The Impact of Brand Equity Drivers on Consumer-based Brand Equity in the Sport Service Setting

The importance of brand equity to a firm has been well documented by previous literature. Brands with high equity allow a firm to charge a premium price as well as garner a larger market share in relation to competitors (Simon & Sullivan, 1993). From the consumer’s perspective, previous research has failed to explain precisely how consumers perceive and become loyal to specific brands. Therefore, this study constructed and tested a consumer-based brand equity model based on Keller’s (2003a) brand equity pyramid that explains how consumer perceptions influence brand resonance. Data were collected from a general consumer sample (n = 787) in a mid-sized southeastern community in order to validate the consumer-based brand equity model. The results from an examination of the structural model confirmed a significant relationship between brand awareness and brand associations as posited by previous research. Brand associations were found to have a significant impact on a consumer’s cognitive evaluation (brand superiority) and affective response (brand affect) to a focal brand in the service realm. Further, this study highlighted the important role that emotions play in the process of building strong brand equity. Cumulatively, these findings revealed that two attitudinal constructs (brand superiority and brand affect) played a differential role in the brand association-brand resonance relationship in the services context.