Understanding The Relationship Between Brand Awareness And Gen Y Decision Making

Brand

According to Erdem et al. (2006), brand name act as signals to consumers. A brand signal becomes the sum of the brand past and present marketing activity. Brand can help customer in market information produces uncertainty in consumer`s mind. A credible brand signal generates consumer value by (1) reducing perceived risk, (2) reducing information search costs and (3) creating favorable attitude perception (Erdem & Swait, 1998).

A brand also known as a name, term, signal, symbol or design or a combination of them (that) is planned to identify the goods and services of one seller or a group of seller and to differentiate with other competitors (Kotler, 1997) – easy for customer to make decision making when they know brand knowledge. Brand play roles in consumer decision making can happen through multiple mechanism, such as psychologically (e.g. associative network memory), sociological (e.g. brand communities), and economic (e.g. brands as signals under uncertainty process (Keller, 2002). A good brand can be a positive in customer mind and give a good impact to the organization.

De Chernatony, et al. (2010), also say brands are more powerful in terms of build relationship with customer which is a brand are already familiar in market and profitable compared to regular unbranded products. The great brand is which positioning in the mind of the customer. In the market place, brands have a different in the amount of power and worth (Shabbir et. Al., 2010). Customer always buy a product what they familiar or know. It will decrease their risk if they use product that they know or product that they always used. As a companies concerned, brands are valued as important assets as for and individual.

Joshi and Gupta (2013) in their study, explains that brands help consumers to decide in their decision making process. Consumers perceive brands and get them since they guarantee to satisfy a need, in view of prior experienced with the brand. Consumers additionally purchase brands in light of the fact that the brand stories interface with them straightforwardly or their life, it offers them a self – costly advantage or they discover the brands applicable in certain culture setting.

A brand play a vital role in helping the seller to gain goodwill and have a repeated support from their customer. For continuing the standards and the quality of the goods and services, the organization will offer the brand personal guarantee to their consumer. There are three basic characteristic to identify a genuine brand. First is, based on functional and emotional benefits, second is, consumer internalized sum of impression and the third is, a distinctive position. The evolution of brands start with products made out of certain ingredients over a period of time, brands are built through marketing activities and communication. The acquiring attributes keep on and the core values will be extended. (Nayeem, 2012).

However, for a brand to be successful it does not properly identify its positioning. As long as the target group does not perceive or identify in brand activities its major assumptions or ideas (which are the basis of brand-differentiating associations) the brand is not really positioned in the audience’s minds (Janiszewiska and Insch, 2012).

Brand awareness

Brand Awareness is buyer aware of the existence of the brand but the knowledge about it is limited and obviously has no particular emotional attachment to it as a result he may or may not think of purchasing the brand (Nayeem, 2012).Brand awareness does not mean to merely know the name of the brand or to have seen it before, it rather means that consumer can associate the name, logo and something similar in his mind (Yildram, 2010).

Based on study conducted by Macdonald and Sharp (2000), consumer are willing to buy the product if they are the familiar and known to the brand, and brand awareness another factor that influences the purchase decision. If the product have a higher brand awareness then the customer are willing to buy a good services. The higher level of brand awareness can give influence to customer make a purchase decision.

Aaker (1996) look at the sources of brand value to be as brand awareness, mark affiliation, perceived quality, and brand loyalty. This is the level, to which customer identified a specific brand. This influence consumer to create robust brands with the related product or services and this can influence them to buy frequently.

Brand awareness is influence by which the purchasing attitude of consumer changes about any good or service (Shabbir, et al., 2010). Television advertisement is a very strong medium to create brand awareness with the help of audio and visual messages (Sonkusare, 2013).

Brand awareness play vital role in consumer decision making process, if customer had already heard the brand name, the customer would feel more comfortable at the time of making decision making (customer normally do not prefer to buy an unknown brand, especially if it is an expensive product like motor, car, and television). Therefore, companies with a strong brand are most be a customer preferred compared with unknown brand.

Wang & Ruhe (2007) conclude in their study, the organization will be acceptable and have a good reputation by having a successful brand awareness for their product and services. The organization still has a good position in market and customers also choose that product in their buying decision.

Decision making

Vasilescu (2011) indicated that in buying decision process the consumer need to align with intention, mentality, strength and inclination to identification evidence before they make any decision. Consumer buying decision process have a direct effect from the way numerous internal and external factors such as brand awareness.

According to Hansen (2000) the consumer buying behavior depends on which intentions, attitudes, preferences, effort to commitment and way of identifying the consumers have. Therefore, consumer behaviour describes on how consumer make buying decision and how they utilize and discard of the purchase serices and goods (Marsh, Pare & Hamilton, 2006). Hence, we can make a better understanding on decision buying process for a marketer. A marketer needs to distinguish their market and consumer with a specific end goal to be fit for offering their goods and services, to be able to satisfy their needs, wants and demands in order to generate profitability and revenue, such as a market shares through acknowledgment and recognize their consumer's behaviour would make the organization success (Brosekhan, Velayutham and Phil, 2016). Beresford & Sloper (2008) mention that buying decision making process is the intention of the consumer to buy through the five stages and lastly how they going to use and put the goods or services.

From the finding, most of organization is more concerned on to have a better understanding of their consumer. This will lead to have a clear information about their consumer feel, think and choose goods and services (Appelt at. El., 2011). Consumer buyer and behaviour is a study about market segmentation, market targeting and to satisfy tehe needs, wants and demand (Dunn, 2007). In this new day, customer have a tough deal. This due to the varieties of products that offer a great option and deal. However, each of individuals or consumer will have a different decision making criteria and interpretation. Marketer need to understand buying behavioural in an ongoing process that involved pre purchase stage, purchase criteria, and post purchase issues (Franses & Vriens, 2004).

As a conclusion, consumer behaviour is a study on market segmentation, market targeting, market differentiation and market positioning to satisfy target consumer needs, wants and demands. (Usman at. el., 2010). Market segmentation states that consumer behavior can understand based on the four dimension demographics, geographic, psychographics and behavior, this serve to satisfy the consumer needs, wants and demands. Brosekhan et.al., (2016), discovered that consumer behavior is an activity that involves, consuming, ordering of products or services and people obtaining.

Population and sample

The target population is generation Y. Generation Y comprises the population of a country born between 1977 and 1994 (Kotler & Armstrong, 1999). The member are described as realistic, ‘savvy’, socially and environmentally aware and open to new experiences. They have moved some of their television viewing habits to the Internet and less likely to read the newspaper compared to their parents (Cant et al., 2006). Hestad (2013), found that generation Y were frequently in touch with their parents and they used technology at higher rates than people from other generations. Gen Yers were protected by their parents and are characterized as having grown up with self-esteems, a sense of entitlement and belief that anything is possible. They are optimistic, social and have high expectations for themselves and others. As a whole, this generation is the most educated and tech savvy of all generational groups.

Measurement Variables

In this study, 7 likert scale has been used to measure the independent and dependent variables. Likert scale or commonly pronounced as psychometric scale usually involved in research that employs questionnaires. The measures of level agreement in 7 likert scale are (1) Strongly Disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Somewhat Disagree, (4) Neutral, (5) Somewhat Agree, (6) Agree and (7) Strongly Agree.

Independent variable in this study is brand awareness which are consists of brand recall, brand recognition and top-of-mind awareness and dependent variables is decision making.

Correlation

The correlation is a statistical measure that indicates the extent to which two or more variables change together. A positive correlation shows the extent to which those variable s increase or decrease in parallel; a negative correlation indicates the extent to which one variable increases as the extent to which one variable increases as the other decreases. This study used correlation measurement to see how the two variables are related. This technique can show how much the relationship of brand awareness and decision making are related.

Descriptive Analysis

A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed to all student selected in Klang Valley. All 346 questionnaire were returned (86.50% respondent rate).

According to the result, the highest of respondents were female (77.7%) and male (22.5%). Based on race, malay respondent (86.7%) follow by indian (9.2%) then Chinese (3.5%) while African and other get same percentage (0.3%). The majority of age were in age 21-23 years (68.5%) followed by aged below 20 year (21.1%), 24-26 years (10.4%) and no respondent in age above 27 years. Years in study for year 3(56.6%), year 2 (32.7%) then for year 4 (6.1%) year 1 (3.8%) and year 5(0.9%). Current CGPA that they get for the highest is above 3.49(34.4%), 3.00-3.49(47.1%) followed by 2.50-2.99(16.8%) and the lowest is 2.00-2.49(1.7%). Respondent in Business course (33.8%) then Engineering course (283%), followed by Science Computer (19.9%), Economic and Finance (14.7%) and others (3.2%).

Reliability Analysis

Table 2 show that the Cronbach`s alpha coefficient of the independent variable (Brand awareness) as computed for (N=10) IS 0.681, and dependent variable (Decision Making) as computed for (N=5) is 0.875 which is implies a relatively a accepted internal consistency.

Correlation Coefficient

From the table 3 , shows the estimated Pearson correlation for the general hypothesis is significant at 0.696**, implying a moderate relationship between Brand Awareness and Decision Making. Therefore, it can be concluded that there is positive significant relationship between Brand Awareness and Decision Making.

Therefore, the main research objective is accepted. According to the previous research, Brosekhan at. el., (2016) pointed out that brand awareness is one of the process the marketer need to follow and implement to have a positive connection with decision making of the consumers.

There are many of the researcher agreed that brand awareness is one of the important element toward the decision making. One of them is Vasilescu (2011) said that a in getting profitability and revenue by selling the goods and services markerter once needs to understand and identify the true consumer. According to Appelt et. al., (2011), the consumer buying decision influence on consumer brand awareness preferences, attitudes, effort to commitment and intentions.