Investigating Coca-Cola's Brand Awareness and Customer Buying Behavior

This research proposal investigates the impact of brand awareness, specifically focusing on Coca-Cola, on customer buying behavior. It explores the significance of brand awareness in generating revenue, how it affects customer purchasing decisions, and the factors influencing consumer behavior towards Coca-Cola products. The methodology includes a positivism research philosophy, a quantitative study approach, and the use of questionnaires for data collection from a sample of 60 Coca-Cola customers. Data analysis will involve deductive reasoning and content analysis, with the aim of identifying the effects of brand awareness on customer choices and the implications for revenue generation. The literature review covers the importance of brand awareness, its impact on customer decisions, and psychological and sociological influences on consumer behavior. The proposal aims to provide insights into the relationship between brand awareness and buying behavior, offering valuable information for marketing and business strategies.

Research Proposal
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Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
RESEARCH TOPIC AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS.................................................................3
RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES..........................................................................................4
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................5
What are the significances of brand awareness in generating revenue?......................................5
How brand awareness effects on buying behaviour of customer?..............................................6
What types of factors have effect on customer’s buying behaviour towards Coca-Cola?..........6
INTENDED METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................7
Research Philosophy....................................................................................................................7
Types of study..............................................................................................................................7
Data Collection............................................................................................................................8
Sampling:.....................................................................................................................................8
Data Analysis...............................................................................................................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
Appendix........................................................................................................................................11
Gantt chart.................................................................................................................................11
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INTRODUCTION
Brand awareness refers to the likelihood as to how aware a customer is regarding a product,
service or brand. It is the key dimensions of brand quality that includes an ability of customers to
remember the product, tagline, logo, name etc. In addition, brand awareness is the level to which
customers are capable to recognise or recall a brand under different conditions. Brand awareness
is an effective way of measuring the ability of potential customer to not only recall a brand
image, but to also relate it with a several company’s product or service (Arinitwe, 2019). For this
research, Coca-Cola is a chosen carbonated soft drink manufacture that was introduced in 1886
by John Stith Pemberton. Company was specialising in manufacturing and selling of different
products such as Pepsi, RC cola, Kola Real etc.
The brand that has the uppermost brand awareness is Coca-Cola. Around 7.1 billion people
would know the Coca-Cola logo if they showed it to them. That is around 94% of the population
of the Earth, which is staggering taking into consideration that only half of the earth recalls the
cross as a symbol of Christianity (Brand awareness of Coca-Cola, 2018). Therefore Coca-Cola is
highest brand awareness in all over the world. Brand awareness if direct effect on buying
behaviour of consumers because the consumers are more aware of the brand and they has
knowledge about the product quality, price etc. Effective brand awareness helps an organisation
in increment of customer number and also increment of revenue.
Main purpose of this research proposal is to develop basis knowledge about the brand
awareness and its effects on buying behaviour of customers. This research is important because it
helps in identification of different factors that impact on customers in making decision about the
buying products or services in particular brand. Along with this, current investigation is also
important in identification of the importance of brand awareness for company in generating of
higher revenue (Dekhil, Jridi and Farhat, 2017).
RESEARCH TOPIC AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Research Topic
An investigation into the effect of brand awareness over customer’s buying behaviour. A
study on Coca-cola.
Research Question
 What are the main effects of brand awareness on customer’s buying behaviour?
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Sub-questions of Research
 What are the significances of brand awareness in generating revenue?
 How brand awareness effects on buying behaviour of customer?
 What types of factors have effect on customer’s buying behaviour towards Coca-Cola?
RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES
Research aim:
To identify the effect of brand awareness on buying behaviour of customers. A study on
Coca-Cola.
Research Objectives:
 To identify the importance of brand awareness in generating revenue.
 To determine the effect of brand awareness on customer’s buying behaviour.
 To explore factors those have effect on buying behaviour of customers towards Coca-
Cola.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature review introduces to the effective process of gathering secondary type of
information from variety of sources. Names of these sources are books, articles, magazines,
publication research, journals etc. All these are more effective and valuable within an
investigation because it well helps researcher in gathering of secondary and detailed information
regarding the study. This section helps investigator in identification of research gaps and ways
through which that types of gaps can be fulfilled by researcher. Within an investigation, main
gap of this research is the effect of brand awareness over customer’s buying behaviour. In
previous study, there is information available regarding the brand awareness and its impact on
consumers but there is lack of data regarding the effect of brand awareness on buying behaviour
(Karjaluoto, Munnukka and Kiuru, 2016). In order to overcome and fulfil this gap, research
questions have been developed. Sub-questions of research are effective and useful for
investigator in achievement of research aim and objectives and fulfilment of research gap
effectively. These questions will be described as below in detailed manner:
What are the significances of brand awareness in generating revenue?
According to the Pahwa (2019), Brand awareness is the degree to which a brand is
recognised or known by the target group and it related with a service, product or product
category. There are different importances of brand awareness for an organisation in generating
revenue. Some are explained as below:
Develops perception: In order to increase brand awareness, different number of channels
will be require to use by an organisation. These are PR, news, referrals, social media and so on.
All these are effective that helps an enterprise in developing of brand awareness among
customers. It develops positive perception in customer’s mind that turn to impact on business by
increasing their sales and revenue.
Increase market shares and sales: Awareness of the brand is often the prime phase to
driving goals of performance marketing, such a leads and sales. In order to make people more
aware regarding the brand is helps an organisation increasing possibility of generating more
revenue.
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How brand awareness effects on buying behaviour of customer?
As per the view presented by Berman (2020), Brand awareness refers to the key element of
marketing efforts; because it harried consumers overwhelmed by the quantity of commercial
messaging or information they see or listen use mental shortcuts in order to make their decision.
Along with this, effective brand awareness helps customers in buying of products and services at
specific place. Brand awareness has positive and negative effect on customer’s buying
behaviour. Brand awareness is significant part of the customer’s decision making process. There
are different aspects that help customer’s increasing brand awareness of an organisation. These
are product price, quality, marketing techniques etc. All these are effective in influencing
busying behaviour of customers towards particular brand. The benefits and advantages of
improved brand awareness are boosted customer’s loyalty, increased sales, enhanced trust and
credibility of customers. On the other hand, if company has poor brand awareness have negative
impact on customer’s buying behaviour. As it decreased customer’s trust and loyalty that turn to
impact in decreasing business sales.
What types of factors have effect on customer’s buying behaviour towards Coca-Cola?
According to the Zhang (2016), there are basically two factors that have effect on
Customer behaviour which are psychological and sociological. Coca-Cola is an international
brand and biggest soft drinks and Beverage Company in all over the globe. Company is more
successful in producing positive effects on consumer behaviours. These factors have been
explained as below:
Psychological influence: In order to make purchase decision, customers collect and
identify data that are required. Senses delivered by Coca-cola output in the selective attention of
consumers. Customers get data of appearance, smell, sound, taste, touch of a product, and then
select their preferring one. This information finally develops sensation as well as perception in
customer’s mind towards an organisation.
Sociological influence: An essential factor that has effects on decision making of
customers is the social-cultural differences between the preferences of customers and brand. For
instance, carbonated drinks of Coca-Cola might be healthy welcomed by the youthful aged from
16 to 28, for, middle age, old people and children, the carbonated drinks are less attractive
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INTENDED METHODOLOGY
Research methodology refers to the important part of study because it will helps researcher
during the process of data collection and analysis. Main purpose of research methodology is to
facilitate investigator by providing number of data collection options that will be suited for
collecting information about the topic (Karpińska-Krakowiak, 2016). There are different
methods that will be applied by researcher for gathering primary data about the brand awareness
and its effects on buying behaviour of customers. Some useful and important methods will be
described as below:
Research Philosophy
Research philosophy refers to the system of assumptions and beliefs regarding the
development of knowledge. There are basically two types of philosophy that is used in research
are positivism and interpretivisim. In order to perform current study, positivism type has been
used because it will help in developing of knowledge about the quantitative research. By using
positivism philosophy, researcher can easily collect and analysis quantitative type of information
regarding the brand awareness in minimum time. On the other hand, interpretivisim is another
form of research philosophy that is not useful for conducting this study because it require
qualitative type of data that take more time as well as resources as compare to positivism
philosophy (Molinillo and et. al., 2017).
Types of study
There are two types of study that are used by researcher for collecting information.
Qualitative and quantitative are two types of research that will be used by researcher for
collecting theoretical and numerical data about the topic. For performing this investigation,
quantitative study has been applied as it facilitates in gathering of numerical information about
the brand awareness and its effects over consumer’s buying behaviour. Qualitative another study
that will be not appropriate for performing this investigation because it need data in quality form
and also consume more time as well as resources of an organisation or researcher. Therefore, as
compare to qualitative research, quantitative research is more suitable and appropriate for
achieving valid outcomes (Shahid, Hussain and Zafar, 2017).
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Data Collection
Data collection refers to the useful process that is used by researcher for gathering primary
information regarding the impact of brand awareness on consumer’s buying behaviour. In order
to gather primary data, there are different methods i.e. interview, questionnaire, observation,
focus group, modelling etc. All these are effective in collecting of primary data but according to
the existing topic, questionnaire has been applied. As it will support researcher in gathering of
reliable and valid data from the respondents. As compare to other methods of data collection,
questionnaire is more effective because it not requires more time and also provides valid outputs
easily. There are different advantages or benefits within an investigation such as respondent
anonymity, easy analysis, fast results, inexpensive etc. These are main advantages for using
questionnaire in the current study. Along with this, questionnaire is more appropriate for
researcher in collecting of quantitative information within minimum time duration (Sultan and et.
al., 2019).
Sampling:
Sampling introduces to the process or method of selecting sample out of total population.
In order to select sample, there are mainly two methods or techniques which are probability and
non-probability. For selecting sample size for present study, probability sampling will be making
use because it facilitate in selection of large population easily. 60 customers of Coca-Cola will be
recruited for collecting data about the brand awareness and its effect on their business behaviour.
Therefore, within a study probability sampling is much useful as compare to non-probability
sampling. One of the main reasons for using probability sampling as it support in selection of
large sample randomly and without consuming additional time (Tanveer and Lodhi, 2016).
Data Analysis
In order to analysis data, there are two approaches such as inductive and deductive. For
analysis quantitative data about the brand awareness, deductive approach will be used because it
helps in analysing of numerical information in lesser time duration. Inductive is another research
approach that will be not useful because it is completed relay on quantitative data and also need
maximum time. Along with this, content analysis as an analytical technique has been used for
analysing quantitative information about the study. In this method researcher will be developed
themes on each questions because it is useful in analisation of quantitative data within limited
time period. For this, there will also require following some steps which are making of frequency
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table, presentation of graphs and interpretation of numerical data effectively (Wang and et. al.,
2016).
CONCLUSION
From the above mentioned secondary information of literature review, it has been concluded
that brand awareness is important part of the business success and growth. Effective brand
awareness helped an organisation in increment of sales revenue, whereas poor brand awareness
decreased sales as well as customer’s trust. Along with this, Psychological and Sociological are
two main factors that have impact on customer’s buying behaviour towards purchasing products
from respective organisation. At last, brand awareness has positive relationship with customer’s
buying behaviour that resulted in higher sales and improved productivity of company.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Arinitwe, L., 2019. Effect of advertising in the soft drink market on consumer behaviour: A case
study of COCA-COLA in Makerere University (Doctoral dissertation).
Dekhil, F., Jridi, H. and Farhat, H., 2017. Effect of religiosity on the decision to participate in a
boycott. Journal of Islamic Marketing.
Karjaluoto, H., Munnukka, J. and Kiuru, K., 2016. Brand love and positive word of mouth: the
moderating effects of experience and price. Journal of Product & Brand
Management.
Karpińska-Krakowiak, M., 2016. The effects of social networking sites on consumer–brand
relationships. Journal of Computer Information Systems. 56(3). pp.204-210.
Molinillo, S., Japutra, A., Nguyen, B. and Chen, C. H. S., 2017. Responsible brands vs active
brands? An examination of brand personality on brand awareness, brand trust, and
brand loyalty. Marketing Intelligence & Planning.
Shahid, Z., Hussain, T. and Zafar, F., 2017. The impact of brand awareness on the consumers’
purchase intention. Journal of Marketing and Consumer Research. 33. pp.34-38.
Sultan, K. and et. al., 2019. A Strategic Approach to the Consumer Perception of Brand on the
Basis of Brand Awareness and Brand Loyalty. International Journal of Research in
Business and Social Science (2147-4478). 8(3). pp.33-44.
Tanveer, Z. and Lodhi, R. N., 2016. The effect of brand equity on customer satisfaction: An
empirical study based on David Aaker's Brand Equity Model. IUP Journal of Brand
Management. 13(3). p.43.
Wang, Y., Hsiao, S. H., Yang, Z. and Hajli, N., 2016. The impact of sellers' social influence on
the co-creation of innovation with customers and brand awareness in online
communities. Industrial Marketing Management. 54. pp.56-70.
Online
Brand awareness of Coca-Cola. 2018. [Online]. Available through
<https://brandmarketingblog.com/articles/branding-definitions/what-is-brand-
awareness/>
Pahwa. A., 2019, Importance of Brand awareness. [Online]. Available through
<https://www.feedough.com/brand-awareness-a-comprehensive-guide/>
Berman. C., 2020, The effects of Brand awareness on consumers buying behaviour. [Online].
Available through < https://smallbusiness.chron.com/effect-brand-awareness-
consumer-buying-behavior-68186.html>
Zhang. C., 2016, How Coca-Cola influences consumers buying behaviour. [Online]. Available
through <https://mpk732t22016clusterb.wordpress.com/2016/07/30/how-coca-cola-
influence-customer-behavior/>
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Appendix
Gantt chart
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