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.Item V: A TWIST IN THE TALE OF A BRAND(Department of Marketing Management, University of Kelaniya,Sri Lanka., 2017) Kar, S.K.; Samantarai, M.Bajaj Auto Ltd. (BAL)-An Indian auto-maker unveiled its most glorified 150cc commuter bike model ‘Bajaj V’ (named ‘V15’ for limited edition) in a quite simple & no-frill launching event in New Delhi on 1st February 2016. The bike model was presented to audience which comprised of journalists, company executives, bike enthusiasts, business analysts and other invitees. On 26thJanuary 2016- The Republic Day of India, BAL had created lots of buzz about the upcoming brand Bajaj-V through a series of integrated campaigns, especially by airing a teaser video that was created by its agency Leo Burnett India. Probably for the first time in Indian automobile industry, an automobile company was trying to experiment with an innovative concept as model ‘V’ was introduced to the world as one which contained metal sourced from the scrapped INS Vikrant- India’s 1staircraft carrier known for its war time military legacy. A bike someone can ride with pride. The sleek and sturdy design embroiled with an unforgettable logo/ brand mark of a designer ‘V’ on its fuel tank complimented the tagline ‘Part Motorbike, Part War Hero’. Model ‘V’ was outcome of a tightly held covert project for almost two years jointly taken care of by team from Bajaj & agency Leo Burnett. The commuter bike segment in India being most promising, the company had set higher expectations from the launch. The case being analyzed, students can understand whether such promotion and positioning is short lived or it is a ripple that will have a lasting pass along rate for long. They can relate sales outcome to buzz-marketing. Students would appreciate the long term impact on family brand ‘Bajaj’. From a strategic marketing perspective, students would find rationale of a new product launch in a competitive scenario where market is almost saturated. Students can learn how companies try to leverage from heritage value of a brand.Item THE ROLE OF BRAND KNOWLEDGE AND BRAND LOYALTY IN CREATING BRAND EQUITY IN THE TELECOMMUNICATION INDUSTRY(Department of Marketing Management, University of Kelaniya,Sri Lanka., 2017) Hilal, M.I.M.The study of brand equity is important for service providers in the telecommunication industry to examine their marketing efforts. Competition is more intense in the telecommunication industry in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka Telecom, Dialog Axiata, Mobitel, Hutch, Airtel and Etisalat are the major in players in the industry. While these competitors are competing with each other intensively, marketers in the telecommunication industry need to understand the outcome of their marketing efforts. Specially, the role of the brand image, brand awareness and brand loyalty. Thus, the major objective of this study was to investigate how the brand awareness, brand image and brand loyalty in the telecommunication industry create brand equity. The methodology was quantitative in nature. Questionnaires was used as tool for primary data collection. Convenient sampling techniques was used for this study. Questionnaires were administered among 268 customers in the telecommunication industry and response rate was 76.5 per cent. Collected data was fed into the SPSS and correlation and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. Factor analysis was done for data reduction and all items were with communalities more than 0.5. Results revealed that all variables under study are contributing to create brand equity in the telecommunication sector. Further, brand knowledge in the industry shows significant contribution to the brand equity in the industry. Companies in the telecommunication can enhance the brand equity by increasing brand image and in turn the brand loyalty will also be enhanced.Item The Impact of Brand Equity towards the Brand Loyalty with Special Reference to Hotel Industry in Sri Lanka(Department of Marketing Management, University of Kelaniya,Sri Lanka., 2017) Keerthisoma, S.U.; Bandara, B.S.S.U.Tourists have gained positive mind set about the Sri Lanka after the civil war. Thus it will help to develop a huge demand for the country. Tourism contributes 0.6% to the country from total GDP and was one of the fasters growing sector in the country. This study focuses on recognizing the challenges faced by hotel sector when developing brand loyalty to retain the customers and gain more sustainable profits. The study will enable hotel sector of Sri Lanka to focus on opportunities that enable to enhance brand loyalty and thereby gain a competitive edge over the international rival firms. This study justifies, the impact on brand equity towards the brand loyalty. Elements of brand equity acts as the independent variable whereas the brand loyalty is the dependent variables. For this study data were collected through a consumer survey conducted in Colombo district using random sampling method of 150 respondents. The researcher used the element of the brand equity such as brand image, brand awareness, brand association and perceived quality to measure the brand loyalty. Analysis was done for the individual element of brand equity to identify the impact towards brand loyalty Results from the frequencies, mean analysis and regression analysis showed that there is a positive impact from brand image and perceived quality towards the brand loyalty of hotels in Sri Lanka. Finally, these findings were used to suggest the strategies for industry and government to fit with the consumer expectations.Item Impact of Brand Equity towards Purchase Intention: With Special Reference to Comfort Fabric Conditioner Brand in Sri Lanka(Department of Marketing Management, University of Kelaniya,Sri Lanka., 2017) Dissanayake, Y.M.H.R.K.; Fernando, P.M.P.Brand equity is one of the significant concepts in brand management, as well as in business practices and academic researches. Developing and properly managing brand equity has been emphasized as an important factor in the current business practices. This research empirically examines the impact of brand equity dimensions on customer purchase intention in relation to Comfort Fabric Conditioner Brand in Sri Lanka. A sample of 200 of consumers in Western Province was selected using convenience sampling methodology and the data were collected under the survey method using self-administrative questionnaires. Correlation and regression analysis were used to check the relationship between independent variables and the dependent variable. The findings can be used when developing brand equity concepts and strategies to products and brands in the market. This is especially valid for a product such as fabric conditioner, which is still at the customer adoption stage in the Sri Lankan context. This study is providing practical recommendations to brand managers on understand customer expectations and purchasing intention when designing their branding strategies.Item The Impact of Brand Equity on Consumer Purchase Intention: Special Reference to Lifebuoy Soap(Department of Marketing Management, University of Kelaniya, 2017) Fernando, K.W.N.P.; Weerasiri, R.A.S.This study provides a better understanding about how brand equity make impact on Purchase Intention on lifebuoy soap brand. Thus, the better understanding of How Brand Awareness, Brand Associations, Perceived Quality and Brand Loyalty of lifebuoy brand affect on Brand Equity helps to develop competitive advantage for Unilever Company. The proper understanding of the concept of Brand Equity provides not only more information to develop strategies towards customers, but also, developing Brand Equity is the key to increase the financial gain to the company. To comply with aim, four basic hypotheses have been instigated for brand equity and purchase intention. To attend the objectives of the study four hypotheses were developed and tested. A survey was conduct to gather primary data by selecting 100 lifebuoy soap consumers around Colombo district. That was analyzed by using multiple regression models. Reliability was the high correlation with purchase intention. The findings revealed that brand equity dimensions have been impact on purchase intention on lifebuoy soap. Among the all dimension brand loyalty, perceived quality and brand awareness factors are impact on purchase intention on life buoy soap.Item Impact of Merchandising on Maintaining the Long Term Relationship With The Retailer (With Special Reference to Apparel Sector)(Department of Marketing Management, University of Kelaniya, 2017) Madhushani, A.B.N.; Ubayachandra, E.G.This study examines the study on impact of merchandising on maintaining the long term relationship with the retailer (With special reference to apparel sector in Sri Lanka). Margin maintenance, merchandising support and vendor’s brand equity identified as independent variables and maintaining the long term relationship with the retailer identified as dependent variable. In here research has addressed complex problem related to impact of merchandising on maintaining the long term relationship with the retailer. Meanwhile research gap was identified from the literature review. At the same time the research gap has been filled accordingly. Meanwhile five objectives consistent with five research questions has been revealed. Based on three hypothesis study design was conducted. Mainly primary data was collected and in addition to that secondary data also applied. A total of 150 sample was collected from merchandisers in selected three apparel companies in Sri Lanka which are most considering on retailer brands an retailer relationship. The data set is collected through questionnaire, and convenient non-probability random sampling method. The findings revealed that there is a significant relationship between all independent variables with retailer relationship. Data presented using pie charts and bar charts whilst analyzing data using correlation a regressions analysis. Finally 05 recommendation were presented along with 10 key findings.Item Consumer Perception and Purchasing Decision towards Dairy Product(Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Ishanka, H.G.; Perera, G.N.R.At present there is a growing demand for set yoghurts in Sri Lanka. It is important for set yoghurt industry to understand and identify what are the consumer’s perception, needs and wants, what are the factors affecting on purchasing decision before and after launching the product in this competitive business environment. The purpose of the study is to identify factors determining consumer’s purchasing decision towards set yoghurt and to identify the relationship between Brand equity and consumer perception of 4P’s and purchasing decision towards the yoghurt in Sri Lanka. Target population for this study is yoghurt consumers/buyers in Western province, Sri Lanka. In this study collected data from 100 respondents and used Random sampling method. The primary data were obtained through a standard questionnaire which is distributed via Online and descriptive analysis and regression analysis are used as data analysis tools. This study provides useful framework for business organizations engaged in set yoghurt business to develop and promote marketing plans and strategies, and to give solutions to overcome the problem in applying 4 Ps in an appropriate and strategic manner in the long run.