Evaluation of the impact of brand equity on shareholder returns amongst South African companies

Abstract

The research aimed at broadly exploring whether there is a relationship between brand equity and shareholder returns amongst South African companies. More specifically, the research sought to establish whether there was a correlation between strong brand equity, represented by the Markinor brand relationship score and shareholder returns, represented by headline earnings per share of selected South African companies. The research also sought to establish whether South African financial markets were inclined to react to brand-related market announcements. The study utilised secondary quantitative data from various marketing and financial sources and used various statistical techniques to answer the research questions. The study was able to establish a relationship between brand equity and shareholder returns for some sectors of the South African market. Although there was evidence that there was movement of the share prices of the shares under investigation, the study was unable to conclusively prove that the share price movements on the days after the brand announcement were directly attributable to the brand-related announcement. There is growing pressure on the marketing fraternity to demonstrate the impact of brand investments on company financial performance. It is hoped that this research will contribute to the knowledge base and encourage more research into the subject.