Brand Equity among Producers of Chinese Mitten Crab

Abstract

In the Shanghai area of China there is considerable product differentiation among producers of Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis, with as many as 50 brands available in the marketplace. At the same time, the brand awareness of each brand is quite different. A consumer survey showed that brand awareness differed greatly among consumers, with 10 well-known brands recognized by more than 80% of respondents, 34 less-known brands recognized by 20%~80% and 20 unknown producers recognized by less than 20%. The cultivation method, cost structure, and profitability of these three categories also vary widely. Achieving maximization of net revenues is the same long-term goal for every producer, and how to improve the brand equity to reach this goal is one of the most important problems. Thus the overall and detailed economic situations of each type of Chinese mitten crab brand need to be analyzed, and using the appropriate method to measure the brand equity of Chinese mitten crab brands is the central issue that needs to be resolved in this thesis. Data for the study was collected from mitten crab producers on prices, yields, size distributions, costs, and a number of other variables that may serve as proxies for production technologies and marketing efforts. Cost benefit analysis and risk analysis were used to show the overall and detailed economic situations of different types of brands. Net Revenue Premium was chosen as the appropriate measure for estimating brand equity.