Brand innovativeness and brand equity: the mediating role of brand attitude and the moderating role of perceived brand ethicality
| Date | 30 July 2024 |
| Pages | 888-901 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-03-2023-4407 |
| Published date | 30 July 2024 |
| Author | Mengxi Yang,Mengyang Wang |
Brand innovativeness and brand equity: the
mediating role of brand attitude and the
moderating role of perceived brand ethicality
Mengxi Yang
International Education College, Hebei Finance University, Baoding, China, and
Mengyang Wang
School of Management, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Abstract
Purpose –This study aims to examine the relationship between brand innovativeness, brand attitude and brand equity within the service industry.
Despite the prior literature’s acknowledgement of the importance of brand innovativeness, the previous studies on its impact on brand equity have
yielded inconsistent results. This study also explores the moderating effect of perceived brand ethicality on the relationship between brand
innovativeness, brand attitude and brand equity.
Design/methodology/approach –This study collected the self-administered survey data of 402 respondents in the Chinese retail banking sector
and employed a moderated mediation analysis to examine the research hypotheses.
Findings –Brand innovativeness positively influences brand equity, and brand attitude mediates the effect. Perceived brand ethicality strengthens
the positive association between brand innovativeness and brand equity.
Originality/value –This study contributes to the extant brand literature by demonstrating how the positive impact of brand innovativeness
transcends brand evaluation to impact overall brand equity; it also reveals the mechanism through which brand innovativeness affects brand equity.
The findings advance the under-researched issue of whether consumer perceptions of a brand’s ethical conduct affect the efficacy of brand
innovativeness in brand equity.
Keywords Brand equity, Perceived brand ethicality, Brand attitude, Brand innovativeness, Consumer brand equity
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Numerous brands aim to position themselves as innovators by
pursuing advanced and distinct solutions (Fazal-e-Hasan et al.,
2019;Hetet et al., 2019;Shams et al., 2017). In 2022, the
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China invested over
RMB26.24 billion in technological innovation development
(Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, 2023a). Despite
substantial investments, some brands fail to achieve market
competitiveness (Shams et al., 2017). In many cases, a firm’s
success depends on how consumers perceive its brand as being
innovative rather than having innovative attributes (Shams et al.,
2015). Brand innovativeness refers to the extent to which
consumers perceive brands as being capable of offering effective
and novel solutions (Shams et al., 2017). While consumers are
more likely to purchase products from innovative brands (Bu et al.,
2023), some may be hesitant to interact with such brands due to
the uncertainty and complexity that innovation can bring (Hasan
et al., 2021). The prior research has failed to comprehensively
examine consumers’perceptions of innovation from the brand
perspective (Shams et al., 2015). Accordingly, the following
research gaps remain.
Firstly, while the extant research has highlighted the impact of
brand innovativeness on consumers’perceptions and evaluations,
its effect on brand equity remains uncertain (Heinberg et al., 2018;
Pina and Dias, 2021;Sierra et al., 2017). Brand equity refers to the
intrinsic value that a brand name adds to its products (Yoo and
Donthu, 2001); specifically, it comprises the assets and liabilities
associated with a brand name that enhance or diminish the value
of its offerings (Aaker, 1991). A brand that consistently
demonstrates innovation can activate consumers’favourable
associations and positive emotions, such as enthusiasm, leading to
the acquisition of loyal consumers (Boisvert and Khan, 2022;Kim
et al., 2021). However, the role of brand innovativeness in adding
value and enhancing brand equity remains to be determined.
Secondly, the research has failed to thoroughly investigate
the mechanism through which brand innovativenessinfluences
brand equity. Although some studies have explored the
The current issue and full text archiveof this journal is available on Emerald
Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
33/7 (2024) 888–901
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-03-2023-4407]
The authors sincerely thank Professor Cleopatra Veloutsou, Professor Elaine
Wallace, and the anonymous reviewers for their invaluable contributions to the
refinement of this manuscript. The research was supported by the National
Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 72002078).
Received 29 March 2023
Revised 2 August 2023
28 March 2024
9 July 2024
Accepted 10 July 2024
888
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