Overview

Original Research

RESEARCH ON BRAND IMAGE POSITIONING OF SPORTS SHOES FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

AN-SHIN SHIA 1, BANG NGUYEN 2, and MUQING YANG 3.

Vol 18, No 02 ( 2023 )   |  DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/79B58   |   Author Affiliation: Business School, Lingnan Normal University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong, China 1; Department of Sport Management, National Taiwan University of Sport, Taichung, Taiwan / Department of Facilities Management, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 2; Nanfang College - Guangzhou, 882, Wenquan Avenue, Guangzhou, China 3.   |   Licensing: CC 4.0   |   Pg no: 2229-2245   |   Published on: 28-02-2023

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the image positioning of the six best-selling sports shoes brands in the Chinese market in consumers’ minds. By comparing the differences of various brands images, the study aims at understanding the ideal brand image in consumers' minds. In this study, 480 questionnaires were distributed to students in colleges and universities through purposive sampling, and 480 questionnaires were returned, with 468 valid questionnaires with an effective rate of 97.5%. The findings of this study suggest that the most significant difference in the performance of each brand image is the functional image: Nike's functional image, symbolic image, and experiential image are the best, while Adidas is the second best, and Anta is slightly ahead of Puma in its functional image, but not as good as Puma in its symbolic image. Sketchers is the best among all three images. The implications of the findings are discussed.

Keywords

Sports shoes brand; Brand image positioning; University students; Multi-scale