Brand Communications and Customer Equity: The Mediating Role of Brand Knowledge and Word of Mouth Ads

Abstract

Brand communication and customer equity are two important concepts in the field of online stores and businesses and considered as criteria for marketing success. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of brand communication on customer equity in online stores. In this research, the role of brand knowledge and word-of-mouth advertising has been evaluated as two intermediary variables. The present research is in terms of purposeful research among the applied research, from the perspective of data collection, descriptive and survey type and in terms of research strategy, this research is correlation. The statistical population of the research is the participants (including visitors and buyers) residing in the provinces of Bushehr and Fars from internet stores. 384 questionnaires were completed and analyzed by convenience sampling method. Data analysis using SPSS and AMOS software showed that the use of brand communication increases the customer equity. Brand communication has a direct impact on word-of-mouth advertising, and brand knowledge and word-of-mouth advertising also affect customer equity. In addition, was not confirmed the indirect impact of brand communication on customer equity by the role of mediator brand knowledge and word-of-mouth advertising, and the direct impact of brand communication on brand knowledge.

Keywords

• brand communication
• brand knowledge
• word-of-mouth advertising
• customer equity