Influence of Marketing Mix Strategy on Brand Equity Enhancement of Chinese Dried Forest Fruit Brands Based on Customer Mind Model

Abstract

This research aimed to study 1) the influence of a marketing mix strategy on brand equity enhancement (brand loyalty) among Chinese dried forest fruit brands, 2) brand utility as a mediator of the relationship between the marketing mix and brand equity enhancement (brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality and perceived value), and 3) the effect of brand equity dimensions on the willingness of customers to pay a price premium. The study employed a quantitative approach utilizing online questionnaires to survey Chinese consumers who purchased dried forest fruit products from four well-known brands: Three Squirrels, Be & Cheery, Qiaqia, and Bestore. A snowball sampling method was utilized to gather responses from a sample of 480 consumers, with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) being employed to analyze the data. The results showed that product, promotion, and place had positive impacts on both brand utility and brand equity dimensions. In particular, product and place were found to have a considerable correlation with brand equity enhancement in the context of dried forest fruits. The research also revealed that brand utility positively impacts both brand value dimensions and brand loyalty, serving as an intermediary for the association between the marketing mix (product, place) and brand loyalty. Finally, the study confirmed that both brand equity dimensions and brand equity enhancement positively influence customers’ willingness to pay a price premium.