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

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• brand authenticity
• brand love
• brand image
• positive word-of-mouth communication

MARKA ÖZGÜNLÜĞÜNÜN POZİTİF AĞIZDAN AĞIZA İLETİŞİM ÜZERİNDEKİ ETKİSİNDE MARKA AŞKI VE MARKA İMAJININ ARACILIK ROLÜNÜN İNCELENMESİ

Öz

Günümüzde teknolojinin gelişmesi, global ve yerel pazarlardaki marka sayısının artış göstermesi ve küresel pazarlarda benzer ürün ve hizmetlerin oluşması işletmeler arasındaki rekabet ortamını yoğunlaştırmıştır. İşletmelerin sayısız küresel ve yerel rakip ile çeşitli mal ve hizmet alternatifi karşısında tüketicilerin ilgisini çekebilmek için orijinal, güçlü, tüketici gözünde ayırt edilebilir ve hatırlanabilir olan özgün markalar yaratmalarını önemli hale getirmiştir. Bir markanın özgün olarak algılanması markaya rekabet avantajı sağlarken aynı zamanda tüketicilerde markaya duyulan aşkı, markanın tüketici zihnindeki imajını ve markanın diğer tüketicilere tavsiye edilmesine katkı sağlamaktadır. Bu bağlamda çalışmanın temel amaçları marka özgünlüğünün; marka aşkı, markı imajı ve pozitif ağızdan ağıza iletişim üzerindeki etkilerini araştırmak ve marka özgünlüğü ile pozitif ağızdan ağıza iletişim arasındaki ilişkide marka aşkı ve marka imajının aracılık rolünü incelemektir. Çalışmanın evrenini Türkiye’de yaşayan, 18 yaşından büyük olan ve beyaz eşya satın kullanan tüketiciler oluşturmuştur. Çalışmada kolayda örnekleme yöntemi ve çevrimiçi anket tekniği kullanılarak 410 geçerli anket toplanmıştır. Gerçekleştirilen analizler sonucunda marka özgünlüğünün; marka aşkı, marka imajı ve pozitif ağızdan ağıza iletişim üzerinde pozitif yönde etkisinin olduğu görülmüştür. Ayrıca marka özgünlüğünün pozitif ağızdan ağıza iletişim üzerindeki etkisinde marka aşkı ve marka imajının aracılık rolü olduğu sonucuna varılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• marka özgünlüğü
• marka aşkı
• marka imajı
• pozitif ağızdan ağıza iletişim

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