How is Brand Loyalty Influenced by Brand Association of Reference Groups and Advertisement Informativeness Through Self-Brand Connection?

Abstract

Consumers’ loyalty to a brand has become a big challenge for organizations worldwide. The challenge lies in understanding how consumers form self-connection with brands. Brand association of reference groups and advertisement informativeness are among the various ways through which self-brand connection is formed. This empirical study investigates first the relationship between brand association of reference groups and advertisement informativeness with self-brand connection, and second the mediational role of self-brand connection in relationships of brand association of reference groups and advertisement informativeness with brand loyalty. The study’s population comprised all car brand owners residing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The sampling method employed is snowball sampling through which 339 responses were collected from car owners residing in two regions of Saudi Arabia. structural equation modeling was employed to test the study hypotheses. Results of the study showed both brand association of reference groups and advertisement informativeness holding statistically significant positive relationships with the self-brand connection. The self-brand connection was also reported as significantly and positively related to brand loyalty. Full mediation of self-brand connection was reported in the relationship of brand association of reference groups and advertisement informativeness with brand loyalty.