Antecedent factors that affect restaurant brand trust and brand loyalty: focusing on US and Korean consumers
Journal of Product & Brand Management
ISSN: 1061-0421
Article publication date: 22 October 2020
Issue publication date: 22 September 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to empirically analyze the effects of marketing communications, such as advertisement/promotion and social network service (SNS) content, on consumer engagement (CE), brand trust and brand loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
The study’s participants were 230 US and 376 Korean consumers who have used (i.e. contacted) a food service establishment (i.e. family restaurant) at least once before and who continue to use an SNS (e.g. Facebook and Instagram). This study conducted a hypothesis test using structural equation modeling analysis. In addition, hierarchical analysis was performed to further generalize and support the statistical analysis results.
Findings
Advertisement/promotion and SNS content have a statistically significant positive effect on CE. Advertisement/promotion has a statistically significant positive effect on brand trust, and SNS content has a statistically significant negative effect on brand trust. CE has a statistically significant positive effect on brand trust, and CE and brand trust have a statistically significant positive effect on brand loyalty. No statistically significant differences were shown between the US and Korean consumer groups (critical ratios for difference of path coefficient < ± 1.96). The hypothesis test results of the structural equation model analysis and hierarchical analysis were the same for the entire group.
Originality/value
The findings indicate that the overall mediating role of CE is important. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate which marketing communication channels are most effective in the restaurant sector.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Authors’ contributions: All authors contributed to the content of this paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Availability of data and material: There are no ethical issues.
Funding: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Citation
Kwon, J.-H., Jung, S.-H., Choi, H.-J. and Kim, J. (2021), "Antecedent factors that affect restaurant brand trust and brand loyalty: focusing on US and Korean consumers", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 30 No. 7, pp. 990-1015. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-02-2020-2763
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited