Abstract
The study focuses on effect of corporate branding on performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria. The objective of the study is to: determine the effect of brand awareness on performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria; ascertain the nature of the relationship between brand associations and sales performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria and determine the influence of perceived quality on performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria. The population size was 1168 out of which a sample size of 369 was realized using Cochran’s sample size at 5% error tolerance and 95% level of confidence. Instruments used for data collection were primarily questionnaire and interview. Out of 369 copies of the questionnaire that were distributed, 385 copies were returned while 11 were not returned. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient t and Simple Linear Regression Statistical tools. The findings indicate that brand awareness significantly affect performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria (r = 0.864; t = 33.536; p < 0.05). That there is a positive relationship between brand associations and performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria (r = 0. 812, p < .05). That perceived quality significantly influences performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria (r = 0.883; t = 36.848; p < 0.05). The study concluded that branding enable customers to distinguish between different products and services and recognize what they perceive satisfies their needs the most. The study recommended that manufacturing firms should adopt brand awareness so as to ensure that customers’ recall and recognize the brand as reflected by their ability and to identify the brand under different conditions which will promote firms’ performance. 
 
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Highlights
The emergence of brands probably started at the end of the 19th century (Davis, 2018)
Keller (2003, pp 17) defines brand awareness as “the customers’ ability to recall and recognize the brand as reflected by their ability to identify the brand under different conditions and to link the brand name, logo, symbol, and so forth to certain associations in memory”
Corporate brand association refers to a customers’ evaluation of a brand that is determined by the knowledge stored in their memory, based on past brand-customer interactions
Summary
The emergence of brands probably started at the end of the 19th century (Davis, 2018). Brands can be critical to the success of companies, as they often provide the primary points of differentiation between competitive offerings. More than a name, symbol or a tagline, a brand is a set of associations and expectations with a company or product evoked in the minds of consumers (Kumar et al, 2014). The concept of corporate branding has gained popularity in the marketing literature as corporate brands are said to add value to the products and services offered by the company (Harris & de Chernatony, 2011). Brands can represent lifestyles and values (Lexus, Rolex, 2009) and functions such as the meanings of symbols, on the basis that people who are specialists in brands provide the level of quality of the product that cannot always be proven in the lab (Franzan & Moriarty, 2019). European Journal of Management and Marketing Studies - Volume 6 │ Issue 4 │ 2021
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