The role of custom publishing in building customer-based brand equity

Abstract

Building customer-based brand equity is of crucial importance to marketers, especially with regards to efficiencies in marketing spend in an increasingly competitive global environment. Marketers require engaging marketing communication tools that are able to influence customers’ attitudes and behaviours, thereby increasing future sales and brand loyalty. This research evaluated the relationship between customer-based brand equity dimensions and custom publishing as a communication tool, wherein the primary aim was to measure if custom publishing is associated with an increase in customer-based brand equity. Quantitative research was conducted, using a descriptive method wherein 117 University of the Witwatersrand graduates responded to a web-based questionnaire. The questionnaire was formulated based on the various brand dimensions highlighted in the literature review. The test group consisted of 79 respondents that had received the WitsReview custom publication and the control group consisted of 38 respondents that had not received WitsReview. This research has shown that there is an association between custom publishing, in the form of a magazine brand, and an increase in customer-based brand equity in the product brand and therefore custom publishing is a communication tool that marketers should explore to increase customer-based brand equity.