The Influence Costumer Cognitif Factor on Brand Equity Through Brand Personality

ABSTRACT


INTRODUCTION
Building and sustaining a strong brand is one of the most crucial brand management jobs [1].Almost all marketing efforts focus on establishing brand equity because customer loyalty raises entry barriers that make it harder for competitors to enter the market [2], [3].
For the second period of 2019, Shopee outperformed Lazada in in-app activity, number of downloads, and total transaction volume in the Southeast Asian market.Shopee is very popular in Indonesia [4].Shopee became Southeast Asia's most popular marketplace platform in the first quarter of 2019, thanks in part to an increase in visits of an average of 8% each month in the second quarter of 2019.According to research, Shopee's total transactions in the second quarter of 2019 were valued at US$ 3.8 billion, or roughly Rp 54 trillion.Comparing the same period in 2018 to the current period, the transaction value climbed by 72.3% to US$ 2.2 billion, or roughly Rp 41 trillion [1], [5].
This made Shopee's brand equity strengthened drastically from 2018 to 2019 and continues to increase [6].Shopee beat other e-commerce companies such as Lazada, Tokopedia and others.Competition continues to increase in terms of market share by continuously increasing brand equity.But here, each brand when viewed from the 3 brands has its own character, namely a different brand personality.For example, the orange color that stands out on Shopee and then green on Tokopedia apart from different services and programs forms a different brand personality [7].This has been discovered by numerous researchers, who concluded that a strong and positive brand personality could lead to favorable customer assessments of brand equity, which can encourage referrals and repurchase intentions [8].Brand equity is a unique character possessed by a brand which is a distinguishing character from other brands [9].Brand equity for the company is part of the business strategy [10].Companies that have stronger brand equity than other companies will be able to win the competition because it will be easier to market their products and be able to set a higher selling price [11].
According to Keller (1993) [12], customerbased brand equity (CBBE) refers to the variance in how brand knowledge (cognitive) affects consumer reactions to brand-related marketing activities.Additionally, Keller argues that brand-related variables should be viewed as antecedents or mediators of CBBE and that CBBE is handled as a separate construct [13].Many researchers have discovered the cognitive antecedents of brand equity and brand personality.Perceived quality, brand awareness, brand association, brand loyalty are the four fundamental components of brand equity, according to Aaker (2023) [10].Brand awareness, brand association, perceived brand quality, brand image, and brand reputation are five antecedents of consumer cognitive characteristics that affect consumer-based brand equity directly or indirectly, according to Washburn and Plank (2002) [14], brands of value must be acknowledged by consumers.The purchase intention will therefore be higher if the cognitive part of the brand describes the personality or values that fit the requirements and desires of customers.Brand personality is essential for boosting brand equity.Furthermore, cognitive thinking and reasoning lead to increased brand awareness, association, perceived quality, and image, which impact growing brand equity.A brand personality, according to Aaker (2023) [10], is a collection of human characters linked to or ingrained in a brand.Similar to humans, brands with personalities make better first impressions than those without; personalities can range from friendly to professional.For brand identity to be portrayed in concrete terms from an idealistic and societal perspective, it offers consumers an experience for an experience [15].
Brand personality allows customers to create social identity and communicate their authentic, ideal, and social selves [16].It can effectively describe brands in terms of human personalities to pique consumer interest and function as word-of-mouth promotional material [17].Customers may assume that a brand has a personality, is approachable, and can be emulated if it is depicted as a living entity, especially in the higher dimensions of trust, which can encourage long-term brand loyalty [18].
According to Kotler and Keller (2012) [19], brand associations are connected to consumers' thoughts, feelings, perceptions, pictures, experiences, beliefs, and other ideas about the brand.Brand associations have a significant impact on brand equity, according to Dewi (2017) [20].This conclusion is supported by Aaker (2023) [10] and Atilgan (2005) [21], who claim that brand associations impact brand equity directly or indirectly through brand personality.According to research by Ermawati et al. (2015) [22], the brand association has no impact on brand equity [8].
Consumers' subjective satisfaction with the degree of quality or widespread recognition of the goods or services offered under the brand are examples of the brand's perceived quality [23].According to Dewi (2018) [20], brand equity is positively impacted by a brand's perceived quality.According to Liao (2017) [17], brand equity is positively impacted by perceived brand excellence directly or through brand personality.
Brand image is how people in society or the broader public perceive the brand [19].Brand equity is positively impacted by brand image both directly and indirectly through brand personality, according to research by Liao (2017) [17].The ability of a brand to deliver beneficial benefits to different stakeholders is described by its history of past acts and results or brand reputation [24].Brand reputation is a positive and indirect antecedent of brand equity [14], [17].

RESEARCH METHOD
Explanatory research utilizing a quantitative methodology is this kind of research.
Questionnaires are distributed to gather data.Consumer cognitive variables including brand association, perceived brand quality, brand image, and brand reputation are the independent variables that are the focus of this study.Brand equity is the dependent variable, and brand personality is the mediator.Liao et al. (2017) [17] derived these variables' questionnaire items.
One hundred respondents who live in Kebumen and its vicinity and actively use and use the Shopee e-commerce application participated in this survey.Purposive sampling is used in this sampling method.
Descriptive and path analyses of the data are used, along with the traditional assumption tests of normality, heteroscedasticity, and test that were previously conducted.The reliability test was conducted using the Cronbach alpha formula, while the validity test was conducted using the bivariate correlation method.The Sobel test, on the other hand, results in test mediation.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The study's findings showed that 84 respondents were women, while 16 were men.The respondents' ages ranged from 17 to 40, and their visits ranged from 1-3 times per week to as many as 56 persons per day.every day there are 23 people.break 4-every day as many as 22 people.The majority of purchases were made more than 6 times with the dominance of 72 people's fashion products.While the average income of respondents is 1-2 million rupiah per month.
This research instrument has been through evaluation of validity and reliability prior to analysis.SPSS test results show that all instruments can be trusted and valid.Then for the classical assumption test, it was found that all the structures passed the multicollinearity, heteroscedasticity and normality tests.Then the regression analysis can be continued.
Path analysis is used in hypothesis testing at the 5% level.The value of sig 0.047 is less than 0.05, which means that hypothesis 1, which explores whether the brand association has a positive impact on brand personality, is accepted based on table 1.Since T count 2,010 is higher than T count 1,984, H01 is rejected, and Ha1 is accepted.So it can be concluded that positive things related to the brand in the minds of consumers will lead to a positive brand personality.This result is supported by research by Washburn and Plank (2002) [14] and Liao (2017) [17].
The value of sig 0.845 was more significant than 0.05 and the t count 0.196 was less than 1.984, the second hypothesis in this study examined whether the perceived quality of a brand positively influenced brand personality was rejected.This means that H02 is accepted and Ha2 is rejected.Thus, it may be inferred that the caliber of a brand's offers is a need that must be fulfilled rather than a manifestation of its identity.These results differ from previous studies by Washburn and Plank (2002) [14] and Liao (2017) [17].
The value of sig 0.544 is more significant than 0.05; hence the third hypothesis in this study-which asks whether brand image affects brand personality positively-is disproved.H03 is accepted, while Ha3 is denied because the T count of 0.608 is less than 1.984.Thus, it can be argued that a brand's image in consumers' thoughts that is becoming more favorable will not develop a brand personality.
The value of sig 0.033 is less than 0.05 and the t count 2.010 is more than 2.165, Hypothesis 4, which asks whether brand reputation positively influences brand personality, is accepted and Hypothesis 4 is rejected in this study.Therefore, it can be stated that a more favorable brand personality will develop the greater the reputation of the business that owns the brand.The research of Washburn and Plank (2002) [14] [20] supports these findings.
Because the value of sig 0.797 was more significant than 0.05 and the t count 0.027 was less than 1.984, the sixth hypothesis in this study-which examined whether the perceived quality of a brand had a positive effect on brand equity-was rejected.This means that H06 is accepted and Ha6 is rejected.Therefore, it can be stated that brand offerings' quality is a requirement that must be met and is not a component of brand equity.This finding contrasts with earlier studies by Washburn and Plank (2002) [14] and Dewi (2017) [20].
Because the value of sig 0.027 is less than 0.05, the study's seventh hypothesis, which questions whether the brand image positively impacts brand equity, is accepted.
Given that the T count is 2,249, which is more than 1,984, H07 is disallowed, whereas Ha7 is approved.A brand's equity will rise if people have a more positive perception of it.
The importance of sig led to the rejection of the eighth hypothesis in this study, which examined whether brand reputation positively increased brand equity.The t count is 0.454, less than 1.984, and 0.651 is more significant than 0.05, so Ha8 is rejected, and H08 is accepted.Therefore, it may be stated that the company's reputation will not impact the brand equity.Comparing the findings of this investigation to those of Washburn and Plank (2002) [14].
Because the value of sig 0.000 is less than 0.05, the 9th hypothesis in this study, which evaluates whether brand personality positively affects brand equity, is accepted.The T count is 5.534, more than 1.984, indicating that H07 is rejected and Ha7 is approved.As a result, the personality formed by a brand will influence the direction of brand equity.From Figure 3, a structural equation can be made as follows: Y1= 0,217X1 + 0,025X2 + 0,075X3 + 0,253X4 Y2= 0,183X1 + 0,026X2 + 0,222X3 + 0,043X4 + 0,454Y1

Sobel Analysis Sobel Test model 1
To ascertain if brand personality (Y1), the study's mediator variable, can mediate the impact of brand association (X1) on brand equity, the Sobel test model 1 is utilized (Y2).These are the outcomes of the Sobel test using model 1's Sobel test in figure 2.:

Sobel Test model 2
The brand personality (Y1) mediator variable is tested in this study using Sobel test model 2 to see if it may moderate the impact of perceived brand quality (X2) on brand equity (Y2).The outcomes of the Sobel test employing the Sobel test in model 2 are as follows in figure 3.According to the Sobel test results, model 2 displays a p-value or significant > 0.05.This shows that the personality factor's lack of support is a mediating factor.This study's eleventh hypothesis, which explores whether brand personality mediates perceived brand quality on brand equity, is disproved, but H011 and Ha11 are accepted.Therefore, it can be said that brand equity is not impacted directly or indirectly by the offer's quality.
The conclusions of this study diverge from those put out by Washburn and Plank (2002) and Liao (2017).

Sobel Test model 3
To ascertain if brand personality (Y1), the study's mediator variable, can mediate the impact of brand image (X3) on brand equity, the Sobel test model 3 is utilized (Y2).The outcomes of the Sobel test using Model 3 are as follows in figure 4.

CONCLUSION
The following conclusions are drawn from the study and discussion's findings Brand associations and reputation are cognitive elements that favorably affect brand personality, although evaluations of brand quality and brand image have no impact on brand reputation.This demonstrates that not all variables have a minimal impact.The only things influencing a brand's personality are its associations and significance.Brand association and brand image are cognitive factors that positively impact brand equity.This demonstrates how these two factors' indicators might increase brand equity.
Meanwhile, brand equity cannot be increased by the brand quality and reputation perceptions.Brand personality influences brand equity positively.This demonstrates that an upbeat brand personality will boost brand equity.The influence of brand association on brand equity can be mitigated by brand personality.Brand equity is influenced by brand association, both directly and indirectly.
Brand personality mediates brand reputation on brand equity.this means that brand reputation will affect brand equity if it is through brand personality.
As a result, the following is true: H1: Brand Association influences Brand Personality positively.H2: Brand personality is positively influenced by perceptions of brand quality.H3: brand image influences brand personality positively.H4: Brand Reputation influences Brand Personality positively.H5: Brand equity benefits from the brand association.H6: Perceived brand quality affects brand equity positively.H7: Brand image influences brand equity positively.H8: Brand reputation influences brand equity positively.H9: Brand personality influences brand equity positively.H10: The brand association positively impacts brand equity via brand personality.H11: Brand perceived quality positively impacts brand equity via brand personality.H12: Brand image influences brand equity favorably via brand personality.H13: Brand repute influences brand equity favorably via brand personality.

Table 1 .
Table 1 displays the test results in detail in table 1. Assesment t value