FACTOR THAT AFFECTING CONSUMER SOFT DRINK BRAND PREFERENCE IN ETHIOPIA: (THE CASE OF PEPSI AND COCA-COLA ADDIS ABABA)

Abstract

Customer’ preference refers to how customers select goods and services in relation to factors like taste, preference and individual choices. This study generally aimed to examine the factor that affecting consumer Soft drink brand preference to consume Pepsi Cola or Coca-Cola in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This study employed both primary and secondary data source and attended 62 % of response rate (239 completely returned questionnaires). Using descriptive and explanatory research design, this study found that brand comprehension has lowest mean showing that Pepsi and Coke could not able to create positioning happens and the customer is nearly unable to create a coherent view about the brand vis-à-vis competition. However, Pepsi and Coke tried to create sensations, feelings, cognitions and behavioral responses evoked by brand-related stimuli that are they have a good brand design and identity, packaging, communications and environments. Further, there is a positive and significant relationship and effect between brand awareness, brand comprehension, brand advertisement, brand experience and consumer brand preference at Sig. (2-tailed) .000 with correlation and regression analysis. The study concluded that customers prefer to purchase a well-known brand product, need to choose among various brands and demanded suitable market place. As a result, seeing as Coca-Cola and Pepsi seem to target different consumers through their advertisements and sponsorships, this study found that that the choice of soft drink product similar based on a person’s age, income, gender, as well as their taste preference. Thus, it can be concluded that marketers may use entire marketing processes that everyone experiences in his or her day-to-day activities. Firms may also effectively use brand awareness, brand comprehension, and brand Experience together to advertisement and the study suggests that companies may use of a local market’s language in an international campaign even if English campaign has a greater influence on consumer preferences.