CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS AND BRAND EQUITY IN CHINA'S BANKING SERVICES

Abstract

Despite tremendous interest in brand equity and relationship marketing, little conceptual development has addressed whether relationships exist between these important marketing issues. Based on existing frameworks (customer-based brand equity and relationship marketing), this paper forwards customer relationships as a branding-related initiative critical to creation of brand equity. This paper presents exploratory research to develop an initial understanding of the constructs of customer relationships, the dimensions of brand equity and the associations between them. The data illustrate that both consumers and providers in Chinese banking services sector perceive that brand equity can be influenced by customer relationships. A conceptual framework and a number of hypotheses for further study are proposed