Research On Model And Influencing Mechanism Of Customer-Based Mobile Communications Brand Equity

Mobile communications industry of our country has been developed quickly in recent years. There are millions of mobile subscribers as of 2010 and china has been in possession of most subscribers in the world. Mobile communications market of our country has been experienced several telecommunication reforms in short time, such as enhancing competition and breaking monopoly, and enters a new competition stage from price competition, cost competition, service competition to brand competition. Facing business homogenization pressure, brand premium and customer brand preference, building strongest and customer-oriented mobile communications brand has been the central issue of mobile communication operators.Although mobile communication operators has taken building brand as operating strategy and invested much capital in it, building mighty brand is also a long way to go and needs more time for mobile communication operators. There are some important and unsolved problems in building and managing brand nowadays, such as lacking effective assessment methods for brand equity, simply imitating market consulting firm's relative brand evaluation model and the assessing emphasis concentrated on brand loyalty not on brand equity. Mobile communication operators put too much effort on advertising so as to lack systemic brand layout and integrated marketing communication in building brand. Price war between operators often comes into being. Some promotion activities bring long time damage to brand equity as same as market share and subscribers lifting temporarily. It might be an oncoming problem for operators to solve that how to build and lift brand equity so as to be the stronger in competition.Based on the review of domestic and international research about brand equity, this dissertation analyses some important issues on connotation, manifestation, assessment, influencing mechanism of mobile communication brand equity with norm and empirical study, qualitative and quantitative research methods, refer to mobile communications actual operations. The dissertation integrates nowadays brand equity research with cognitive psychology, social psychology, consumer behavior theories, and so on, analyses information processing procedure of mobile subscribers, probes psychological source forming brand equity, and finally establish assessment concept model of customer-based mobile communication brand equity. Besides, this dissertation also puts forward an influencing mechanism concept model of mobile communication brand equity, using for relative theories of brand life cycle theory, brand ecology theory, brand value chain theory and so on, linking with mobile communication service marketing mix. On the basis of the hypothesis model, by the samples of mobile subscribers, this dissertation verifies the concept model with SEM methods. According to the assessment model and influencing model of customer-based mobile communication brand equity, this dissertation discusses their practical application in brand equity management. From the results of the research, we can draw conclusions as follows:Firstly, mobile communication brand equity consists of corporate capability association, brand awareness, brand association, quality cognition, brand loyalty which are in different hierarchies dimensions. Corporate capability association lies in the first hierarchies dimension, brand awareness, brand association, brand quality cognition lies in the second dimension, brand loyalty lies in the third dimension and is nearer to brand equity.Secondly, service marketing mix has directly effects on different dimensions of brand equity respectively and impacts brand equity indirectly through them. Product has direct positive effects on corporate capability association. Price has directly positive effects on brand awareness, brand association, brand quality cognition. Marketing channel has directly positive effects on brand awareness. Advertising has directly positive effects on corporate capability association, brand awareness. Person capability has directly positive effects on corporate capability association. physical evidence has directly positive effects on corporate capability association brand quality cognition. Process involving mobile subscribers has directly positive effects on brand association.Thirdly, from the results of the assessment of brand equity of china mobile and china Unicom, we can draw that the assessment score between china mobile and china Unicorn's brands is significant difference. There are significant differences in china mobile brands. Assessment model also shows that mobile communication operators should follow necessary steps in building brand, corporate capability association is an important dimension of brand equity an can be used to basement for brand. Operators should pay more attention to quality and take it as the core of lifting brand equity. Operators can enhance brand loyalty by forming brand community. Scientific layout of brand awareness should be emphasized.Finally, according to influencing mechanism model, mobile operators should plan brand marketing through whole service marketing mix, not only using price tactics correctly, but also pay more attention on non-price strategy, such as product, place, advertising, person ability, physical evidence and service process.Systematic research on connotation, manifestation, assessment, influencing mechanism of mobile communication brand equity in this dissertation can be used as foreshadows of relative study of brand equity. Assessment and influencing mechanism model of customer-based mobile communication brand equity provide systematic proposals for operators establishing, maintaining, lifting brand equity. The results of this research can also facilitate operator's competitive advantage in brand competition, and reduce unnecessary damage to brand equity.