Analysis of Brand Equity as a Marketing Strategy in the Pandemic Time of Covid-19 (Case Study On Dapoer Oma Lita Catering Smes)

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic occurred in early 2020 which globally had a huge impact on various types of business sectors. The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has been seen from large-scale layoffs, there have also been closures of various businesses which then impacted employees being laid off (World Bank, 2020). Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are very vulnerable to the impact of business disruptions and all have been significantly affected by the pandemic that occurred (Siagian, 2021). Dapoer Oma Lita, which is a catering MSME that has been directly affected by the pandemic. This pandemic has reduced consumer confidence in Dapoer Oma Lita. Trust, loyalty, and consumer purchasing decisions are currently a problem during the pandemic for businesses. Brand equity is needed to create purchasing decisions from consumers in restoring consumer confidence in a brand. It is necessary to pay attention to Dapoer Oma Lita in forming and recreating Dapoer Oma Lita's Brand Equity during a pandemic. There are four core elements of brand equity that can add value to a brand itself, namely brand loyalty, brand awareness, brand association, and perceived quality. This research is a descriptive type of research and uses a qualitative approach with triangulation analysis conducted at Dapoer Oma Lita Catering UMKM. The findings from this study indicate that: (1) Brand loyalty Dapoer Oma Lita is formed on the basis of good food taste and good service, thus making Dapoer Oma Lita customers dare to refer Dapoer Oma Lita based on customer experience. (2) The positive image of Dapoer Oma Lita generates brand awareness among consumers towards Dapoer Oma Lita. (3) Products from Dapoer Oma Lita which have their own characteristics, namely typical Minahasa food, prices that are considered affordable, paying attention to service quality. (4) Customer benefits, Dapoer Oma Lita is considered a solution for consumers/customers and their services are polite and friendly which ultimately builds an emotional relationship between consumers/customers and business actors which is an added value from Dapoer Oma Lita. The taste of good food, affordable prices, and the quality of service that is considered good is the trigger for the association of the Dapoer Oma Lita brand.