To study the effect of brand preference and purchase choices of consumers in the UK: The case of Reebok.

1. Research Proposal
To study the effect of brand preference and purchase choices of consumers in the UK:
The case of Reebok.
Student: Okezie Basil Chibueze
Student ID: 14006500
Date: 12.11.14

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Abstract
The preference of brand of a customer represents a main step in consumer purchasing
behaviour. For marketers, a better understanding with regard to the process of customer brand
preference helps the marketing managers to design an effective marketing mix programme
which builds a sustainable relationship with the existing customer base, and attracts new
customers to the brand. There have been a number of studies (e,g, Keller, 2009) conducted in
order to investigate customer preferences of brand and the reasons for their choices. Many of
these studies have found that brand preference has a close relationship with customer
purchase decision behaviour (Keller, 2009). Further, customer choices and brand preferences
keep changing with time. The aim of this research will be to investigate the effect of brand
preference on the customer purchase decision making process in relation to Reebok products
in the U.K.

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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction...................................................................................................................................4
1.1 Overview of the research ..............................................................................................................4
1.2 Research purpose and significance ...............................................................................................4
1.3 Aims and Objectives.....................................................................................................................4
1.4 Research questions........................................................................................................................4
1.5 Objectives .....................................................................................................................................5
2.0 Initial Literature Review...............................................................................................................5
3.0 Research Methodology .................................................................................................................6
3.1 Research Design............................................................................................................................6
3.2 Data Collection .............................................................................................................................6
3.3 Sampling Methods and Instrumentation .......................................................................................6
3.4 Limitations....................................................................................................................................7
3.5 Ethical Issues ................................................................................................................................7
3.6 Gannt Chart...................................................................................................................................7
References...........................................................................................................................................8

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1.0 Introduction
A wider interest has been taken in to consideration by marketers in understanding the way in
which customers make their decision with regard to a selected brand of their choice.
Preference of brand has a close relationship with the choice of brand helping in facilitating
the decisions made by the customer and then purchase of a brand being activated. When the
preference of customers and the pattern of the same are acknowledged throughout a
population group then it becomes an important designed input which helps in development of
strategies that are innovative within the segment of marketing (Khosla, 2010). In addition, the
choices made by a customer leads towards forecasting the preference of that customer with
regard to a brand.
1.1 Overview of the research
Reebok has been among the leading organisation especially when it comes to brand
preference of customers. Analysing the trend of customer preference becomes easy when
there is wider variety of data present on the same. Reebok has been in the competing
environment since decades and so the brand value of the same has considerably increased as
per the perspective of customers. However, in order to analyse the effect of this brand
preference in the success of the organisation, it is important to choose one of the products and
services of Reebok in order to narrow the research observation. The product selected for the
same is Reebok, Shoes.
1.2 Research purpose and significance
Companies in the United Kingdom have been competing with their counterparts in the global
market, especially in the apparel industry such as shoes with major brands like Reebok,
Adidas or Nike. These companies have been able to succeed comparatively. However, the
marketers traditionally focused on the rationality of the customers that is their purchase
decision choices and they also defined a brand to be inclusive of attribute bundles to make
the customers experience reality. The relationship between a customer and the experience of
the customer with the brand are holistic in nature that is starting even before a customer has
brought the product of his particular brand. Even though there is an understanding of the
importance of brands and consumer preference influencing the competitive environment for
the organisations, still very less information has been collected on the actual nature of
preference of a brand and the decision of purchase of the customers within the U.K industry
of shoes for Reebok.
1.3 Aims and Objectives
This section comprises the main aim and objectives in the form research questions. The
following are the important research questions and research aims. The objectives are related
to these aims.
1.4 Research questions
1) What are the main factors influencing customer brand preference?
2) Why are these factors the most influential for customer purchasing behaviour?

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3) How are these preferences for a particular brand developed by customers in the UK? The
case of Reebok.
1.5 Objectives
1) To investigate secondary research on customer brand preference theory.
2) To conduct a focus group and related pilot questionnaire study with UH students who are,
or have been, Reebok consumers.
3) To conduct a primary research questionnaire survey with UH students who are, or have
been, Reebok consumers.
4) To investigate the marketing and brand positioning strategies of Reebok.
2.0 Initial Literature Review
The level of familiarity amongst the consumers regarding the availability and life of a
product provided by a particular brand is referred to as awareness of brand. The concept of
brand awareness can be referred to as the consumer being so familiar about a particular brand
he or she prefers that if a particular category of a product or choosing certain brand is
mentioned, then the preferable brand strikes in the mind of the consumer (Morris et al, 2009).
Preferences of consumers can be defined as personal tastes of individuals that can be
understood by the utility of particular goods.
According to Morris et al, 2009, brand preference has a close relation with consumer
preferences as well as brand awareness. This is due to the fact that if a consumer is aware
about a particular brand and these consumers often prefer purchasing and using it, it can be
referred to as the concept of brand preferences. This relation along with the concept of brand
preference shall be studied in detail.
Studies in the past over the preferences on brands have been divided into 2 important
classifications (Schmitt, 2009). A number of researchers have conducted the study by
analysing the factors related to customers that may cause an impact. This consideration had
its focus over the culture impact, society impact, psychology impact and factors of
personalities of the customers (Hsee et al, 2009). Of this group, the main finding illustrated
that preferences of brands can lead towards an alteration being experienced in the style of life
of a customer. The traits of personality of a customer and the beliefs of the customer are
important preferences of brand predicators.
According to Shamoon, et al, (2011), the business of a product and service associated with a
company has an influence on the customers who decide to buy the product or the service.
However, the term brand experience as subjective internal consumer behaviour primarily
evolved through brand associated stimuli that are an aspect of a brand’s environment,

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communication, packaging, identity, and design. The formation of brand preference is
considered to be a cumulative process of learning which is primarily evoked with time,
especially in the situation where brand experience is the main source of learning (Shamoon et
al, 2011). Many researchers state that each of the elements of brand experience offers a
primary way in changing the buying decision of a customer and hence plays a crucial role in
the development and determination of the brand preference of different consumers.
According to Armstrong, (2011), the business of Reebok considers the brand associations as
the information, which includes benefits of consuming a particular brand and attributes of a
brand. The same is closely associated with the memory nodes of an individual. According to
the HAM or human associative theory, brand associations can be developed by either indirect
or direct experiences of consumers (Armstrong 2011). On contrary to this, entrepreneurs
argue that brand associations offer people with significant reasons to develop preference for
the brand and buy the products of that particular brand. Brand associations help the people to
retrieve and process information and lead to attainment of positive benefits (Brakus et al.
2009). Thus, brand experience can be considered as a key source of information that the
people have regarding a particular brand, which, in turn, develop brand preferences.
3.0 Research Methodology
3.1 Research Design
This concerned research will be applying both inductive and deductive research approach to
gain valid and realistic results from the involved participants. Moreover, it has been decided
to conduct the empirical study in two stages ( Zajonic et al, 2012). The first stage will be
utilising a qualitative research approach to offer a better and in - depth understanding of the
concerned topic of concern and to modify the framed conceptual model. Furthermore, the
qualitative methodological approach is expected to help in recognising the key aspects of
concerned research and the behaviour of different consumers (Jagdish, 2009). Within the
second phase of study, quantitative data will be gathered to test the validity of the findings
acquired from qualitative approach.
3.2 Data Collection
The concerned research will be inclusive of both the primary and secondary data collection
methods (Holbrook et al, 2012). The primary data will be gathered through the conduction of
survey on a group of selected consumers in the university premises on the basis of
questionnaires and surveys. On the other hand, the secondary data will be gathered from
numerous relevant literature (like journal articles) and internet.
3.3 Sampling Methods and Instrumentation
To gather the information, with the utilisation of primary research methodology approach, a
survey will be conducted on the basis of a sample of some customers of Reebok who
currently prefer the brand, customers who had changed their brand preference from Reebok
to some other brand, and those who are willing to turn to the brand of Reebok for future

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purchases. The survey will be conducted on the basis of a series of structured questions. A
questionnaire shall be developed in order to obtain the responses of the customers with
respect to their preferences towards Reebok and what factors might result in changing their
choice of brand (Heding et al, 2009). Also, this will help in understanding the expectations of
the customers that will contribute in targeting the population of UK accordingly. The
information will be gathered keeping a simple base that will be easy for conducting further
analysis for the purpose of this research.
3.4 Limitations
Before conducting the research, it can be stated that there are chances for the following
limitations to occur:
• The chosen sample size is assumed to represent the perception and
behaviour of the overall consumers in United Kingdom
• The information gathered regarding the perception of people is
assumed to be objective
• The concerned survey or research is restricted to 100 participants
• Research is bound to a particular period of time
3.5 Ethical Issues
There are various ethical limitations which have to be supported in the research. This was
taken care with the help of various regulations of ethics and their limitations will be imposed.
All the participants that are taking part in this research methodology for this assignment, the
role will be to make sure that no ethical implications are violated in the interview and
questionnaire survey process. It is also important to make sure that without the consent of the
participants their particular research answer will not be used.
3.6 Gannt Chart
Action Nov 14 Dec 14 Jan 15 Feb 15 Mar 15 Apr 15
Literature
review
X
Primary
research
focus group
X
Primary
research
Questionnaire
X
Findings and
analysis
X
Compilation
of the
dissertation
X
Submit X

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References
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347-356.
Adelaar, T., Chang, S., Lanchndorfer, K. M., Lee B. and Morimoto M. (2013). Effects of
Media Formats on Emotions & Impulse Buying Behavior. Journal of Information
Technology, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 247–266.
Armstrong, J. (2011). Prediction of Consumer Behavior by Experts and Novices. Journal of
Consumer Research, 18: 251–256
Brakus, J. Josko., Schmitt, Bernd H., and Zarantonello, L. (2009). Brand experience: What is
it? How is it measured? Does it affect loyalty?.Journal of Marketing, 73 (3), 52-68.
Fishbein, M. (2010). A consideration of beliefs, attitudes, and their relationships. New York:
Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.
Heding, T., Knudtzen, F., and Bjerre, Mogens. (2009). Brand Management, Research,
Theory and Practice. Oxford: Routledge.
Holbrook, B. and Hirschman, C. (2012). The experiential aspects of consumption: Consumer
fantasies, feeling, and fun. Journal of Consumer Research, 9 (9), 132-140.
Hsee, K., Yang, Y., Gu, Y., and Chen, J. (2009). Specification seeking: How product
specifications influence consumer preference. Journal of Consumer Research, 35, 952-966.
Jagdish, N. (2009). The Role of motivation research in consumer psychology, Oxford:
Macmillan.
Keller, K. (2009). Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand
Equity. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Khosla, S. (2010). Consumer psychology: The essence of Marketing. International Journal of
Educational Administration, 2 (2): 220–220.
Leon, G. (2013). Consumer Behaviour, Pearson India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.
Morris, J. D. and Boone, M. A. (2009). Emotional Response, Brand Attitude, & Purchase
Intent. Advances in Consumer Research, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 518-526.
Schmitt, B. (2009). Experiential Marketing: How to get customers to sense. Feel, think, act,
and relate to your company and brands, The Free Press, Simon & Schuster Inc.
Shamoon, S. and Saiqa, T. (2011). Brand Management: What Next? Interdisciplinary
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Zajonc, B. and Markus, H. (2012). Affective and cognitive factors in preferences. Journal of
Consumer Research, 9, 123.