CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR MALTA – GUINESS, MALTINA AND VITA MALT BRANDS OF MALT DRINKS IN ENUGU URBAN

ABSTRACT

This research work was aimed at studding the major factors which determine the consumer preference for Malt – Guiness, Maltina and Vitar Malt brands of Malt drinks, using consumers in Enugu urban.

The study also examined how consumers respond to the various marketing variables such as price, promotion, product, and place so as to verify which tool to concentrate mostly by firms and executives who produces and market Malt drinks.

To accomplish these, the researcher generated primary data.  The data were generated using questionnaire as the research instrument.  The questionnaire were administered to various consumers in Enugu urban.

After a detailed analysis of the data generated, it was discovered that malt drinks consumption cuts across various age groups in Nigeria, and also that business people and civil servant consume more than any other professional groups in Nigeria.  Other findings made from this study are that malta guiness is the most preferred brand out of the six studied brands.  This was followed by maltina and vita – malt.  Amistel malta has the lowest consumer brand loyalty followed by Royal malt.  Also, the study showed that while quality and availability or place were accepted as major factors which influence their preference of a particular brand by consumers, promotion and price were regarded as having very insignificant effect.

Following the above findings, the researcher made the following recommendations.

First, it was recommended that more marketing efforts be directed to business people and civil servant by malt drinks firms.  Another recommendation was that firms with low brand loyalty should re-examine their products to improve their quality.  Again, marketers of malt drinks are advised to reduce their budget share to promotion and engage more in product modification and development.

Finally, it was recommended that malt drink firms see their consumers as price insensitive, but quality conscious which will enable them pay less attention to price – cutting as an effective strategy.