Assessing Brand Equity and Perception of a Lighting Company Brand A case study of a lighting company

Abstract

This research aims at evaluating how the customers of the lighting company Aluwave perceive the brand ‘Aluwave’ and if their perception differs from how Aluwave perceive themselves. Based on the findings of the perceptions of the brand, the aim is to identify the value of the brand and the potential gap of the brand to develop implications for future strategy. Aluwave has a history of being an anonymous sub-supplier for the lightning industry, with no focus on brand management. Aluwave is currently in an expanding phase and as a result, they have begun focusing on their brand. This includes becoming more visible towards their customers and creating a stronger name for themselves. In order to reach the aim of the thesis a qualitative method was used. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with two representatives from Aluwave and four interviews with customers of the company. This was conducted with the reason to gather insight of their individual thoughts and perception of the brand and acted as a base of the thesis. The overall brand value was identified to be at a medium level, consisting of strong perceived quality and brand associations whilst brand awareness and brand images was weaker. Further, it was identified that there is a gap between Aluwave and the customer regarding if the brand is perceived as environmentally oriented. Additionally, it was acknowledged that Aluwave has a fragmented identity within the organization, making it difficult to communicate a clear picture for the customers and that reaching conformity within Aluwave is the strongest implication for the future.