The impact of subjective norms, eWOM and perceived brand credibility on brand equity: application to the higher education sector

Abstract

PurposeThe growing competitive environment in which higher education institutes are immersed has caused them to strengthen their competitive position of a brand and its equity in emerging countries. However, there are several contradictions between the empirically approved determinants and the dimensions of brand equity in higher education. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the structural relationship between subjective norms, electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM), perceived brand credibility and brand equity, taking cross-culturally comparisons between Sri Lanka, and Vietnam.Design/methodology/approachA survey was used to collect data from a sample of 800 undergraduates of private higher education institutions in Sri Lanka and Vietnam in 2019. These data were gathered using purposive sampling and analyzed using a structural equation model. A total of 768 questionnaires were considered valid. In testing the hypothesis and structure among the variables, structural equation modelling was used to determine the relationship between subjective norms, eWOM, perceived brand credibility and brand equity for the higher education institutes in emerging countries.FindingsFor the conceptual framework, the author found that this structural equation model complies with the empirical data. The structural equation model shows that subjective norms, eWOM and perceived brand credibility were significantly related to brand equity. Perceived brand credibility was found to be the mediating variable. Further, the location was found to moderate the relationship between perceived brand credibility and brand equity, highlighting that Vietnamese students are more relying on perceived brand credibility in creating brand equity than their Sri Lankan counterparts.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was conducted at private higher education institutes in Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Future research could benefit from perceptions of undergraduates in public higher education institutes. This study discusses the implications of developing branding strategies for higher education institutions.Originality/valueThe current research contributes to the services marketing and branding literature in the higher education context. The paper presents the crucial elements in building brand equity for higher education institutes to fill the existing gaps in higher education branding literature. The findings of the current study provide strategies to improve the higher education sector.

The Perception of Employees in the Construction of University Brand: Spanish Context Case Study

“…The proposed global model demonstrated a positive and direct relationship between the four variables described and the brand capital with respect to internal empoyees, thus supporting other research on brand awareness (Foroudi et al, 2017;Rachmadhani et al, 2018;Sagynbekova et al, 2021), brand image (Mirzaei et al, 2016;Rauschnabel et al, 2016;Yuan, et al, 2016;Ruiz et al, 2019;Alcaide et al, 2021), perceived quality (Pinar et al, 2014;Ali et al, 2016;Lomer et al, 2018;Perera et al, 2020) and brand loyalty (Schlesinger et al, 2014;Kaushal & Ali, 2019;Rodríguez et al, 2019;Rasoolimanesh et. al., 2021).…”

“…Lomer, Papatsiba, and Naidoo (2018) argue that by connecting particular images of the nation with those of future international students and the higher education sector, together with the combination of brand promises, the perceived quality of the national university brand in the United Kingdom can be improved. Finally, Perera, Nayak, and Van Nguyen (2020) indicate that, among other factors, perceived brand credibility has a significant effect on the value of the university brand by Vietnamese students and they provide strategies to improve the higher education sector, taking into account the perceived quality of the brand.…”

Factores que influyen en la intención de compra física y en línea de adultos mayores en supermercados

“…Algunos trabajos empíricos han estudiado el efecto del e-WOM sobre la credibilidad de marca. Por ejemplo, en su estudio sobre marketing educativo realizado con estudiantes universitarios en Vietnam, Perera et al (2020) encontraron que el e-WOM aumenta la credibilidad percibida de la marca. Por ello, es posible suponer que: H4.…”

Efecto del boca-oreja electrónico en la intención de compra

“…Por su parte, Liu et al (2019) encontraron que el BOE afecta positivamente la imagen de marca antes y después de la compra de un producto. Por lo que la teoría sostiene que, a través del BOE, se puede formar una imagen de marca positiva ya que este efecto se encuentra en distintos productos y contextos, como celulares (Cheung et al, 2020), destinos turísticos (Kakirala y Singh, 2020;Quoquab et al, 2020) y también en influencia de la imagen de la institución para la elección de escuelas (Perera et al, 2020). Debido a lo anterior, se propone la siguiente hipótesis:…”