An exploration of brand equity antedants concerning brand loyalty: A cognitive, affective, and conative perspective

The purpose of this study was to identify and assess the antecedents of brand loyalty from theperspective of Oliver’s (1997) cognitive, affective, and conative theorization of consumer loyalty.A convenience sample of 285 students across multiple majors of study completed a surveyquestionnaire. The questionnaire included brand equity, brand satisfaction, and brand loyaltyitems. Each item was measured based upon a seven-point Likert scale. Two jean brands, onepremium jean brand and one nonpremium jean brand, were utilized to assess the items. StructuralEquation Modeling (SEM) was employed to test proposed research hypotheses. Based uponOliver’s theorization of consumer loyalty, a positive relationship was confirmed between brandemotional value and brand satisfaction, brand emotional value and brand loyalty, and brandsatisfaction and brand loyalty for both jean brand groups. This study indicated a lack of associationbetween brand awareness and brand emotional value. This notion suggests that even if a retailercarries a brand with high awareness, that brand will not necessarily invoke an emotional value inthe consumer. Therefore, retailers should consider stocking more than just well-known brands,and make sure that the brands they carry meet the functional and non-functional needs of theirconsumers.