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BRAND AWARENESS AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF DEPOSIT MONEY

BANKS IN RIVERS STATE

Article · January 2019

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Journal of ?-.larkcting Dc\'clopmcnt. 4(Spccial Edition) Dcw~bcr..2019 ISSN: 2579-0595
Publication 0f the Department of Marketing. Ri\'crs State Umvcrstty
BRAND AWARENESS AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION OF DEPOSIT MONEY
BANKS IN RIVERS STATE

Harcourt. Horsfall (PhD)

Depanment of Marketing.
Rh er.; State Univen.11y. P<>n Harcoun

Ghcgch. Doobura Dccnor

Depanmenl of Marketing.
Ri\ cr.; Stale University. Pon Harcoun
gbegeh<boohura4rca1@yah,'IO.com

Kuku. Ebikise
Dcpanmenl of Marketing.
Ri vers State University. P<>n Harcoun
cbiklscl.:u(.;u64@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between brand awareness and customer
satisfaction of deposit money banks in Rivers Stnte. The specific objectives of the study were to
dctcm1inc the extent to which brand awareness relates to customer commitment. customer referral.
and customer advocacy. TI1e population comprised customers of deposit money banks in Ri vers State.
The population of the study is large. flowing and unknown because the number of customers of
deposit money banks changes on daily basis. The sample size detem1ination table developed by
KrL·jcic and Morgan in 1970 was used to derive a sample size of 384 for the study. The questionnaire
wa , the instrument used to collect primary data from respondents. Pearson Product Moment
Correlation was used to test the two alternate hypotheses stated in the study with the aid of the
Stattsttcal Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. From the analysis it was found that brand
awareness has positive and significant relationship with customer commitment. customer re ferral. and
cu~tomer advocacy. The study thus concludes that brand awareness drive customer satisfaction
thw ugh customer commitment. referral and advocacy; and recommends that deposit money hanks
sh0uld embark on brand awareness drive through advenising. sales promotion and quality service
delivery to increase the level to which consumers know about the existence of their brands.
Keywords: Brand awareness. customer advoc,tcy. customer commitment. customer referral.
custome r satisfaction.

I TROD CTION
Brand is a name. sign o r symhol attributed to a company. products. or services which
di tinguis hcs it from other companies and products in the minds of customers. s uppliers and
dtstrihuto rs. the competition a nd the publics (Kotler & Ann strong. 2008). The concept o f
bra nd awareness is described as the extent to which a bra nd is recogni zed bv existing and
potcnllal customers. and is correctly associated with a pat1icular prod;;-ct. Bran~! awaren~ss is
the: primary goal o f advertising at the early stage a product's introduct ion . Brand awareness is
rc.:l .t tcd to the function s of brand identities in consumers' memory and can he reflected b,·
ho w well consumers can identify the brand under various conditions in the market (Kellc~.
I 'N~) The fine tuning of brand a\\·arcness could be the brand recognitio n and brand recall
pe r h•rrnance. Brand _recognition refer to the ability of consumers to correctly differentiate
thl hrand they prevtous ly ha, ·e been exposed to. This docs not ncces. aril y require that the
<.-OJt,umcro; 1dcn11fy ~he.: brand name. h o_ftcn means that consumers can respond to a certain
hr••nd after ' •e:vlllg II ~' l'ual pac.:kaglllg tmagci- (Percy & Rossiter. 1992). Brand recall refer::.
to the Jhtltty n! cnn,Utner~ to correctly generate and retrieve the brand fn 1111 memory.

If .1 c.:uo;tnmcr rc.:c.:ng rti/C,, rcmemhers and eon~idcr~ a brand ·1s the b ·st . .. ·1 II · ·
. . . . • •· c.:. ,1\,u a' c o ptto n 11
l ft.lh.:' a kc.:l1n g n1 fa mtl1ant y. and thts could lead to eu ·tomer (,w ·tlt (' .
, . y. ustomcr 1nyalt y ·ts
Journal of Marketing Development. 4(Specia1 Edition) December, 2019 ISSN: 2579-0595
Publication of the Department of Marketing, Rivers State University

one significant indicator of marketing effectiveness. In other words, it customers of a bank or

any other institutions are willing to maintain exchange relationship with the organization the
activities of the finn in the area of marketing can be said to be effective. Brand awareness is a
significant driver of marketing effectiveness. If consumers are not sufficiently aware of the
existence of a product, that product irrespective of its quality will remain in shelf for a V(.'J)'
long time. Thus, deposit money banks must create brand awareness by making them
memorable and easily recognizable sales volume, profitability, customer satisfaction,
retention, loyalty and committed.

Several scholars have carried out similar studies to detcm1ine the impact of brand equity on
customer satisfaction. For example Alipour et al (20 IS) conducted a survey of the effects of
brand value on customer satisfaction in phannaceutical and biological industries in Iran.
Similarly, Hamed, Hossein and Mohammad (2016) conducted a study evaluating the effect of
brand equity on consumer satisfaction and brand loyalty in large retails of the Mazandaran
Province of Iran. Furthennore, Amini (20 19) investigated the relationship between brand
image and marketing perfonnance of quoted food and beverages manufacturing tim1s in
Rivers State. However, no study was found to have investigated the relationship between
brand awareness and customer satisfaction of deposit money banks in Rivers State. In order
to till this gap, the researcher was motivated to carry out this study. This, study specifically
examined the extent to which brand awareness relates to customer commitment, customer
referral, and customer advocacy of deposit money banks in Rivers State. The study is
conceptualized in a framework as shown in figure I.

Customer Satisfaction (CS)

I

I Brand Awareness (BA) ~I Cuswm~r Commitment (CC)

I
I~ I Customer Referral (CR)
I
I Customer Advocacy (CA)
I
Figure I . I: Conceptual framework of brand awareness and customer ,ati,fa"ion
Source: SPSS Output (2019).

THEORETICAL FOUNDATION OF THE STUDY

This study is founded on the brand equity theory which shows how the value of a brand could
be measured. This valuation can be measured from the view point of the consumer or the
financial net worth of the brand. Hence. it is the total value of the brand indicating how the
organization pcrfonned in the financial or c;,pital markets (Kotler & Keller. 2012). Brand
equity is calculated with a forward looking pc:rspectivc. Thus. the value of the organization
changes when new information about the brand or the organization reaches the market. The
implication is that a company with high brand equity will drive higher emotional attachment
from customers and investors. Hence. corporate brand strategy development should consider
the brand equity valuation of the company or product and service brands (Kotler & 1\.ellcr.
20 12; Kotler & Armstrong, 20 12). in developing and executing corporate brand strategy. the
value of the brand from the customer experience and all other stakd10lders is important.
Organizations should build better brand value to drive stakeholder positive experience. In
development of corporate brand strategy for better customer emotional connection. buildtng
s trong brand equity is imperative; the business Cllmmunity is always connccll·d 111 brands
with high value.

25
Jmamal of ~larketing Development. 4(Spcci:ll Edition) December. 2019 ISSN: 2579·0595
PublicatiCin of the Department of ~-larkcting. Rivers State University

BRAND A \V ARENESS CONCEPTUALIZED

Brand awareness is the extent to which consumers recognize the existence of a brand. and
how that recognition influences their decision when buying a product. Brand awareness
entails: recognizing the brand: remembering the brand; and considering the brand as the best
available option. Brand awareness refers to the salience of a brand in the customer's mind
(Alipour et al. 2015). Similarly, Jyoti and Devi (2014) define brand awaro.:ness as the extent
and case to which customers recall and recognize the brand and can identify the products and
services with which it is associated. Furthermore, Ali (20 12) defines brand awareness as the
probability that consumers recognize the existence and availability of a company' s product or
services, creating this awareness by a company arc one of the key steps to promote the
company' s goods and services.

Brand awareness has been identified as a major dimension of brand equity. It is the power of
a brand that is accumulated in consumer's memory and the capacity of consumers to identify
and remember a brand as a constituent of a product category (Aaker. 1991 ). Brand awareness
consists of both brand recognition and brand recall. Brand recognition is the ability of a
customer to recognize a brand as one, which he or she has already been exposed to. while
brand recall is the ability of customers to retrieve the brand when they think of the product
category (Ali. 2012). Thereforc:-nle- first step in process of establishing brand awareness is
brand recognition i.e. a consumer should first identify the brand (Keller. 2003: Aaker, 1991 ),
the second is to establish those images in the minds of consumers that help them in recalling
the brand while the third is top of mind. Top of mind is a special position that a brand attains
in the minds of cons ,amcrs (Aaker, 1991 ). That branrl is the first thing that comes to a _
consumers mind when he thinks about a particular product category. Therefore for new
brands. brand recognition is more important. while for well-established. brand recall and top
of mind arc more significant (Aaker. 1996). Firms can demonstrate high competitive
ad\·antage through brand awareness. The level of awareness of a brand will be high or low
depending on the extent to which a brand i!> recognized and the influence it has on the
purchase decisions of co nsumers (Knowles. 2003).

Cl'STOi\IER SATISFACTION
TI1o.: entire marketing paradigm revolves round customer satisfaction. Researchers o f business
and marketing have made great emphasis on custome~ satist:1ction and also recommended
marketers to avoid customer dissatisfaction . Ocspite extensive research in the years si nce
Cardo;ro's 1965 classic article. researchers arc yet to de\·elop a consens ual definition of
c u ~tomer ~atisfaction. Oliver (I 9<}7 ) addresses this definitional issue by paraphrasing the
.:motion literature. noting that "o.:\·eryonc kno"·s what ·satisfaction· is until asked to give a
definition. then it seems. nobody kno\\'s". Based on the perception that satisfaction has been
defined. most research focuses on testing models of consumer satisfaction (e.g .. Mano &
Olaver 199~: Oliver 1993: Oli\·cr & DcSarbo 19SR: Spreng. MacKenzie & Olshavsky 19%:
T ~c & Wilton I <)g!{) \\'hile definitional consideratic>ns have recci\·ed little attention (Giese &
Co1c. 2000). As Peter~on and William ( 1992) suggest. "studies of customer satisfaction arc
pc:!laap~ hc~t charactcrit.cd by their lack <>f definitional and methndnlogieal standardization" .

1\ ha,ac.: dcfimtaona l I!Konsistcncy ~ ~ evident by the debate of whether sat is ti1ction is a process
or >n ou11..nrnc. More prcc.:iscly. consumer satisfaction definitions h;I\'C either emphasized an
C' •• tuatio n procc~~ (e.g .. Fnmcll. 1992) nr a response to an e\aluation process (C.!! .• 1-fo \\'ard
/<.. '-.hcth lW>IJ. Ohvcr J<N7. 198 1: Tsc & Wilton 19SX: Westbrook & Reilly 19X~). Fn>m a
gc.:r•\.'ral ddinrtinn pcr,pcctive. proces!> definition s arc problematic: in that there is little
~ " ' · '1'1l'fll' \' 1n the 'ata,fac.:taon proc.:css. From an operational pcrspecti\·c. process dctinitinn:-
Journal of Marketing Development, 4(Special Edition) December, 2019 ISSN: 2579-<>5~
Publication of the Department of Marketing. Rivers State University

arc plagued by antecedent constructs included in the conceptual definition; thus, there is an
overlap between the domains of the determinative process constructs and the consumer
satisfaction construct.

Most definitions have favored the notion of consumer satisfaction as a response to an

evaluation process. Specilically, there is an overriding theme of consumer satisfaction as a
summary concept i.e., a fulfillment response (Oliver, 1997); affective response (Halstead,
Hartman & Schmidt 1994); overall evaluation (Fomcll, i 992); psychological state (Howard
& Sheth, 1969); global evaluative judgment (Westbrook, 1987); summary attribute
phenomenon (Oliver, 1993); or evaluative response (Day, 1984)). However, there is
disagreement concerning the nature of this s ummary concept. Researchers portray consumer
satisfaction as either a cognitive or affective response (Giese & Cote, 2000).

A final discrepancy occurs in the terms used as a designation for this concept. Researchers
have used discrepant terms to mean satisfaction as detem1ined by the final user: consumer
satisfaction (e.g., Cronin and Taylor 1992; Ol iver 1993; Spreng, MacKenzie. and Oishavsky
1996; Tse and Wilton 1988; Westbrook 1980) or simply, satisfaction (e.g., Kourilsky and
Murray 1981; Mittal, Kumar, and Tsiros 1999; Oliver i 992; Oliver and Swan 1989). These
tenns are used somewhat interchangeably, with limited, if any, justification for the usc of any
particular tenn . The lack of a consensus de finition fo r satisfaction creates three serious
problems fo r consumer satisfaction research: selecting an appropriate definition fo r a given
study; operationalizing the definition; and interpreting and comparing empirical results.
These three problems affect the basic structure and outcomes of marketing research and
theory testing. The dimensions of customer satisfaction as adopted in this study are customer
commitment, customer referral and customer advocacy.

Customer Commitment
Customers have vario us experiences as they establish and maintain exchange relationship
with sellers. These experiences if positive and salutary will make the customer to make
commitment or sacrifices to maintain the relationship. In relationship marketing, customer
commitment is very important. Commitment is defined by Morgan and Hunt ( 1994) as the
desire to keep a relationship. Similarly, Harry (20 19) describes customer commitment as an
act o f binding oneself to an exchange transaction with the intention to create and maintain a
long-tenn relationship. Vavra ( 1995) define commitment as a man .1gcmcnt concept that
describes marketer's v iew of how to keep customers for lite. Acc01ding to Harry (2019),
w hen a customer is committed to a particular seller. it becomes easi.:r to reap the lifetime
value of the customer. Acknowledging this fact Kotler and Annstrong (2008) observe that
companies arc realizing that losing a customer means more than a single sale. It means losmg
the entire stream o f purchases that the customer would make over a lifetime of patronage.

Most finns have recognized th.: fact that customer comm itment is 'cry important for ;u1y
rt:iationship to las t lo r a long tim.:. In r.:cent times mark.:ting has mo\ cd from creating
transactional exchang.: to a point wh.:re relationship is cstablish.:d and maintain.:d through
customer satisfaction. Wctzels. de Ruyter and L.:mmink (2000) posit that commitment is the
core concept in the relationship mark.:ting paradigm and it entails an enduring attachment to ;J
seller. To buttress the fo regoing. the theory of reasoned action states that ..:ommitm.:nt 1s an
;1ttitude toward the seller, and it is a dir.:ct ant.:ccdent <)f loyalty and that once loyalty IS
solidified. consum.:rs will resist persuasion to swit..:h (Oii' cr. 1997). \Vh.:n ..:ustomcrs .1r..:
co mmitted th.:y will be willing to mak.: short-t.:nn s;u.:riliccs. hold a long-tcnn l'ricntalll'n
and invest in the relationship. Thus. O li \'cr ( I 997) ass.:n s that custom.:r commitnll:nt ..:an h.:

27
 ISSN: 2579·0595
Journal nf Marketin~ Dc\'clopment. 4(Special Edition) December. ?019
J>ublicati0n nf the Department of Marketing. Ri\'ers State Unl\'crslty

mcasurtXI wang· 1oyalty. wllhngncss

· · to make s110rt-tcm1 sacn' fices • long-tenn orientation, and
intention to invest in the relationship.

Customer Rcfcrr:d
Customer referral programs are a form of stimulated word-of-mouth that provides incentives
to existing customers to bring in new customers. An important requirement for sucl~ programs
is that individual purchase or service histories arc available so the firm can asccrtam wh~~her
a referred customer is indeed a new rather than an existing or a former customer (Ph1hpp,
Bcmd & Christophe. 20 18). Referral programs have three distinctive characteristics. First,
they arc deliberately initiated, actively managed, and continuously controlled by the fiml,
which is impossible or very difficult with organic word-of-mouth activities such as
!'p<lntancous customer conversations and blogs. Second. the key idea is to use the social
connections of existing customers with noncustomers to convert the latter. Third, to make this
conversion happen, the firm offers the existing customer a reward for bringing in new
customers.

Although leveraging the social tics of customers with noncustomers to acquire the latter is no t
unique to customer referral programs, the three distinctive characteristics of these programs
set them apart from other forms of network-ba~cd marketing. Unlike organic word-of-mouth.
the firm actively manages and monitors rcfcn 1l programs. Unlike most lom1s of buzz and
viral marketing. the source of social influence is limited to existing customers rather than
anyone who knows about the brand. Unlike multi-level marketing. existing customers are
rewarded only for bringing in new customers. They do not perform any other sales function
and do not generate any income as a function of subsequent sales. Consequently. referral
programs do not carry the stigma of exploiting social tics for mercantile purposes. as multi-
lc' cl marketing docs ( Biggart. 1989).

In most referral programs. the reward is given regardless of how long the new referred
cu:.tomers stay with the firm. Thus. the programs may be abused by customers. This kind of
mNal ha7.ard is less likely to occur with word-of-mouth campaigns that do not involve
mo netary rewards conditional on customer recruitment. Existing studies of customer referral
programs have provided guidance about when rewards should be offered (Komish & Li.
20 I0). have quantified the impact of rewards and tic strength on referral likelihood (Ryu &
Feick. 2007). and have quantified the monetary value of making a referral. The kcv
managerial question of the (differential) value of customers acq~1ircd through rcfcrr~l
pr0grams has not yet been addrcsse.d .

C ustomer Advocacy
A company might dwose to embrace advoc:1cy by becoming a fai thful representative 1)f
cu!>tomcrs· intcrt·sts. I Jndcr this approach. a linn provides customers and prospects with
open. honest. and complete ~nfonnation . The finn gives customers ad,·iec so that they can
fi nd the best products. e'en 1f those ~roducts ar<.' not the company· s products (Glen. 2014 ).
Far !rom hcmg fool~sh. the honesty of advocat:y reflects the reality that customers will lcam
lh<. truth an yway. If a company 1s distorting the truth. customers will detect the falseho0 ds
.nd act accordmg.ly. If a company embraces honesty. it must have good. if not the best.
pr• ·duch Wuh tran~pa renc y. th1s 1s thco nly way to cam the customer's purchase. A linn will
ill' ...-..1 rnnrc 111 produ<.:t des1gn and quahty :1nd less in pu~hy
•
a ·) ac1\'Cr11Slllg.
promotion <II< · ·

\ c' ' o<.:<~c:-I ' not a wa )' for a company to speak at customers Rat) ·· r · .
1c · I 1 1s ·
.. ·· .1 mutua1 <haloguc
Jnd d partn<.-r'h ip lhat a'~ume~ that 11 the companv advoc·Hcs 1· · • , -
,u !n m c f' "i ll rcuprn<..iiC "itl
'
I tru ~t . purcha'c~ . and' cndurin, o r Its customers those
10 .11 I · " ·.
g Y• ty. t IS a part ncrsl11 p
2X
Journal of Marketing Development, 4(Special Edition) December, 2019 ISSN: 2579-0595
Publication of the Department of Marketing. Rivers State University

between a firm and its customers to the mutual benefit of both. A company advocates for
customers' interests, and customers advocate for the company by buying its products and
helping it design better products. Most important, the customers tell others about the firm and
its products. Advocacy has duality: The partnership created by advocacy is mutual and
reciprocal. If customers tell others about the positive partnership, customer acquisition costs
decline and customer preference for the product grows. Companies that advocate for
customers enjoy more opportunities to sell a broader range of products to more people (Glen,
20 14). This can lead to growth in sales because customers and their friends choose the
company's products. It also leads to greater profit margins because customers come to realize
that the company otlers an extra value that is reflected in an honest price that is worth paying.

BRAND AWARENESS AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Atif and Faiza (2014) examined · the impact of brand equity and. brand awareness on
customer's satisfaction of branded shops in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The data for
the study were obtained thro ugh structured questionnaire, and analyzed with correlation and
regression . Results of the hypotheses tested indicated that there is a strong association
between brand equity and customers' satisfaction. The results also indicated that there is a
strong and positive relationship between brand awaren~<ii'KJ ·customer satisfaction. More so,
Kameswara (2015) investigated the impact of brand awareness on customer satisfaction in
India, and fo und that brand awareness impacts customer satisfaction with respect to product
quality, price and size o f the cigarettes etc. Hamed , Hossein and Mohammad (20 16)
conducted a study evaluating the effect of brand equity on consumer satisfaction and bnmd
loyalty in large retails of the Mazandaran Province of Iran. The analysis showed that brand
equity positively impacted on customer satisfaction. Thus, we state the following alternate
hypotheses:
Ho 1: There is significant relationship between brand awareness and customer commitment.
Ho 2: There is significant relationship between brand awareness and customer referral.
Ho3 : There is significant relationship between brand awareness and customer advocacy.

METHODOLOGY
The study adopted cross-sectional survey research design to explain the relationship bc;:tween
brand awareness and customer satisfaction of deposit money banks in Ri vers State. The
population of this stud y consists of customers of deposit money banks in Rivers State. The
population is large, flowing and unknown because the number of customers of deposit money
banks changes on daily basis. Krejcie and Morgan table ( 1970) was used to derive a sample
size of 384 for of the study. T he questionnaire was the instrument used to collect primary
data from respondents. The instrument was subjected to academic scrutiny to detem1ine its
face;:, content and construct validity. Furthermore. to detenninc;: the rdiability of the research
instrument. a pilot study (pretest) was conducted and the data were subjected to Cronbach's
Alpha reliability test with a threshold of0.70 set by Nunally (1978) which indicated that the
items were reliable as shown on table I. Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to
test the three alternate hypotheses stated in the study with the aid of the Statistical Pacbgc
for Social Scic;:nces (SPSS) vc;:rsion 22.0.

29
Journal of Marketing De\'clopment. 4( pec1al Ecliuon) De emt cr. 2019 I : 2579 0595
Publication of the Department of 1\1a rkctmg. Ri\'cr ta te niver lty

Cronbnch's Alphn
I Brand awareness 0.786
2 Customer commitment 0.866
3 Customer referral 4 0.958
4 Customer advocacy 4 0.902
Source: SPSS Oulput (2019).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Tahle 2: Relationship between Brand Awareness and Proxies of Customer Satisfaction
Brand Customer Customer Customer
Awareness Commitment Referral Advocacy
Brand Pearson .459 •• . 711 .. .720..
Awareness Correlation
Sig. (2-tailcd) .000 .000 .000
356 356 356 356
Customer Pearson .459.. .629.. .643 ..
Commitment Correlation
Sig. (2-tailcd) .000 .000 .000
N 356 356 356 356
Customer Pearson
.7 11 .629 .. .931
Referral Correlation
S ig. (2-tailcd) .000 .000 .000
N 356 356 356 356
Customer Pearson
Advocacy Correlation
.no·· .643 .931 I
Sig. (2-tailcd) .000 .000 .000
N -.. ~ ~- 356 356 356 356
••. Correlation i< sigmficant at the 0.0 I lc\(:1 (2-tailcd).
Sc>urce: SPSS Output (2019).

Analys1s of data re\'caled that there is mo derate. positive and statistically significant
relationship between brand awareness and cu<.tomcr c••nunitmcnt. This is indicated by the
correlation coefficient of 0.459. and a p-value o f 0.000 \vl1ich is less than our set alpha level
of 0.0 I. Again. a Pearson correlation coefficient (r) of 0. 711 indicates a strong. positive and
significant relationship between brand awareness and customer referra l and a p-valuc of
0.000 which is less than our set · alpha levd o f 0.0 I. Similarly. a Pearson correlation
codlicient (r) of 0.720 between brand awarcn..:ss and customer ad\'ocacy indicates a strong.
po~itivc and significant relationship. The con·c1ation table also shows a p·valuc of 0.000
which is lc~s than o ur ~ct alpha level o f 0 .0 I.

Th..:se finding~ arc consistent with the findings of other scho lars that carried o ut sim ilar
' tudics 111 other parts of the world and also in other industries. For example. Kame wara
! :!0 15) tm es tigatcd the impact of brand awareness on customer satisfaction o f Godfrey
Phllltp!> India Limited. Ind ia. Results of the study indicated that hrand awareness has positive
.md stgntfieant tmp:H:t on ..:u~tom.cr satisfaction with rc p..:ct to product quality. price and si;re
.,f he <.:tga~ett..:s ..:tc_- /\gam . ~1ur hnd i ng~ arc in line with the findings of /\tif and Fai;ra (20 14)
,,h,• <.:'\amtncd tiK· unpa<.: t of hrand equity and brand awarcne'>s on custon11.:r's satisf:tction l> f
hr;.nded 'h"r~ tn Is lamabad and Rawalpindi. Pakistan. The data fi1r the study were ohtaincd
1hr· •u);!h 'tru..:tun:d quc,t t,nn;ure and anal~r/.cd wi th con·clation and regression. and the re~ults

30
Journal of Marketing Development, 4(Spccial Edition) December, 2019 JSSN: 2579..059~
Publication of the Department of Marketing. Rivers State University

of the hypotheses tested indicated there is a strong and positive relationship between brand
awareness and customer satisfaction.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Creating brand awareness is not only an important determinant of customer commitment,
customer referral and customer advocacy; it also influences consumers' purchase decision.
The result of the current study reveals that brand awareness has 11 positive and significant
relationship with customer commitment, customer referral and customer advocacy. Based on
foregoing, the study concludes that brand awareness ri ves customer satisfaction through
commitment, referral and advocacy; and recommends that deposit money banks the intend to
satisfy their customers should embark on brand awareness drive through advertising, sales
promotion and quality service delivery to increase the level to which consumers know about
the existence of their brands.

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Journal of Marketing Development, 4(Special Edition) December, 2019 JSSN: 2579..05~
Publication of the Department of Marketing. Rivers State University
COST-LEADERSHIP STRATEGY AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY OF
MOBILE TELECOMMUNCIATION COMPANIES IN PORT HARCOURT

Ehio, N. Victor
Department of Marketing,
Rivers State University, Port Harcourt
vtctomzeyclc@gmail.com

Elcm, Nkesi
Department of Marketing,
Rivers State Uni versity, l'ort Harcourt
elemnkcsi@y.1hoo.com

AllSTRACT
ll1c purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cost-leadership strategy and
customer loyalty of mobile telecommunication companies in Port Harcourt. The specitic obj<.'Ctives
were to examine the extent to which cost leadership strategy relates to customer retention and
customer advocacy. 1l1c population of the study consists of four (4) Mobile telecommunication
service providers in Port Harcourt. The population was fully sampled however ten (10) top level staff
that included two public relation officer, two sales officers. two marketing officers, two customer
service officers and two operational officers of each of the mobile telcconununication service
providers in Port Harcourt fonned the study's test units, thereby making a total of forty ( 40)
respondents that participated in this study. The questionnaire was the instrument used to collect
primary data from respondents. The reliability of the research instrument was detennincd through the
Cronbach 's Alpha reliability test with a threshold of 0. 70. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation
(PPM C) was used to detennine the extent of relationship between the variables of the study with the
aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0. The study found that cost
leadership strategy is a correlate of customer retention and customer advocacy. The study thus
concludes that the implementation of cost leadership strategy predicts customer retention and
customer loyalty of mobile telecommunication companies in Port Harcourt; and recommends that
mobile telecommunication companies that intend to retain current customers and enlist their loyalty
should adopt cost leadership strategy in their operations.
Keywords: Cost leadership strategy, customer advocacy, customer loyalty, customer retention

INTRODUCTION
The competition in the business environment has forced !inns to contrive strategies so to
outperfonn one a nother. For !inns to maintain competitiveness. it is imperative for them to
d evelop strategies to gain sustainable advantage. Competitive strategies refer to the action
plan an organization adopts in a bid to attract more customers. endure pressure from
competitors and enhance market pcrlonnancc (Thompson. Strickland & Gamble. 20 I 0).
According to Porte r (2008), the myriad of activities that go into creating. producing. selling.
and delivering a product or service are the basic units of competitive ad vantage. In order to
achieve sustainable competiti ve advantage. firms need to adopt a strategic positioning
thro ugh the creation of a unique and valuable position, involving a ditlc rent set of activities.
Prior research has s hown that competitive stmtegy tonnulation and implementation are key
factors in achieving s uperior perfonnance. Many !inns develop competitive strategies that
aim to secure a strong market position and achieve profitability outcomes. In line with
Barney's (2002) s tudy. such competitive strategies arc commonl y fonnulated by assessing th..:
internal resources of the finn .

Studies hav..: been conducted locally and internationally in relation to competitive strategu!s
and loyalt y. Padmashantini. G e ngeswari and Shanneela-Banu (20 13) studied competitive
strategies and customer retention of retail supennarkets. Kihoro and Ombui (20 12)

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