BRAND EQUITY AND CONSUMER PATRONAGE OF SOFT DRINKS IN BENIN CITY

ABSTRACT
This study examined Brand Equity and Consumer Patronages of Soft Drinks in Benin City. It specifically investigated the extent to which brand awareness, brand association; perceived quality affect the consumer Patronages of Soft Drinks in Benin City. The population of the study comprised of all customers of Nigeria Bottling Company and Seven-up Bottling company products in Benin City. Cluster sampling techniques was used to determine the sample size for the study. Questionnaire was used to collect information from 240 of the total sample size. The information (data) elicited from the respondents were analyzed with multiple regressions. The research findings were that there is a significant and positive relationship between customer patronage and the explanatory variables of brand awareness, brand association, and perceived quality. On the basis of these findings, the study recommends that producers of soft drinks should create more awareness about their products through promotional advertisement.