The effects of corporate brand attributes on attitudinal and behavioural consumer loyalty

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to investigate the influence of the corporate brand on attitudinal and behavioural consumer loyalty. This paper empirically demonstrates a significant relationship between consumer-perceived corporate brand and consumer attitudinal and behavioural loyalty. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a sample of 285 consumers of an automobile manufacturer in Australia. Cronbach alpha and Structural Equation Modelling were used to establish psychometric properties of the corporate brand constructs. Findings – This paper establishes two groups of corporate brand attributes: corporate and marketing-level. Corporate-level dimensions include corporate activities, corporate associations, organizational values, and corporate personality. Marketing-level dimensions comprise functional, emotional and symbolic brand benefits. The results reveal that corporate values, corporate brand personality and functional consumer benefits are the most critical and consistent predictors of both attitudinal and behavioural loyalty. Practical implications – Through the comprehensive measurement of the corporate brand impact on both attitudinal and behavioural loyalty, this paper offers insights for designing corporate branding strategies and generating consumer loyalty. Originality/value – This paper provides empirical validation of the relationship between consumer corporate brand perceptions and consumer loyalty and demonstrates that the influence of each particular corporate brand attribute may be different.