Factories affecting brand loyalty- a study in a emerging market on fast moving goods

Abstract

Brand loyalty is a topic of interest both to academicians and practitioners involved with marketing. The concept of relationship marketing has its underpinnings in brand loyalty. In consumer products, typically fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), there are a host of complexities, that affect brand loyalty. The very concept of loyalty seems to have become a dynamic one with the marketing literature presenting different aspects of the concept. This study examines the combined effects of brand benefits, brand symbolism, brand trust, genetic influence and price consciousness of consumers on brand loyalty for toothpaste product category. Data from a random sample of four hundred and forty four consumers in India confirm significant influence of brand functional benefits, brand trust, price consciousness, and genetic influence on brand loyalty. Results suggest that marketers would have to balance the traditional axiomatic views of brand loyalty with the emerging dimensions of brand migration in a competitive context. This research paper explores factors closely related to the management of brand loyalty and could offer insights to practitioners of marketing. It also offers a framework, that reflects the implications of the study to marketing practice with regard to management of brand loyalty.