AN ANALYTICAL STUDY ON THE INFLUENCE OF BRAND ASSOCIATIONS ON CUSTOMER PATRONAGE OF SMART PHONES IN AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA: A CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The smart phone industry is plagued with fierce competition of different brands vying for customers’ attention. Yet, brand associations, being a key determinant of customer patronage of smart phones, is under-researched. Thus, this study was undertaken with the objective of examining the influence of brand associations (proxied as brand benefits and brand reputation), on customer patronage of smart phones in Akwa Ibom State. To achieve this objective, data was sourced first hand from respondents with the use of a structured questionnaire. The researchers adopted the survey research design approach and data were collected from 384 respondents drawn from the customer data bases of the smart phones’ companies. A total number of 369 copies of the questionnaire were retrieved in useable form representing 96.1 percent of the respondents. Data generated from the respondents were processed and hypotheses inferentially tested at 0.05 level of significance using the Simple Regression Model (SRM). Findings revealed that brand associations, proxied as brand benefits and brand reputation, have a significant influence on customer patronage of smart phones in Akwa Ibom State. Thus, the researchers concluded that brand associations have a significant influence on customer patronage of smart phones in Akwa Ibom State and recommended that the managers of smart phone firms should highlight the brand benefits that resonate most with customers in Akwa Ibom, such as reliability, performance and customer service. This could include creating advertising campaigns or in-store demonstrations that showcase the tangible advantages of the brand and using testimonials or local influencer partnerships to promote smart phones’ benefits