Second: Good performance in terms of fuel efficiency Third: Brand image similar to US car brand. Second: the design of the car should be related to me for the first time Third: brand reputation and maintenance costs. I look at the car's overall performance, engine size, safety equipment and design to assess value for money.
MARKETING MANAGEMENT)
LITERATURE REVIEW& FRAMEWORK
LIST OF TABLES
INTRODUCTION
Therefore, most car brands tend to create a unique character to dominate the others and find an association between their brand and the consumer. It is important that general consumers first recognize the car brand, after which they can differentiate between brands. As a result, brand awareness has become incredibly important and therefore the focus when introducing the brand to consumers.
The car brands must develop their own unique character as well as create a good image of themselves in the minds of the consumers. As mentioned earlier, most automotive brands advertise through many media channels to gain brand awareness. Meanwhile, other academic papers have found that price is one of the key drivers influencing the decision-making process for car purchase (Erdem et al., 2006;.
However, all these factors (brand awareness, brand image, car attributes and price) have not been stable and therefore this study aims to find the deciding factors prevalent in the minds of Thai customers in Bangkok compared to the main drivers. of brand choice by those in sub-Saharan Africa. How brand image relates to car brand choice among male and female consumers.
LITERATURE REVIEW & FRAMEWORK DEVELOPMENT
The concept of brand
Brand awareness
Consumers tend to buy a well-known branded product, which also has a good brand image, as it has a lower purchase risk than an unbranded product. A good brand image affects consumer recognition and also relates to product quality (Grawea et al., 1998). If a brand has a negative image, consumers are more likely to doubt the product's quality.
Therefore, when a negative brand image exists, immediate action must be taken to regain a positive brand image. The next step to creating a strong brand image is to provide the product with a strong brand position. Brand image helps consumers recognize the brand, evaluate product quality, reduce purchase risk, and perceive the experience and satisfaction of alternatives (Thakor et al, 1997).
Once a company has a clear image, it needs to be brought into the product to bring everything together under the brand image. Most of the time, the problem arises when the brand does not have a strong or clear image at the beginning.
Automobile attributes
On average, consumers consider price to be the most important factor in purchasing a product (Cadogan and Foster, 2000). Nevertheless, some consumers believe that a product with a higher price will be of higher quality (Tellis, 1987). Luxury brands always set their prices higher than normal to differentiate themselves from cheaper alternatives and provide consumers with superior product quality.
Conversely, normal brands compete with each other by focusing on offering a cheaper product and convincing consumers that it offers value for money. Some companies try to offer extra features that make consumers think it is value for money, even though these are just standard features of the car that other companies don't necessarily promote. However, price is not as important to the consumer's consideration when becoming loyal to a brand.
It is normal that when consumers are delighted with a particular product or brand and think it is value for money, then they are willing to pay as much as they can to buy that product because it meets their wants and needs. Price has an influence on consumers' insofar as it is - on average - the most important factor taken into account when purchasing a.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
When comparing in-depth interviews or focus groups to face-to-face interviews, the main difference is that face-to-face interviews only provide you with basic answers because they tend to use closed-ended questions. Conversely, data collection takes less time because it is quick and easy to answer and complete. It is important that a group of people have experience using the car for a long period of time.
It also means they can answer relevant questions about current cars and give positive and negative opinions. Equally mixed genders to find opinions on brand awareness, brand image, car features and car price among different genders. Should be the main decision maker and main user of the car because they can be more specific about the important factors involved in buying a car and sources of awareness when searching for information.
All the above criteria have helped in selecting people who have knowledge about different car brands and also have a perception about each brand. Moreover, it is easier to find relevant reasons why and how brand awareness, brand image, car features and car price influenced each individual's final choice.
RESEARCH FINDING
Research finding
However, one female respondent said that she does not focus on the well-known brand, but instead pays attention to the car's safety record. I found that remembering the name of the car brand does not influence respondents' brand choice as much as the previous characteristics. Half of the respondents said that it does not affect their purchase decision, although the rest said that it affects their choice of car brand.
An attractive and well-designed car is another factor influencing respondents' brand choice. Some of the male respondents said that the standard safety equipment present in all cars is sufficient for them. On the other hand, the female respondents compare the price of the car with the quality of the car.
All male respondents said that the car should be value for money, in terms of;. Car's price Car price also plays an important role in the respondents' minds after the respondents have considered the characteristics of the car.
Recommendation
Most respondents are concerned about these issues Product price Car prices influence respondents' choice of brand (Soderlund, . 2000; Cadogan and Foster, 2000; Nowlis and Simonson, 2000). Most of the factors influence the respondents' choice of brand and the purchase path is a key driver that makes respondents consider different models or car brands. After that, companies should offer a test drive for all consumers so that they can try the car before buying it and this can also help to make the decision making process easier.
Moreover, once consumers have been for a test drive, the companies should offer them a discount to entice them, because they may still be reluctant after the test drive even if they like it. Once the companies have chosen the best safety equipment, they should reiterate to consumers that their safety is the most important factor and even if they will pay a little more, their lives will be safe in this car because of the new safety equipment. With reference to the above recommendation, that companies should offer consumers a test drive and link it with a discount; to maximize its effectiveness, it is essential to be the talk of the town so that people will share it on social media.
It helps to advertise the brand and car model at the same time with the new safety equipment. Furthermore, companies must advertise new safety equipment via many channels, such as; TV, radio spot, billboards and merchandising opportunities to reach consumers through every media channel which in turn will attract the consumers attention and make them eager to get more information.
CONCLUSION AND LIMITATION
Conclusion
The characteristics of the car play the most important role and can be understood as the first factor influencing the consumer's choice of brand. Consumers pay attention to all the features of a car, be it the quality of the car, the design of the car, the safety equipment of the car or the durability of the car. Most consumers are concerned about the safety and quality of the car, especially women.
However, the design of the car is one area that all consumers look into in the most detail to represent their character, as they think image is extremely important. How does car price affect consumer brand choice of car among men and women. In summary, the characteristics of a car have the most influence on respondents' brand choice, followed by car price, brand image and brand awareness.
To the extent that consumers' first focus is on a car's features when deciding what to buy. According to previous research in sub-Saharan Africa, consumers are more concerned about the brand than the price of the car.
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