This study investigates the role of integrated marketing communications in building customer
based brand equity. The study was conducted in Pietermaritzburg and Durban in South Africa
using the consumers of the Coca Cola brand as the study subjects. The aim of the study was
to determine the differential effect that knowledge of the Coca Cola brand has on consumers’
responses to the marketing of the brand.
The study commenced with a survey of literature related to the fields of integrated marketing
communications and customer based brand equity. The theoretical framework was
determined to be the customer based brand equity model of Keller (2008: 60). For the
empirical research, the quantitative research methodology was employed. The primary data
was collected from a sample of 285 Coca Cola drinkers from Pietermaritzburg and Durban in
South Africa. The findings from the theoretical survey revealed that there are several
promotional mix tools that can be used to market a brand and that these can be used in brand
building to precipitate the strong, favourable and unique brand associations that are necessary
for the development of brand equity.
The results of the empirical study revealed that the Coca Cola brand does indeed employ
several marketing communications tools and that they have been integrated in such a way that
they present a cohesive and consistent message. Respondents revealed that this integration of
communications has an impact on their attitudes and beliefs about the brand. The research
determined that Coca Cola is a highly salient brand in the minds of consumers and that they
hold positive associations about the brand. The study determined however that although they
hold strong, favourable and unique brand association of the brand in their minds, the majority
of respondents do not have the attitudinal attachment, active involvement and sense of
community that are necessary for brand resonance. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/9853 |
| Date | 31 October 2013 |
| Creators | Dapi, Belinda Chiedza. |
| Contributors | Phiri, Maxwell Agabu. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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