Symposia & Conferences
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Item The Impact of Brand Equity on Purchase Intention in BOP Market, Sri Lanka(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2025) Madhushan, R. A. C.; Patabendige, S. S. J.; Thundeniya, L. G. D. T. B.One of the vital issues in brand building is customer-based brand equity (CBBE). Any brand can measure its equity based on proportions like salience, performance, imagination, judgment, feelings, and resonance. Brand equity has emerged as one of the critical drivers affecting consumer behaviour and purchase decisions in many markets, more so within Bottom of the Pyramid divisions constrained by poor economic resources. The BOP market in Sri Lanka forms a large chunk of its population distinguished by specific buying behaviors based on cultural, social, and economic factors. Brand equity components drive important Customer trust, loyalty, and purchase intention. Most of the studies related to brand equity have targeted either premium or middle-income markets, and hence, the specific effects of these characteristics on bottom of the pyramid customers remain unobserved, thereby presenting a significant research gap. Sri Lankan BOP customers focus on the cost and practical value of their purchases but have shown significant brand awareness and loyalty when trust and perceived quality are established. For brands looking to enter this category, challenges include overcoming obstacles such as price sensitivity, infrastructural limitations, and informal economies, while also satisfying the need for reliability and emotional involvement. Brands that focus on trust and functional excellence tend to perform better at engaging customers in BOP markets. The current literature has discussed the relation of brand equity with purchase intention in various industries as luxury products, technology, and hotels. However, very few studies evaluate the interplay of components of brand equity in bottom-of-pyramid markets. The Sri Lankan BOP market is influenced by unique socio-cultural factors and economic processes. This necessitates a localized understanding of such interrelationships. Given the context, this paper has investigated the influence of dimensions of brand equity on purchase intention in the Sri Lankan BOP market and offers strategic branding implications for enterprises that target this particular market segment. This underlines the vital role of branding strategies that will be in tune with beliefs and preferences, with high need for community involvement, trust building, and functional superiority. The study contributes to theoretical understanding and provides practical suggestions for marketers in promoting sustainable development at the bottom of the pyramid market in Sri Lanka, where the existing literature has some lacunae.This research follows a quantitative approach based on the positivist paradigm. Primary data from 390 respondents spread across Sri Lanka, belonging to various socioeconomic backgrounds, have been collected through a structured questionnaire. Data analysis has been performed by using SPSS, where the reliability analysis, regression analysis, and testing of hypotheses were done to assess the effect of brand equity dimensions on purchase intention. The findings indicate that the dimensions of brand performance, judgments, and resonance drive purchase intentions in BOP consumers, while brand salience, imagery, and feelings show no statistical significance. The insights suggest that driving purchase intention in this segment requires an effort on functional excellence, emotional trust, and community involvement. Drawbacks include a small convenience sample of 390 respondents focused on individuals with monthly earnings under Rs.60,000, limiting generalizability. Recollection and social desirability bias might reduce response accuracy. Due to a lack of empirical research linking Keller's brand equity concept to purchase intention, quantifying indicators was problematic. Quantitative methods were utilised, although qualitative ones may have shown customer behaviour better. The findings have significant implications for both marketers and policymakers. Marketers can leverage these insights to design branding strategies that prioritize trust and emotional engagement while fostering long-term consumer relationships. Policymakers may also utilize these findings to promote sustainable consumer behavior and market inclusivity.Item Illuminating the Influence: How Facebook Advertising Content Shapes Customer-Based Brand Equity in Western Province Sri Lanka's Lighting Industry through Customer Engagement(Department of Marketing Management, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2025) Sulakshana, T. M. D.; Karunanayake, R. K. T. D.This study, focusing on the Western Province, explores the impact of Facebook advertising content on Customer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) within Sri Lanka's lighting industry. Specifically, it examines how perceived information quality, advertisement enjoyment, and perceived interactivity influence customer engagement, which, in turn, mediates brand awareness, customer loyalty, perceived quality, and brand association—key dimensions of the CBBE model. Grounded in the Elaboration Likelihood Model and the Stimulus-Organism-Response framework, the study addresses existing research gaps in digital marketing and branding by assessing the effectiveness of Facebook advertisements in shaping brand equity within a localized Sri Lankan context. A quantitative research approach was employed, with data collected through an online self-administered questionnaire distributed to active Facebook users in the Western Province who had previously engaged with lighting industry advertisements. The questionnaire utilized a five-point Likert scale to measure perceived information quality, advertisement enjoyment, perceived interactivity, customer engagement, and brand equity. Pearson correlation analysis and simple regression tests were conducted to examine the relationships between the constructs, while mediation regression analysis was used to assess the mediating role of customer engagement. The findings confirm a significant positive relationship between Facebook advertisement content and CBBE. The study highlights that perceived information quality, advertisement enjoyment, and perceived interactivity significantly enhance customer engagement, which subsequently strengthens brand equity. Furthermore, the mediating role of customer engagement suggests that well-designed advertisements not only foster brand awareness but also contribute to increased brand loyalty and improved quality perception among consumers. These insights underscore the strategic importance of engaging and interactive Facebook content in enhancing digital branding efforts. However, the study is limited in scope to the Western Province of Sri Lanka and focuses solely on Facebook, excluding other social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Additionally, platform-specific algorithm variations and technological constraints may affect the generalizability of the findings. From a theoretical perspective, this research extends prior literature on digital marketing by integrating customer engagement as a critical mediator in the relationship between Facebook advertising and brand equity. Practically, the study provides valuable insights for marketers, emphasizing the need to develop compelling and interactive Facebook advertisements to enhance brand visibility and engagement. The findings contribute to the development of predictive models for leveraging social media to cultivate long-term brand equity in both local and global markets. Future research may explore the effectiveness of advertisements across different social media platforms and industries, as well as investigate cross-cultural implications of digital branding strategies.Item Brand Equity of Stocks and the COVID-19 Stock Market Crash:Evidence-Based on the Companies Listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange(Department of Finance, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka., 2025) Yapa, Y. M. D. N. B.; Hettiarachchi, T. R.Introduction: This paper examines the mediating effect of brand equity in modulating the effects of the Covid-19 stock market crash on the CSE-listed firms. Brand equity, a measure of consumer trust and brand power, is increasingly recognized as an element contributing to market resilience in economic shocks. This study is focused on determining if the branded firms performed better than the non-branded firms during the crash, thus shedding light on the role of brand equity in financial stability. Methodology: The study adopts a quantitative method with WLS regression method herein to handle the heteroscedasticity of the dataset. The research extends over two temporal periods—crash and non-crash—using stock performance information from branded and non-branded firms. Dependent variables are Raw Return, Abnormal Return, Systematic Risk, and Idiosyncratic Risk, while Brand Equity is the independent variable and Firm Age is a control variable. Data were analyzed with SPSS software under pre-tests for normality, autocorrelation, and homoscedasticity for strong statistical modeling. Findings: Raw Return: Branded stocks demonstrated a positive yet statistically weak relationship with returns during the crash period, whereas non-branded stocks showed minimal impact. Abnormal Return: Non-branded stocks outperformed branded stocks in producing high abnormal returns, the opposite of prediction. Systematic Risk: Branded firms showed less systematic risk, supporting the protective effect of brand equity in a volatile market. Idiosyncratic Risk: Notably, there was no significant difference between branded and non-branded stocks in terms of idiosyncratic risk, which implies that brand equity necessarily fails to provide a shield against all kinds of market risk. Conclusion: The results provide evidence for a nuanced mediating effect of brand equity in the modulation of stock performance in crisis periods. However, compared with branded firms, whose advantage was less apparent in returns, they did provide stability in the form of reduced systematic risk. The findings indicate that brand equity can be considered as a partial absorber of market shocks, with implications for branding and financial planning in times of economic shocks.