Patient brand equity perceptions that predict brand choice preference for over-the-counter pain relief medications

ABSTRACT

This study identifies salient brand equity perceptions for generic and name brand over-the-counter pain relief medications. Survey data of brand equity perceptions from 326 over-the-counter pain relief medication patients were analyzed using principal components factor analysis and random forest modeling. Results showed that patient brand equity perceptions are directly related to their brand choice preferences. The most salient brand equity perception for predicting choice of a name brand pain relief medication was brand favorability/appeal, and the best predictor of generic brand preference was how well known/recognizable the brand is to the consumer. Pharmaceutical producers can build brand leverage by emphasizing brand appeal for name brand medications and by increasing brand recognizability for generic brands. Suggestions for utilization of digital platforms to increase brand equity and build consumer engagement are provided.

KEYWORDS:

• Brand equity perceptions
• brand choice
• over-the-Counter medications
• pain medications
• brand leverage

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their supportive comments and suggestions.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

IRB approval

Approval number E-2022-15 received from Arkansas Tech University.

Subject consent and data collection statement

All subjects were informed that participation in this research was voluntary, that they could discontinue participation at any time during the survey, and that no subject identification data was collected during the study. All subjects agreed to participate in the survey prior to participation, which was conducted between November 28, 2022 and December 3, 2022.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andrew N. Mason

Andrew N. Mason is an Assistant Professor at Juntendo University School of Medicine in Tokyo, Japan. Andrew’s research interests are in the merged disciplines of medicine and business.

Matt Brown

Matt Brown is an Associate Professor of Business Data Analytics at Arkansas Tech University in the USA. Matt has over two decades of experience working in industry and in academia in the fields of statistics, computing, and data analytics.

Kevin Mason

Kevin Mason is a Professor of Marketing at Arkansas Tech University in the USA. Kevin’s primary research interest is examining how consumers process marketing information to formulate product evaluations.