CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND BRAND EQUITY IN NIGERIAN TELECOMMUNICATIONS: EVIDENCE FROM GLO, MTN, AND AIRTEL SUBSCRIBERS IN BENIN CITY

Abstract

The study investigated the effect of corporate social responsibility CSR initiatives on the brand and corporate images of telecommunication companies in Benin City. The research was necessitated by a primary gap in the existing literature: the lack of specific, quantified empirical data linking social responsibility to brand image for Glo MTN and Airtel in Benin City. The study maintains a critical conceptual distinction between brand image, which represents the specific consumer perceptions of service offerings, and brand personality, and corporate image, which refers to the broader global reputation and ethical character of the organisation as an entire entity. Grounded in the Brand Equity Theory, the study employed a quantitative research design utilising primary data collected via structured questionnaires from a sample of 400 subscribers. A systematic sampling technique was employed to select the participants, ensuring an objective and even distribution across the city by selecting respondents at fixed intervals from the sampling frame. Data analysis was conducted using Simple Linear Regression to determine the predictive strength of social initiatives on consumer perception. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between social responsibility and brand image, with initiatives accounting for 46.5 per cent of the variance R2 = .465, Beta = 0.584, t = 12.410, p < 0.05. Furthermore, the results established that social responsibility had a substantial effect on corporate image, explaining 51.1 per cent of its variance R2 = .511, Beta = 0.692, t = 15.340, p < 0.05. These results confirmed that ethical conduct was a strategic necessity for building intangible assets and consumer trust. The study contributes evidence toward addressing the empirical gap by providing contextually relevant data regarding the strength of the relationship between social responsibility perceptions and brand image for the target firms in the research context. It was recommended that telecommunications companies move toward more deeply integrated, consistently delivered social projects to sustain their competitive advantage in the Benin City metropolis.