Brand Image And Consumer Brand Choice: The Mediating Role Of Brand Trust In The Telecommunication Sector In Ghana

ABSTRACT Brand image is acknowledged as an important concept in modern brand management and it has been examined with respect to its impact on several aspects of brands management. Brand image is frequently examined as an aggregated component. The current study sought to examine the impact of brand image as an aggregated component on brand choice. The study further sought to examine the impact of brand image as a disaggregated component, made up of cognitive and affective dimensions and the impact of these individual dimensions on consumer brand choice in the mobile phone sector in Ghana. Furthermore, the mediation effect of brand trust on the relationship between brand image and brand choice was also examined. The study employed a quantitative research approach. The study considered the views of cell phone users living in Accra and Tema metropolis in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. A non-probability sampling technique, specifically, the convenience sampling technique was used and 400 respondents were used as a sample for the study. Data were collected using a survey method, through self-administered questionnaires. Out of the four hundred (400) questionnaires, three hundred and eighty-five (385) questionnaires were returned, three hundred and sixty one were used for the study and twenty four were rejected. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 22 (SPSS 22) and AMOS version 22 were the tools used for data analysis. The outcome of the study confirmed that brand image is positively related to brand choice, however, brand trust mediates the relationship between brand image and brand choice. The study further revealed that the cognitive dimension of brand image does not significantly have a direct influence on brand choice whereas the affective dimension of brand image has a direct impact on brand choice. Furthermore, the affective dimension of brand image is more influential in explaining brand choice. Brand trust mediates the relationship between both the cognitive and affective dimensions of brand image and consumer brand choice. This study adds to the literature on brand image by identifying the dimension of brand image with the greatest impact on brand choice. It explains the role of brand trust in influencing consumer brand choice. It is recommended that significant attention should be paid to building strong emotional bonds with consumers as the affect was found to contribute more to brand choice. It is further recommended that organisations build trust in order to make the cognitive attributes of their products influence consumers brand choice. As the study considered only the views of mobile phone users in two metropolis in the Greater Accra Region, application of the findings to the general population should be done with this in mind.