Relationship between Education Sponsorship and Brand Equity amongst Beverage Companies in Nairobi City County

Abstract

Global competition has called for companies to be more innovative in the way they position their brand to achieve a competitive edge. Therefore, companies have adopted more non-traditional ways to showcase their products each more audiences as possible, one of the innovative ways of marketing that have gained more attraction among corporate marketers is corporate sponsorship. Marketers have found corporate sponsorship to be more effective in creating brand awareness and re-shaping brand attitudes amongst prospective customers. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between corporate sponsorship and brand equity among beverage companies in Nairobi County. The specific objectives of the study were to establish the relationship between education sponsorship and brand equity amongst beverage companies in Nairobi City County. The study involved 237 public relations and marketing managers in 10 beverage companies sponsoring different education. Sampling for the study was conducted through a stratified random sampling technique. Data for the study was collected using questionnaires that were administered physically as well as online. Collected data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential analysis. Descriptive statistics included: mean, frequency, percentage, and standard deviation. Inferential analysis on the other hand included correlation as well as regression analysis. Education sponsorship and Brand Equity revealed a β = 0.254, t= 2.566, and a p-value of 0.012. The study concluded that education sponsorship had a positive and significant relationship with brand equity. Public relations managers and marketing managers need to identify needy and also bright students in society who are enrolled in schools by giving them scholarships to boost their corporate image.