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Given its importance in the brand management of service firms, the present research initiative primarily concerns the investigation of the formation process of consumer-brand relationships in the service industry. By considering a chain of effects’ model, this paper aims to integrate two brand commitment paradigm’s perspectives with service evaluation theory, representing the attitudinal and behavioral aspects of the relationship building process, to better explain the way consumers relate to a service brand. The proposed conceptual model is tested in the context of mobile broadband internet services.

A survey of 573 customers of mobile internet services was conducted using a structured questionnaire with established scales. Data were analyzed with partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The results indicated that brand loyalty is determined by relationship commitment, which, in turn, is influenced by the consumer-brand relationship components – trust, satisfaction, investment size and quality of alternatives – as well as by the service brand’s perceived value. Finally, the relationship quality components of the brand, trust and satisfaction to a large extent, and investment size to a lesser extent, mediate the relationships between service brand evaluation and brand commitment.

The sample is industry-specific, and this may affect generalizability of findings. Also, the cross-sectional design adopted does not reflect temporal changes.

From a practical point of view, the findings suggest that providers can improve their loyalty figures through the establishment of strong consumer-brand relationships as a result of the development and delivery of high quality, valuable services and other relationship-building tactics that support the consumer-brand binding.

Although there are previous studies that extend either the relationship investment model or the commitment-trust theory with the service evaluation theory, the proposed model is the first to combine the previous three research streams into one causal chain model, to explain the development and flow of events in the consumer-brand relationship process toward brand loyalty.

This study aims to examine the relationship between brand personality and customer-based brand equity (CBBE) by investigating the mediating role of consumer-brand relationship (CBR), which is represented through three variables, namely, brand trust, attachment and commitment.

This study adopts a cross-sectional descriptive research design. It included a mix of symbolic and utilitarian brands, namely, Pepsi and Sprite (soft drinks), Levi’s and Peter England (clothing), Pantene and Head and Shoulders (shampoos) based on their greater familiarity among Indian consumers. Primary data were gathered from 612 respondents through a self-administered online questionnaire survey approach. Structural equation modeling was performed to analyze data and validate the research model.

The present study establishes both direct, as well as the indirect linkage between brand personality and CBBE. Results also suggest a partial mediating role of the variables representing CBR while linking brand personality to CBBE.

The present study makes two contributions. First, it advances existing literature on brand personality and brand equity by establishing the mediating role of the CBR while linking brand personality to CBBE. Second, it establishes the importance of both the trust and attachment-based commitment mediator model of CBR influencing CBBE, which has not been addressed by prior studies.

In emerging devices (smartphones, tablets, and notebooks) markets, increasing brand loyalty is critical for suppliers. Generation Y (Gen Y) is the first global target group and the best customer segment for emerging devices. The purpose of this paper is to propose a conceptual framework that assesses the brand value of emerging devices as perceived by Gen Y-ers, identify the components that contribute to its formulation, and investigate its relative influence on the development of brand relationships, represented by satisfaction and brand trust, and on brand loyalty.

A mall-intercept survey of a sample of 1,109 Gen Y consumers was implemented using a structured questionnaire with established scales. Data were analyzed with PLS-PM, a SEM methodology.

Results show that brand satisfaction and reliability are the main drivers of Gen Y-ers’ brand loyalty followed by brand intentions, while both trust dimensions (reliability and intentions) and satisfaction partially mediate the relationship between brand value and brand loyalty. Brand value is also directly related to brand loyalty irrespective of consumer-brand relationship quality. Also, functional value-quality and emotional value are shown to be the most important components for brand value formulation followed by functional value-price and brand reputation (BRP) whereas symbolic value is the least important.

The sample is country specific and this may affect generalizability of findings. Also, the cross-sectional design adopted does not reflect temporal changes.

Emerging devices should provide customers both functional (e.g. advanced features, attractive style, quality, durability) and emotional (entertainment, communication) benefits in order to increase brand loyalty. Furthermore, firms should manage their BRP since it can affect significantly brand value, customer-brand relationship quality, and brand loyalty.

The model developed provides a useful guideline for marketers in identifying the most important brand benefits for Gen Y-ers for developing relationships and stay loyal to a brand.

In recent years, the notion of consumer‐brand relationships has drawn increasing attention from both researchers and practitioners in the field of service brand marketing. However, different paradigms conceptualize and measure this notion from diversified perspectives. The current study, integrating and modifying the main concepts of different consumer‐brand relationships paradigms, proposes to test an integrative‐model.

The paper conducts an exploratory investigation and a cross‐regional survey, alongside the statistical technique of structural equation modeling, confirms the appropriateness of the entire model structure as well as the causal path pattern explicated by the proposed Strategic Management of Service Brand Relationships model.

According to the Strategic Management of Service Brand Relationships model, service brand commitment and service brand love partially mediate the effects of eight relationship components on service brand loyalty. Moreover, amid the eight relationship components, there are three components (satisfaction of affective attributes, trust, and self‐concept connection) also exercising a direct positive influence on service brand loyalty.

The Strategic Management of Service Brand Relationships model delineates the antecedents and consequence of positive service brand relationships. Specific indicators of the latent constructs as well as the causal pathways among these constructs provide strategic principles for fostering strong and durable brand loyalty through consumer‐brand relationships in the context of service brand marketing.

The purpose of this paper is to better understand the voice of the internal stakeholder in a way that emphasizes the internal stakeholder as an active force and decision maker in brand co-creation, as part of the new emerging paradigm of internal branding. The main aim is to understand the active role of volunteers in internal branding that is in the co-creation of value. A subsidiary aim is to understand why some volunteers engage deeply and seriously in a nonprofit organization while other volunteers seem less connected?

A conceptual framework incorporates several motivators to volunteer-led co-creation. A quantitative, co-variance-based structural equation modelling approach is used on survey data of a sample of 357 volunteers from 14 organizations in the Australian nonprofit sector.

The research findings contribute to the newly emerging internal branding literature focusing on the active co-creation role of internal stakeholders. The main drivers of volunteer co-creation are volunteer engagement, commitment, altruism, values-congruency and brand reputation. Different explanatory mechanisms/motivators apply to each type of volunteer-led co-creation. In a major initiative, the paper demonstrates linkages across the different types of co-creation, with a foundation/pivotal role for one particular type of co-creation, namely, enhanced client-based solutions.

The research is restricted to the public sector and further research is needed to test applicability to the private sector. Future studies could continue the initiative in the current study to explore the linkages across co-creation types.

Implications depend on which type of co-creation is targeted. Enhancing client-based solutions co-creation requires a very strong role for engaged volunteers. Innovation co-creation requires both engaged volunteers and a propensity to co-create by enhancing client-based solutions. Brand advocacy co-creation is driven by volunteer commitment, altruism and a propensity to co-create innovation.

A non-profit context ensures major social implications.

The study operationalizes the Saleem and Iglesias (2016) new internal branding paradigm framework by demonstrating that brands are built organically by interacting and engaging with internal stakeholders (volunteers in this instance), which, in turn, inter alia, motivates co-creation by such internal stakeholders.

This paper reports the results of a three-year-long research on business relationships, relying on qualitative data gathered through multiple-case study research of four focal companies operating in Australia. The industry settings are as follows: steel construction, vegetable oils trading, aluminum and steel can manufacture, and imaging solutions. The research analyzes two main aspects of relationships: structure and process. This paper deals with structure describing it by the most desired features of intercompany relationships for each focal company. The primary research data have been coded drawing on extant research into business relationships. The main outcome of this part of the research is a five construct model composed by trust, commitment, bonds, distance, and information sharing that accounts for all informants’ utterances about relationship structure.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a fundamentally new extension of the marketing paradigm. This is theoretically and practically necessary since in the authors' view there is an insufficient balance between customer and brand thinking.

While the marketing paradigm is focused on customers, marketing strategy focuses on both the demand and supply side of the market. The authors suggest bringing the paradigm and strategy more in line by adding the brand identity into a new, more balanced, marketing paradigm, called identity based marketing.

The brand identity can be considered the representative of the resource based view since identity will be based on competences and capabilities. Although branding is widely accepted as a marketing issue it has until now not been dealt with within the scope of the marketing paradigm.

Adding branding to the highest level in the marketing theory hierarchy (marketing as concept/paradigm, strategy, and tactics), has important implications for marketing practice and leads to a research agenda with more emphasis on the relation between (changes in) brand identity and customer perceptions and needs.

The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a model of brand love that includes both its antecedents and its consequences. The model is rooted in a causal approach and features established consumer‐brand relationship constructs (brand identification, brand trust and brand commitment).

The conceptual model and associated hypotheses are tested with a sample of 1,505 consumers. Data were analysed through partial least squares structural equation modelling.

The results demonstrate strong relationships between the two antecedents (trust and identification) and brand love, and between brand love and its consequences (brand commitment, positive word of mouth, and propensity to pay a higher price for the brand).

Through the causal approach and proposed nomological model, the authors discriminate brand love from three important relational constructs (i.e. brand trust, brand identification and brand commitment) and establish the relationships among the constructs. Following recommendations in prior research, the predictive ability of the different relational constructs (trust, identification, commitment and love) are compared and the relevance of brand love for understanding consumer‐brand relationships is demonstrated.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the key determinants of brand commitment in sports products based on the investment model and seeks to predict consumers’ repurchase intention.

Data from a survey questionnaire (n = 247) were analysed primarily using structural equation modelling techniques.

The results support the investment model’s hypothesis that brand commitment is weakened by the quality of alternative options but strengthened by consumers’ satisfaction with and investment in the brand. Moreover, brand commitment had a positive influence on consumers’ repurchase intention.

Using the investment model of commitment processes, the study provides useful information on consumer-brand relationships and repurchase intention.