brand
awarenessconsistsrecallandrecognition.Brandimagecanbedividedbasedonthreecharacteristicswhichare

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productrelatedattributes,nonproductrelatedattributesandbenefits(Chen,2001).Theproductrelatedattribute
representsthephysicalandfunctionalattributes.Onthecontrary,nonproductrelatedattributearementionedas
marketingmixwhichincludespriceinformation,packagingorproduct,userimageryandusageimagery(Keller,
1993).Thebenefitcharacteristicspecifiestheoutcomeofconsumerafterusingorpurchasingthatproductor
service.Benefitsarefurtherdividedintofunctional,experientialandsymbolicbenefits.Thelinkingofthe
attitudedescribestheoverallassessmentoftheconsumertothebrandarisingfromalinkonthefeaturesand
benefitsexpectedtobereceivedfromabrand.
Basedonpsychologicalandreliabilityavailabilitytoconsumerofdifferentculture,brandequityismeasuredby
meansoffourdimensionswhicharebrandloyalty,perceivedquality,brandawarenessandbrandassociations.
Yoo&Donthu,(2001)concludedthatindifferentcultures,brandequityrelatedmarketingstrategiesneedto
focusmoreondifferentdimensionsofbrandequityforthegreaterloyalcustomerbase.Moreover,Kim,H.b.,
Kim,&WG(2005)concludedthatbrandloyalty,perceivedqualityandbrandimageisakeycomponentof
brandequityintheconsumermindwhichhasapositiverelationshipwiththefirmsperformance.Inthe
restaurantindustry,brandimageandbrandloyaltyareakeyfactorinbuildingbrandequityandinthehotel
industry,perceivedquality,brandloyaltyandbrandimageareakeyfactorforbrandequity.Thus,each
dimensionhasitsowncharacteristicswhichaffectthebehavioroftheconsumers.Inamanufacturingindustry,
Taylor,Celuch&Goodwin(2004)conductedastudyontheimportanceofbrandequitytobrandloyalty.The
resultsuggestedthatbrandequity,reliabilityandtrustarethefirstimportantfactorsbeforethebehaviorand
attitudeofcustomerloyalty.
2.1Brandawareness
Ingeneral,theconsumersbeganfromanunknownbranduntilsalesrepresentativescommunicatetoconsumers
abouttheproduct/servicewhichresultinknowingandwhentheyoftenhearthebrandname.Thus,consumer
begantorecognizeandrememberthefirstbrandname.AakerandKellerhavementionedbrandawarenessinto
twoparts:brandrecallandbrandrecognition.Thebrandawarenessisacomponentofknowledgeaboutthe
brandaswellastheconceptofKeller(Kohli&Leuthesser,2001).Ontheotherhand,(Baldauf,2003&Yoo&
Donthu,2001)describedbrandawarenessconceptofAakerthatisthebuyer'sabilitytorecognizeandrecallthe
brandoftheproduct.Themaingoalofthebrandmanagementstrategyistodevelopandmaintainbrand
awarenessbecauseitinfluencesthedecisionsofconsumersandaffectthebusinessvalue.Thus,byusingthis
approach,consumersshouldbeabletorecognizethebrandandthebrandisconsideringthepurchase.The
selectionofbrandconsistsontherememberingandrecognizingthebrandname.Moreover,brandawarenessis
linkedtothebrandstrengthinthemindsofconsumers,whichprovidefirmswithabrandvaluethatcanbeused
infuturetoattractandpromoteproductsorservices(Kim&Kim,2005).Basedonpreviousresearch,weextract
topofmind,unaidedbrandrecallandbrandrecognitionvariablesbecausetheymeasurebrandawarenessfroma
consumerperspective.Thesemeasurespredictthebehavioralaspectoftheconsumerbasedonbrandrecalland
brandrecognition.
2.2Brandimage
Keller(1993)describedbrandimageisasetofbrandassociation.Brandassociationistheimageofthebrand
comefromtheperceptionofconsumersaboutthebrandthatlinksinthememoryofconsumers.Theassociation
hascomefromallformsanditaffectsthefeaturesoftheproduct.Positivebrandimageiscreatedbymarketing
programsthatareassociatedwithstrengthofbrandassociation,favorabilityofbrandassociationanduniqueness
ofbrandassociation.AccordingtoChen(2001)associationwiththebrandcanbedividedintothreeaspects.
Firstly,attributesassociationdescribedthecharacteristicsofthegoodsorservicesandtheseattributescanbe
dividedintotheproductrelatedandthenonproductrelated.Theproductrelatedrepresentsthephysicalfeatures
andfunctionsandfeatures.Thenonproductrelatedrepresentstheprice,packaging,userimageryandusage
imagery.Secondly,benefitsassociationdescribedtheconsumercangetbenefitsfromtheusingofgoods.Itcan
bedividedtothefunctionalbenefits,experientialbenefitsandsymbolicbenefits.Thirdly,attitudesassociation
describedtheoverallassessmentoftheconsumerstowardsthebrandasaresultofalinkontheattributesand
benefitsthatwouldexpectfromthebrand.Thus,brandassociationmeansthemanythingsthatareassociated
withthememoryofthebrandwhichwouldhaveincreasedfromfrequencyofbrandawareness(Yoo&Donthu,
2001).So,linkingtheimageofthebrandisclearlyreflectedintheincreasedvaluepricedovercompetitors
(DebraGrace&AronOCass,2002).Basedonpreviousresearch,consumerperceptionaboutbrandimagewas
predictedbyproductrelatedattributes,benefitsandattitudesofconsumerstowardsthatproductorservice.

2.3Perceivedquality
Lassar,Mittal,&Sharma(1995)definedperceivedqualityastheoverallperformanceoftheproduct.The
perceivedqualityistheabilitytoperceivethefeaturesoftheproductwhichbuildconsumersatisfactionandused
asthecriteriafordecisionmakingprocesstopurchaseproductsorservices.Theperceivedqualitycomesfrom
thedecisionoftheconsumeraboutthebrandintermsofphysicalcharacteristicsoftheproductsuchasnoerrors,
haveapermanentandnodefects.Moreover,thebrandnameiscreatedtoreflectfamiliaritywiththeproduct
qualityandassociatedwiththevalue,utilityandconfidenceinthequality.AccordingtoBaldauf,Cravens,&

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Binder(2003)perceivedqualityisevaluatedabouttheproductforvariedindividualconsumersthataccordingto
theirsatisfaction.Theperceivedqualityisusedasakeyfactorbymanyfirmstocreatetheircompetitive
advantageintheirrelativeindustry.So,Keller(1993)concludedsomefeaturesonwhichperceivedqualitycan
bemeasuredwhichconsistsofperformances,conformancequality,reliability,durability,serviceabilityandstyle
anddesign.
2.4Brandloyalty
Ingeneral,brandloyaltymeanstherepeatpurchaseofaproductorservicebasedonconsumersatisfaction.
Brandloyaltyisamajorfactorinincreasingthemarketshareofafirmbecausewhenconsumersareloyaltothe
brandtheypurchaseandpromotethatspecificbrandwhichresultsinhighermarketgrowthandprofitability.As
Schiffman&Kanuk(2004)definedthatbrandloyaltyrepresentsacommitmentoftheconsumertothebrand
whichmakesitasanintangibleassetthatreflectsthecompany'spriceoftheproductorservice.Withrespectto
brandequity,loyaltyplayedanimportantrolebecausehigherloyaltyincreasesconsumersatisfaction,feeling
towardsthebrandandrepurchase.Meanwhile,Aaker(1991)explainedthatbrandloyaltydimensionisdifferent
fromtheotherdimensionsofbrandequitybecauseofbrandloyaltyislinkedtotheusageexperience.
2.5Countryoforigin
Morethanthirtyyears,differentresearchersarestudyingtherelationshipof(COO)countryoforiginandthe
perceptionofproducts.Nagashima(1970)definedtheconceptofCOOasthepicture,thereputationandthe
stereotypethatbusinessmenandconsumersattachtotheproductsofaspecificcountry.Thisimageiscreatedby
variablessuchasrepresentativeproducts,nationalcharacteristics,economicandpoliticalbackground,history,
andtraditions.Theimporterandconsumersbelievethattheproductswhichareproducedbydeveloped
countriesareofbetterqualityandearnmoreconsumertrustduetotheCOOimage(SrikatanyooandGnoth,
2002).Thisshowedthatcountryoforiginhasapowerandinfluencetochangetheevaluationofproductsand
brands.Especially,countryoforiginimageinfluencesbrandequity,eitherdirectlyorindirectly.Astudy
conductedbyNorjayaMohdYasinetal.,(2007)investigatetherelationshipbetweenbrandscountryoforigin
imageandbrandequityinthreeproductcategorieswhicharetelevision,refrigeratorandairconditioner.They
concludedthatthebrandsCOOimagehasapositiveandcertainimpactondifferentdimensionofconsumer
basedbrandequity.Moreover,ArashShahinetal.,(2012)foundthatbrandcountryoforiginhasadirectand
significanteffectonperceivedquality,brandloyalty,brandassociationandbrandawareness.Withrespecttothe
countryimage,bothmicroandmacroimagesofthebrandscountryoforiginarepositivelyassociatedwith
brandequity(RaviPappuetal.,2007).
2.6Researchhypothesis
Thisstudyaimstoexploretherelationshipbetweenbrandawareness,brandimage,perceivedqualityandbrand
loyaltywiththeinfluenceofCOOcountryoforiginbasedontheconceptofAaker(1991)andKeller(2008).As
shownin(figureI).
H1:BrandawarenessispositivelyrelatedtoBrandloyalty.H2:BrandimageispositivelyrelatedtoBrandloyalty.

H3:PerceivedqualityispositivelyrelatedtoBrandloyalty.
H4:BrandawarenesshasincreasedinfluenceonBrandloyaltybyusingweightedleastsquarescriterionby
countryoforigin.
H5:BrandimagehasincreasedinfluenceonBrandloyaltybyusingweightedleastsquarescriterionbycountry
oforigin.
H6:PerceivedqualityhasincreasedinfluenceonBrandloyaltybyusingweightedleastsquarescriterionby
countryoforigin.

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3.ResearchMethodology
3.1Datacollection
Theconveniencesamplingmethodwasusedtocollectdatafrom200SamsungSmartphonesusersinThailand.
ThequestionnairewasdistributedtotheSamsungSmartphonestorelocatedinashoppingmallinBangkok,the
capitalcityofThailandbecauseithaspopulationdensity,variableoccupationandvariableincome.Thedatawas
collectedbetweenJanuaryFebruary2014andinordertoreinforcethecoverageofthequestionnaire,thedata
wereconductedduringthreedifferenttimeperiods:morning,afternoonandevening(LongYiLin,2010).
Thesurveyquestionnaireconsistedoftwosections.Thefirstsectionwasdesignedtoacquiretherespondents
demographicinformationtowardtheSmartphonesmarketinThailand.Thesecondsectionwasdesignedto
measuretherelationshipbetweenbrandawareness,brandimage,perceivedquality,countryoforiginandbrand
loyalty.AfivepointLikertscalewasusedtomeasurethequestionnaire(1=stronglydisagreeto5=strongly
agree)(Likert,1932).Likertscaleisawidelyusedratingscalethatrequirestherespondentstoindicateadegree
ofagreementordisagreementanditiseasytoconstructadministerandunderstand.Thequestionnairewas
adaptedfromtheworkofKeller(2008)andYoo&Donthu(2001).Weusedstatisticalpackageforsocialscience
programs(SPSS)Ver.17fordataanalysis.Thebivariatecorrelationandregressionanalysiswereanalyzedto
measuretheoutcomeofbrandloyaltyinThailand.Theresultscouldbeimpliedforinvestigatingthebrand
loyaltyofSmartphonesmanufacturersinThailandanddeterminethevalueofdifferentbrandequitydimensions
whiledesigningamarketingstrategybasedoncountryoforiginofthebrand.
3.2Result
Atotalof200validresponseswascollectedforthisstudy.Amongthem,51%ofrespondentswerefemaleswhile
49%ofrespondentsaremalewithanagegroupof25yearsto34yearsandthisagegroupaccountedfor33%.
Thisdemographicresultrepresentsthatmajorityofrespondentsareyoungandtheyhaveknowledgeabout
leadingSmartphonebrand.Moreover,weexploretheeducationattainedbyrespondentswhichshowedthat46%
ofrespondentshaveearnedtheirbachelordegree.Theoccupationofrespondentsindicatedthat30%were
companyemployees,whichisfollowedbystudentswith28.50%andthemonthlyincomeofrespondentswere
ranging15,00120,000ThaiBaht.ThesummaryofrespondentsdemographicsisshowninTableI.
TableI.DescriptionofdemographicsVariables

Gender
Percentage/Mean
S.D
Male(115)
49.00%
Female(85)
51.00%
Age

1524Years
26.50%
2534Years
33.00%
3544Years
28.50%

4554Years
10.50%
Morethan55Years
1.50%
Education

Lowerthanbachelordegree
25.25%
Bachelordegree
46.00%
Masterdegree
23.50%
Higherthanmasterdegree
5.00%
Occupation

Student
28.50%
Housewife
2.00%
Companyemployee
30%
Governmentofficer
23.00%
Ownerbusiness
16.50%
Income1
3.06
1.567
Notes:1RepresentsRespondentsFamilyIncome:1=10,000orlessTHB,2=10,00115,000THB,3=15,001
20,000THB,4=20,00125,000THBand5=25,001ormoreTHB

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Themeanofvariablesexploredthatbrandawarenesshashighermeanascomparedtoothervariableswith
3.5486followedbybrandimageof3.4372andcountryoforiginby3.23.Theresultshowedthatrespondents
thoughtcountryoforiginandbrandawarenessweremajordimensionswhileevaluatingthevariablesofa
SmartphonebrandinThailandasshowninTableII
TableII:Descriptivestatisticsofvariables
Variables
Mean
Std.Deviation
Brandawareness
3.5486
.48934
BrandImage
3.4372
.54715
Brandloyalty
2.9850
.88828
Perceivedquality
3.3186
.52204
Countryoforigin
3.2333
.98449
Pearson'scorrelationanalysiswasemployedtotestthehypothesistofindthecorrelationamongbrandequity
dimensions.Ifoneofthevariablesischanged,itiscorrelatedwithothervariablesaswell.Arelationshipcloseto
1or1meansvariablewithhighaffinity,althoughitiscorrelatedpositivelyornegativelyandwhenthe
relationshipis0meansthereisnorelationshipbetweenvariables.FromTableIII,r=0.429,p=0.0000.05
whichhasastatisticalsignificance.Itmeansbrandawarenessispositivelyrelatedtobrandloyaltythatsupported
H1.r=0.831,p=0.0000.05whichhasastatisticalsignificance.Itmeansbrandimageispositivelyrelatedto
brandloyaltythatsupportedH2.r=0.765,p=0.0000.05whichhasastatisticalsignificance.Thismeans
perceivedqualityispositivelyrelatedtobrandloyaltythatsupportedH3.
TableIII:Correlationanalysis

Brand
BrandImage
Brand
Perceived
Countryof

origin

Awareness
Loyalty
Quality

BrandAwareness
1.000

BrandImage
0.495**
1.000

BrandLoyalty
0.429**
0.831**
1.000

PerceivedQuality
0.382**
0.798**
0.765**
1.000

Countryoforigin
0.212**
0.387**
0.406**
0.433**
1.000

**Correlationissignificantatthe0.01level(2tailed).
Themultipleregressionanalysiswasadoptedtotesttheinfluenceofbrandawareness,brandimageand
perceivedqualitywithbrandloyalty.Theeffectofbrandloyaltyondifferentbrandequitydimensionare
exploredbyusingtwoconditions,firstly,weightedleastsquarecriterionbycountryoforigin,whichdetermined

apositiverelationshipamongindependentvariablesotherthanbrandawareness.Secondly,weusedweighted
leastsquarecriterionwithoutusingcountryoforigintheoutcomeexplainedsimilarresultsbutthecoefficients
showedhighersignificant.Thus,brandawarenessshowedaninsignificantrelationshipwithbrandloyalty.The
resultsoftheregressionanalysiswereshownasTableIV.Fromthedatashown,thecorrelationR=0.848ifthe
correlationtestwithweightedleastsquarescriterionbycountryoforiginR=0.851.Itmeanswhenused
weightedleastsquares,the3factorshaveincreasedarelationshipwithbrandloyalty.Inthisregression,the
independentvariablespredictedtherelationshipwiththedependentvariableat72.00%(RSquare=0.720)butif
testedwithweightedleastsquaresincreasedpredictabilityat72.3%,ANOVAstatistics(F=167.900,p<.05)
whichindicatethattheoverallmodelfitisstatisticallysignificantandhasStd.ErroroftheEstimateat0.47372.
Whenconsideringtheregressiondataofindependentvariable,wefoundthatonlybrandawareness(B=0.051,
S.E.bi=0.079,=0.028,t=0.646,p=0.519)doesnthaveinfluenceonbrandloyaltywithastatistical
significanceat0.05.ItrejectedH4.Besidesthat,brandimage(B=0.962,S.E.bi=0.108,=0.592,t=8.874,p=
0.000),brandimagetestedbyweightedleastsquares(B=0.974,S.E.bi=0.107,=0.604,t=9.065,p=0.000)
andperceivedquality(B=0.479,S.E.bi=0.107,=0.282,t=4.484,p=0.000),perceivedqualitytestedby
weightedleastsquares(B=0.448,S.E.bi=0.108,=0.260,t=4.168,p=0.000)predictedbrandloyaltywitha
statisticallysignificantat0.05.Thisshowedthatbrandimageandperceivedqualityhaveaninfluenceonbrand
loyaltyandalsotheinfluencewasincreasedbyusingweightedleastsquarescriterionbycountryoforigintoo.
WeacceptH5&H6.Thestructuralequationmodelrevealsthefollowingweightedleastsquaresregression
equationsforanalyzingthebrandloyaltyofSamsungSmartphonebrandinThailand:
UnstandardizedScore

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StandardizedScore
Zr=0.043(BA)+0.604(BI)+0.260(PQ)

TableIV:RegressionAnalysis

Independentvariable
Unstandardized
Standardized

CoefficientsB
Coefficients
t
Sig.
Constant()
2.092
2.112a

7.516
7.781a
0.000
0.000a
Brandawareness(BA)
0.051
0.076a
0.028
0.043a
0.646
0.948a
0.519
0.345a
Brandimage(BI)
0.962*
0.974*a
0.592*
0.604*a
8.874
9.065a
0.000
0.000a
Perceivedquality(PQ)
0.479*
0.448*a
0.282*
0.260*a
4.484

4.168a
0.000
0.000a
DependentVariable:Brandloyalty(BL)
0.851a
R
0.848

R2

0.720
0.723a
AdjustedR2
0.716
0.719a
Fstatistics
167.9*
170.854*a
Note.*p<.05
a
Weightedleastsquaresbycountryoforigin
4.Discussion
TheresultsofPearson'scorrelationanalysisfoundtherelationshipofbrandawareness,perceivedqualityandbrand
image(asetofbrandassociation)hasapositiverelatedtobrandloyaltywithastatisticalsignificanceatp<0.05.This
outcomecontributescompatible,findingascomparedtoAhmedandSalah(2009)whichstudiedcustomerbased
brandequitywithbrandmarketperformance;theyfoundthatknowledgeequity(intermofawareness)andattitudinal
equity(intermofperceivedquality)positivelyaffectbehavioralloyalty,butopposingtheresultofJungmiOhand
SusanS.Fiorito(2002)thatconcludedbrandawarenesshadanegativerelationshipwiththebrandloyalcustomer
groupwhenpurchasingjacketsofKoreanwomen'sclothing.Moreover,theresultsaresimilartothestudyofArthur
ChengHsuiChen(2001)whichfoundtheperceivedqualityandbrandassociationsinfluenceusersatisfaction,which
resulttobrandloyaltytoo.Thefindingsofthisstudyalsofoundtherelativelevelsofthreedimensionbrandequity
hasinfluencedonbrandloyalty.Itmeansthatbrandimage(asetofbrandassociation)wasthehighestcorrelation
withbrandloyalty,thesecondwasperceivedqualityandthethirdwasbrandawareness.Asaresultofthisstudyis
consistentwiththeresearchofXiaoandJana(2009)thatstudiedthecreationofbrandequityintheChineseclothing
marketfoundtherelativelevelofthreedimensionbrandequitywerethefirstwasbrandassociation,thesecondwas
perceivedqualityandthethirdwasbrandawarenesswhichhasasignificantpositiveeffectonbrandloyalty.
Furthermore,thisresultaccordwiththeresearchofRaviShekharKumar,(2013)thatstudiedthenatureand
antecedentsofbrandequityanditsdimensionswhichfoundtherelationshipsbetweenbrandequitydimensionswere
brandassociationleadingtoperceivedquality.
Theoutcomeofmultipleregressionanalysisshowedthatbrandimagewashighestinfluenceonbrandloyalty
followedbyperceivedquality.Ifweusedweightedleastsquarescriterionbycountryoforigin,theinfluenceofboth
variablesshowedhighersignificanceonbrandloyalty
ThisresultwasconsistentwithNorjayaMohdYasin,etal.,(2007)foundthatbrandscountryoforiginimage
directlyorindirectlyinfluencesbrandequityanditisconsistentwiththeresearchofHong,etal.,(2011)whichfound
thatperceivedqualityhasastrongerimpacttobrandloyaltyforthebanksthanthediscountstores.Moreover,italso
supportedtheworkofIkeElechiOgbaandZhenzhenTan(2009)whichfoundthatbrandimagehasaninfluenceon
customerloyaltyanditimpactthecustomercommitmenttomarketofferingwithintheChinesemobilephone
market.Ontheotherhandonlybrandawarenesshasnoinfluenceonbrandloyaltywithastatisticalsignificanceat
0.05whichwasinconsistentwithMustafaTepeci(1999)whichconcludedthatcustomerhighestawarenessofthe
productwillincreasebrandloyaltyofconsumers.

5.Conclusion
Fromthisstudy,wedevelopedaprototypetocreatebrandloyaltyintheSmartphoneindustryinThailand.We
concludedthatbrandimageisthemostimportantdimensionforcreatingbrandloyaltyfollowedbyperceived
quality.Themanufacturersandmarketingmanagersshouldallocatemarketinginvestmentsbyfocusingonbrand
imagebecauseitwillstrengthenbrandperception.Inaddition,theperceivedqualityshouldalsoprovidestronger
consumerbaseifmanagerspromotethecountryoforiginthroughmarketingcampaigns.However,themanufacturers
mustproducetheirSmartphoneswithbetterqualityandmakediversestrategiesforcreatingbrandimageinthemind
oftheconsumer.Thus,manufacturersandmarketersshouldinvestigatebrandequitydimensionsinSmartphone
brandandconsidertheirdimensionsforbuildingastrongSmartphonebrandinThailandmarket.Furtherresearch
shouldfocusonothervariablessuchasadvertising,priceandbrand

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preferencebecausetheymighthaveasignificantimpactonbrandloyalty.Inaddition,acomparisonbetween
nationalandinternationalSmartphonebrandscanbeinvestigatedforexploringconsumerbasedbrandequityin
Thailand.
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AbouttheAuthor
ZhangJingisaUniversityProfessoratHuazhongUniversityofScienceandTechnology,Wuhan,Hubei,China.
ShehasearnedherBachelorDegreeinInternationalTradein1995,MasterDegreeinWesternEconomicsin
1998andthedegreeofDoctorofPhilosophyinEnterpriseManagementin2005fromHuazhongUniversityof
ScienceandTechnology(HUST),Wuhan,Hubei,China.ShehasjoinedtheUniversityofToronto,Canadaasa
visitingscholarduring2006to2007.HerresearchinterestsareMarketingStrategy,MarketOrientationand
MarketingResearch.
ChatchaiPitsapholisenrolledasaDoctoralDegreeCandidate,intheprogramofBusinessAdministration
(Marketing),inSchoolofManagement,HuazhongUniversityofScienceandTechnology,Wuhan,Hubei,China.
HehasearnedthedegreeofBachelorofBachelorofArts(CommunicationArts)degreein1998fromRajabhat
InstituteNakornratchasima,Nakornratchasima,Thailand.HeearnedhisMasterofBusinessAdministration
(InnovationManagement)in2010fromRamkhamheangUniversity,Bangkok,Thailand.Hehasworkedin
SynchrotronLightresearchInstitute(PublicOrganization),MinistryofScienceandTechnology,Thailandfrom
2003to2012inthedepartmentofbusinessdevelopment.Owingtogoodacademicandworkexperiencerecords,
heawardedChineseGovernmentScholarshiptopursuehisdoctoralstudiesinHuazhongUniversityofScience
andTechnology.HisresearchareasareBrandManagement,MarketingStrategyandMarketingResearch.
RizwanShabbirisenrolledasDoctoralDegreecandidateintheprogramofBusinessAdministration
(Marketing)inSchoolofManagement,HuazhongUniversityofScienceandTechnology,Wuhan,Hubei,China.
HehasearnedhisMS(Economicgrowth,InnovationandSpatialDynamics)in2012fromLundUniversity,
Sweden,MS(Marketing)in2010fromUmeaUniversity,Sweden.Hehasworkedasmarketingmanagerat
SabirDaudExports,Pakistanduring20072009.In2012,healsoservedasvisitinglectureratNationalTextile
University,Faisalabad.HisresearchareasareConsumerBehavior,BrandManagementandMarketingResearch.

189

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