The Effectiveness of Brand Personality on the Choice of Lubricants by Matatu Drivers: a Case of Nairobi-nyeri Route in Kenya

Abstract

Branding serves many functions. Beyond identifying a product, branding can create perceptions of quality, reliability, and value in a product, as well as loyalty, confidence, and self-expression to the consumer. The main objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which brand personality was used in the positioning of lubricants in the Matatu industry with a specific reference to Nairobi-Nyeri Route The research design that this study used was a descriptive survey design. The target population of this study was all the drivers of matatus in Nairobi-Nyeri Route. Stratified random sampling was used to select the sample size. From the possible 721 target population a sample of 10% was chosen using stratified random sampling. This generated a sample of 72 drivers for the purpose of the study. Both primary and secondary data were used for the study. Data was then analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentages, averages and mean scores. The findings were presented using tables, pie charts, and bar graphs for easier interpretation. Content analysis was used to data that was qualitative in nature or aspect of the data collected from the open ended questions. The study concludes that there was brand personality in lubricants in the Nairobi-Nyeri Route in Kenya. Majority of the consumers were attracted by various factors such as hygiene, efficiency, price and brand name and packaging and logo of the lubricants. The study further concludes that brand personality had an effect on lubricants in the Nairobi- Nyeri Route in Kenya. Most lubricants had a distinctive brand personality that helped create a set of unique and favorable associations in consumer memory and thus build and enhanced brand equity. The study recommends that for companies to improve brand personality of lubricants, there is need to improve brand name, logo and packaging. This contributes to brand recognition and visual awareness.