INVESTIGATING THE NEXUS BETWEEN CRISIS COMMUNICATION AND BRAND REPUTATION MANAGEMENT OF FMCGS IN SOUTHWEST, NIGERIA

Abstract

Brand reputation is an important asset for consumer-oriented companies, especially in highly competitive markets like Nigeria. Crisis events can have a dramatic impact on the trust, loyalty, and overall perception of consumers if organisations do not communicate effectively. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between crisis communication strategies, communication channels and customer perception on the brand reputation of Indomie Noodles in Southwest Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted and the target population was the consumers of Indomie Noodles in Southwest Nigeria. Using the purposive sampling method, a total of 384 respondents were selected and 382 valid responses were obtained to ensure reliability in the statistical analysis. Structured questionnaires were used to gather data to measure the communication strategies, channels, customer perception and the brand reputation with a four-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistics, regression analysis, and ANOVA were performed using version 27 of the statistical software programme, the Statistical Package and the Data Analysis Programme (SPSS), to test the hypotheses and to analyse the relationships between the variables. The results show that crisis communication strategies and customer perception have a significant effect on brand reputation whereas communication channels had a negative but significant effect. Effective strategies that create transparency and responsiveness enhance consumer trust, and poorly managed channels can limit the perceptions of corporate credibility. Organizations are faced with the challenge of prioritizing the need for strategic communication during crises, and of optimizing communication channels while actively monitoring customer perceptions to preserve and enhance brand reputation.