Role of Service Fairness in Brand Attachment and Brand Citizenship Behaviours

Abstract

Service brand management has received wide spread research attention however despite its significance little is known about what drives brand citizenship behaviors and the mechanism which leads consumers to engage in Brand citizenship behaviours. Drawing on equity theory (Adams, 1965), attachment theory (Bowlby, 1977) and brand management (Kapferer, 1994) this research contribute towards building a comprehensive understanding regarding the importance of favourable brand perceptions in building customer-brand relationships and whether such endured brand connections engender their positive brand-building behavior in banking context. Thus, the purpose of this study was to empirically asses the association between service fairness and brand citizenship behaviours through the mediating role of brand attachment. To achieve this objective data was collected using structured questionnaires from n=343 consumers within banking sector. The model was assessed using Partial least squared based Structured equation modelling using Smart PLS 3.2.7 statistical software. The results confirmed that positive service fairness experiences determine strong brand attachment among customers which in turn induced their Brand citizenship behaviors that benefit the brand. The results suggest that service fairness strategies are very important for connecting consumers with the firm’s brand in order to induce their in-role and extra-role brand building activities.