THE IMPACT OF BRAND SIMILARITY ON BRAND PERSPECTIVE AMONG FPEB STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITAS PENDIDIKAN INDONESIA: A CASE STUDY OF PORTEE GOODS

Abstract

The rapid growth of digital marketing has changed how consumers evaluate brands, not only by product quality but also by perceived similarity with competitors. Brand similarity refers to consumers’ perceptions of how closely a local brand resembles global ones in terms of visual design and positioning. Previous studies on perceived brand localness and globalness show mixed results: some report positive outcomes linked to global appeal (Safeer, Abrar, Liu, & Yuanqiong, 2022), while others emphasize authenticity as a key factor in sustaining consumer trust amid similarity (Vo, Mai, Nguyen, Thuan, & Dang-Pham, 2024). Yet, limited research examines the effect of brand similarity on brand perspective, especially in cases of potential imitation among local brands. This study investigates the impact of brand similarity (imitation perception) on brand perspective among faculty of economics and business education (FPEB) students at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, using Portee Goods a local footwear brand often compared to Dr. Martens as a case. A quantitative approach was used with 100 student respondents selected through purposive sampling. Data were gathered via an online questionnaire using stimulus images and analyzed with simple linear regression and PLS-SEM. Results indicate that brand similarity has dual effects: it strengthens brand perspective when viewed as a positive alternative but weakens it when perceived as imitation. The findings highlight the need for local brands to balance resemblance and uniqueness to maintain authenticity and consumer trust. This study contributes to understanding how perceived similarity influences consumer evaluations in digital markets.