Impact of Brand Engagement on Behavioral Loyalty, Brand Equity and WOM Through Attitudinal Loyalty

This study examines the relationship of brand engagement (BE) with attitudinal loyalty (ATL), behavioral loyalty (BHL), overall brand equity (OBE), and word-of-mouth (WOM) in the context of restaurant diners. This integrative relationship has been identified with the framework of the theory of planned behavior. Data was collected from 302 Indian customers of casual dining restaurants. Proposed theoretical relationships were tested with confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The findings suggest that BE directly results in ATL (t=3.31, p<0.001), BHL (t=3.33, p<0.001), and OBE (t=3.33, p<0.001) but does not directly lead to WOM (t=1.52, p=0.13). BHL does not result in WOM (t=1.82, p=0.07) and OBE (t=0.36, p=0.072), and OBE does not influence WOM (t = -0.50, p=0.62). ATL directly affects BHL (t=6.01, p<0.001), OBE (t=4.93, p<0.001) and WOM (t=5.08, p<0.001) but plays a stronger role as a mediator for relationships between BE and BHL (95% CI: 0.069-0.361), BE and OBE (CI: 0.056-0.316), and BE and WOM (95% CI: 0.065-0.487). Thus, this study's overall result indicates the role of brand engagement in building ATL, which leads to BHL, WOM, and OBE in the context of diner restaurants.