The Impact of Country of Origin on the Brand Equity: The case of University Student in Purchasing Toothpaste in Sri Lankan Market.

Abstract

This study investigates the reflections of country of origin image on consumers brand equity with regard to the Sri Lankan University Students in purchasing toothpaste. The research problem of the study is to check the impact of the Country of Origin on the Brand Equity. Most of the past researchers have focused on impact of country of origin on the consumer buying behavior without considering a specific product category. The key objective of this research is to identify the impact of the country of origin on the dimensions of the brand equity and the specific objectives are to identify the relationship between Country of Origin and the dimensions of Brand Equity which are Brand Awareness, Brand Association, Brand Loyalty and Perceived Quality. This is quantitative research study and the sampling technique includes Judgmental sampling and Quota Sampling. The data collection method was Questionnaires. Sample size was 150 undergraduates from three different universities. To test the hypotheses, correlation analysis and simple regression analysis were performed. According to the Regression Coefficient, Country of Origin affects Brand Equity of Toothpaste purchasing which indicates positive association between the dependent and independent variables. According to the sample analysis, it describes that most of the toothpaste consumers prefer foreign toothpaste brands.