The Mediating Roles of Brand Trust, Customer Satisfaction and Brand Loyalty in the Effect of Brand Awareness on Positive Word-of-Mouth Communication

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to determine the mediating roles of brand trust, customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty in the effect of brand awareness on positive word-of-mouth communication. Design/Methodology/Approach – The population of the research consists of the individuals who reside in Ankara, are 18 years old and over, and have purchased Nike-brand products at least twice. In the research, cluster sampling method was used as sampling method and survey was utilized as data collection tool. The survey was conducted face to face and 400 surveys were obtained at the end of the data collection process. The hypotheses of the research were tested through the structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed using the SPSS 26 program and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and SEM analysis were performed using the AMOS 26 program. Findings – According to the results obtained from the research, brand awareness, customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty directly and positively affect positive word-of-mouth communication. In addition, in the effect of brand awareness on positive word-of-mouth communication, both customer satisfaction and brand loyalty play a partial mediating role. Discussion – In order to increase positive word-of-mouth communication, businesses need to increase brand awareness, customer satisfaction, and brand loyalty. On the other hand, in order to fully use the effect of brand awareness on positive word-of-mouth communication, businesses should take care to ensure that - besides brand awareness –customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, too, are at high level.