EFFECT OF CORPORATE BRANDING ON SALES PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED MANUFACTURING FIRMS IN ENUGU STATE, NIGERIA

The study focuses on effect of corporate branding on performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria. The objective of the study is to: determine the effect of brand awareness on performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria; ascertain the nature of the relationship between brand associations and sales performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria and determine the influence of perceived quality on performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria. The population size was 1168 out of which a sample size of 369 was realized using Cochran’s sample size at 5% error tolerance and 95% level of confidence. Instruments used for data collection were primarily questionnaire and interview. Out of 369 copies of the questionnaire that were distributed, 385 copies were returned while 11 were not returned. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient t and Simple Linear Regression Statistical tools. The findings indicate that brand awareness significantly affect performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria (r = 0.864; t = 33.536; p < 0.05). That there is a positive relationship between brand associations and performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria (r = 0. 812, p < .05). That perceived quality significantly influences performance of manufacturing firms in Enugu State, Nigeria (r = 0.883; t = 36.848; p < 0.05). The study concluded that branding enable customers to distinguish between different products and services and recognize what they perceive satisfies their needs the most. The study recommended that manufacturing firms should adopt brand awareness so as to ensure that customers’ recall and recognize the brand as reflected by their ability and to identify the brand under different conditions which will promote firms’ performance. Article visualizations: