A study investigating the impact of Brand Equity, Product Category and Product Recall on Purchase Intention

Abstract

This thesis investigated the moderating role of brand equity on the relationship between product category and purchase likelihood in a no recall and product recall context. The study measured the purchase likelihood of a sample of undergraduate students at the University of Guelph for branded food products through an ANOVA analysis. The results from this study indicate that there is a significant relationship between brand equity and product category in influencing purchase intention in a product recall, but the result is not significantly different from no recall scenario. In other words, a high equity brand in a hedonic product category has a higher purchase likelihood than a utilitarian product category. Similarly, a low equity brand in a utilitarian product category has a higher purchase likelihood than a hedonic product category. However, a product recall does not lead to a lower purchase intention compared to a no recall condition.