Brand equity applied to the FMCG industry before and during the covid-19 pandemic: A case study of private label products in Ireland

Javier Casanoves-Boix; Ana Cruz-García; Sonia García-Lafuente

doi:10.31637/epsir-2025-1715

Autores/as

Javier Casanoves-Boix Universitat de València https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6993-8708
Ana Cruz-García Munster Technological University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0202-2142
Sonia García-Lafuente Valencian International University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-1715

Palabras clave:

marketing, brand equity, FMCG industry, private label products, covid-19 pandemic, gender, regression techniques and analysis of variance, Ireland

Resumen

Introduction: This study aims to examine the significance of brand equity in private label products in Ireland, focusing on the period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: The sample consisted of 412 citizens of Cork (Ireland) who normally consume these kinds of products. Five-point Likert scales were used to measure the main elements of brand equity, based on the previous studies found in the literature. IBM-SPSS29 was used as a working tool. Results and discussion: The results show a positive relationship between perceptions of all variables related to brand equity both before and during COVID-19, with perceived quality being the most significant variable. There were also significant differences in mean brand equity before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, gender was not found to be an influential factor on mean brand equity and the other variables influencing it. Conclusions: This research, with its focus on empirical evidence, bridges the gap between theoretical concepts and real-world applications, positioning the findings as an important resource for decision-making in the competitive retail landscape.

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Biografía del autor/a

Javier Casanoves-Boix, Universitat de València

Dr Javier Casanoves-Boix is a Lecturer in Marketing at the Faculty of Economics, University of Valencia, Spain. His research interests focus on marketing and branding. He has published articles in several peer-reviewed journals (such as European Journal of Management and Business Economics, Revista de Investigación Educativa, and UCJC Business and Society Review, among others) and is the author of several books and book chapters related to his field of research in several peer-reviewed publishers (such as Dykinson, Thomson Reuters Aranzadi, and Tirant lo Blanch, among others).

Ana Cruz-García, Munster Technological University

Dr Ana Cruz-García holds a BA in Modern Languages (English, French and Italian) from the University of Granada, Spain. Her Ph.D. is in Latin American Literature. She was a member of the Department of Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American Studies at University College Cork, Ireland, until 2008 and has published extensively on women's writing and Latin American cinema. Since 2007 she has been a Lecturer in Spanish language and culture at Munster Technological University, Ireland. She also holds a degree in Business Studies and Management and has since supervised the MA in International Business. She is also an active researcher for the Hincks Centre for Entrepreneurship Excellence, with a particular interest in women and migrant entrepreneurship.

Sonia García-Lafuente, Valencian International University

Ms. Sonia García Lafuente is a Lecturer at the Higher School of Science and Technology, and the Faculty of Social and Legal Sciences at the Valencian International University, Spain. Her research interests include marketing and branding, and Bayesian inference for defining mathematical models with applications in epidemiology. She is the author of several book chapters related to his area of research, published by Dykinson. He has also participated in conferences related to educational innovation.

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