Consumer-based brand equity and top-of-mind awareness: a cross-country analysis

Purpose - The study focused on dimensions of consumer-based brand equity, and especially the recall level of brand awareness. The purpose was to identify any statistically significant differences in brand recall in various product categories and different national contexts. Design/methodology/approach - This observation study explored relations between consumers' awareness of brands, attitudes related to brand equity, and changes in cultural context. Questionnaire data was collected from university students in four countries: the USA, Finland, France and Sweden. The respondents were asked about the brands of beverages, computers and cell-phones that first came into their minds, and their attitudes in relation to brand equity. Findings - It seems that the four dimensions of brand equity co-vary depending on the cultural context. The results also revealed a relationship between TOMA and the national context that was generalizable in the three product categories. Research limitations/implications - Culture as a contextual factor of consumer brand equity should be studied further. The findings should be replicated with non-student samples in other product categories and cultural contexts. SEM could be used to establish the causality and direction of the relationships between the various dimensions of culture and brand equity. Practical implications - The findings on the effect of the cultural context on brand equity are of practical relevance to marketing managers: they should tailor their branding strategies accordingly. Originality/value - The results gave valid and reliable evidence of a relationship between the TOMA dimension of brand equity and the national cultural context.