Communicating Simucube’s technology leadership to strengthen brand equity

This thesis examines how hobbyists in the industry experience the sim racing hardware company Simucube’s brand. The goal was to understand how consumers perceive the company and to provide recommendations to strengthen Simucube's technological leadership. The study used Aaker's Brand Equity Model and the AIDA model, to understand the factors affecting brand equity and consumer behavior. The data was collected through quantitative surveys three months apart at two sim racing expositions in Dortmund, Germany, and Maastricht, the Netherlands. A total of 185 responses were collected. The findings show that Simucube is considered high-quality and professional and is widely recognized in the sim racing community. However, the brand was not rated as highly in emotional connection and approachability. The study concludes that Simucube's brand growth depends on its ability to balance its strong technological image with human-centered content. Strengthening the emotional bond can both increase consumers' willingness to pay and strengthen brand equity.