Hierarchical Relationships among Brand Equity Dimensions: The Mediating Effects of Brand Trust and Brand Love

Abstract

This study proposes a model that explores the mediating effects of brand trust and brand love on the brand equity dimensions (i.e., perceived quality, brand awareness, brand association, and brand loyalty). Additionally, this study also examines the effect of product involvement (i.e., high vs. low) on brand love and brand trust relationship through a moderation analysis. As recommended in variance-based SEM, a two-step approach was used to test our model. The first step tested the quality of the construct measurement. The second step investigated the empirical estimates for the relationships between the constructs. The results revealed that only brand association positively influenced brand love, but no other dimensions of brand equity had an effect. We also explored the partially significant relationship between brand trust and brand love, which together, exhibited a strong and positive relationship with brand loyalty. Additionally, the data revealed a non-significant relationship between brand loyalty and brand association as well as with perceived quality. Finally, our results revealed that brand awareness enhanced perceived quality and brand associations.