Okereke Obinna (Ph.D)
Department of Marketing, Faculty of Management Sciences,
University of Benin, Edo state, Nigeria
obinna.okereke@uniben.edu
Abonyi, Ikechukwu Igwulube (Ph.D)
Department of Marketing, Faculty of Management Sciences,
Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka Anambra State
Ikeaboniyi@gmail.com
Chime, Kenneth (Ph.D)
Department of Marketing, School of Business Management Technology
Federal Polytechnic Nekede Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria
chimekenneth68@gmail.com
Abstract
This study examined the impact of brand equity on customers’ loyalty for the services rendered to passengers of four selected mass transit firms in Enugu State. Population of the study composed of passengers from God is good motors, GUO, Peace Mass Transit, and Okeyson Motors. Purposive sampling was used to reach out to ninety six (96) passengers of each firm studied. This resulted to 384 respondents. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection, and 384 copies of the questionnaires were issued to passengers of the transportation outfits studied. 278 (72%) were retrieved. The analysis was performed with the multiple regression technique. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 was also used to analyse data. Findings indicated that brand equity predictors such as brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality and brand loyalty, affect customer’s loyalty in significant ways. The study concluded that brand equity positively affects customers’ loyalty and recommended that management of the firms studied in this work need to intensify more efforts in creating brand awareness as a way to increase brand equity. They should also, expand other related efforts aimed at improving their service quality, so as to capture all components of brand equity in order to enhance customers’ loyalty.
Keywords: Brand equity, Brand awareness, Brand association, Perceived quality, Brand loyalty, Customer Loyalty, Passengers
