Product innovation as a key success factor to build sustainable brand equity

• Main Authors: Hanaysha, Jalal R. M., Abdullah, Haim Hilman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Growing Science Ltd. 2015
• Subjects: HB Economic Theory
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/15007/1/msl_2015_51%20%281%29.pdf; http://repo.uum.edu.my/15007/; http://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2015.4.009
• Institution: Universiti Utara Malaysia

In highly competitive markets, building brand equity has become one of the first priorities for many organizations as it brings several benefits and reputation for them. Past researches have acknowledged that consumers look for brands which provide them with differential values through innovative product and service features. However, despite the importance of product innovation in determining an organization’s success, very limited studies have intended to examine its effect on brand equity.In the present study, we aim to examine the effect of product innovation on brand equity in Malaysian automotive market. The data were collected from 287 passenger cars owners through self-administered questionnaire at several shopping malls in northern Malaysia.The findings revealed that product innovation had significant positive effect on overall brand equity and its dimensions namely; brand awareness, brand loyalty, brand image, and brand leadership.Based on the results of this study, several implications are discussed to enlighten our knowledge on important innovation activities that could develop favorable brand equity. Finally, limitations and future research suggestions are highlighted to gain better insights on brand equity development.