Brand marketing programs and consumer loyalty – evidence from mobile phone users in an emerging market

Abstract

Purpose The paper aims to examine brand marketing efforts and consumer loyalty among mobile phone users. By recognizing different levels of loyalty, the study assesses the degree of importance of the brand marketing programs on high and low loyalty consumer segments within an emerging market context. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a sample of 1,000 consumers of three mobile phone brands. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes were used in evaluating scale measures, whereas cluster analysis was used to create consumer loyalty segments. Analysis of variance was conducted to evaluate the brand marketing programs within high and low segments before multi-group logistic regressions to assess the impact of brand marketing efforts on consumer loyalty. Findings Four principal brand marketing efforts were identified from the data, with varying degrees of importance among high and low loyalty consumer segments. Additionally, from the logistic regression analyzes, the brand marketing efforts exhibited various likelihood results on brand-specific loyalties among consumers of the mobile phone brands. Originality/value The findings provide evidence to issues of potential research and managerial interest, with implications to the academic and practitioner communities. Particularly for firms seeking to enter emerging markets, the findings presented in this study provide an understanding of some consumer dynamics in such settings.