AN EXAMINATION OF THE MEDIATING ROLE OF BRAND LOVE AND BRAND IMAGE IN THE IMPACT OF BRAND AUTHENTICITY ON POSITIVE WORD-OF-MOUTH COMMUNICATION

Abstract

The rapid development of technology, the increase in the number of brands in global and local markets, and the creation of related products and services in global markets have intensified the competitive environment between businesses. It has become crucial for businesses to create authentic brands that are original, strong, distinguishable, and memorable for customers to attract the attention of them against numerous competitors and various alternatives. While perceiving a brand as authentic provides a competitive advantage to the brand, it also contributes to love felt by consumers for the brand, the image of the brand from the point of consumers and the recommendation of the brand to other consumers. In this context, the objective of this study is to assess the impact of brand authenticity on brand love, brand image and positive word-of-mouth communication and to investigate the mediating role of brand love and brand image in the relationship between brand authenticity and positive word-of-mouth communication. The universe of the study consists of consumers who live in Turkey, are over 18 years old and purchase white goods. 410 valid surveys were collected using convenience sampling method and online survey technique in the study. As a result of the analysis, it has been observed that brand authenticity has a meaningful impact on brand love, brand image and positive word-of-mouth communication. Moreover, it was determined that brand love and brand image has mediating role in the effect of brand authenticity on positive word-of-mouth communication.