BRAND PREFERENCE AND BRAND RHETORIC FOR MOBILE PHONES AMONG STUDENTS AT A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION.

It is evident that the mobile phone industry is facing significant growth. The introduction of cheaper mobile phones in South Africa has intensified competition between mobile companies. A number of studies have been conducted in other countries on brand preference for mobile phones, but there remains a gap in knowledge with regard to the South African market. It is important to academically research factors influencing consumer brand preferences and its rhetorical implications when purchasing mobile phones, to understand these preferences, and what consumers consider when making such purchases. The rationale for the study was to provide insights for local marketers into the factors consumers consider most when looking at mobile phone brands. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to understand brand preferences for mobile phones amongst students at a selected higher educational institution in South Africa. The study adopts a quantitative research approach and is descriptive and cross-sectional in nature. The research population was made up of students studying at the Durban University of Technology (DUT), where convenience sampling was used on a target population of 378 students. The results were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 24.0 software. The findings show that brand popularity, prices, product attributes rhetorically affect mobile phone brand preferences amongst students. The results also showed that there were some product attributes that did not influence these preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]