Abstract:
Purpose: Customers are increasingly aware of food brand names and identify
with the food brands they purchase. Interesting findings are obtained from studies
combining the brand engagement with self-concept (BESC) idea with other
marketing variables. The goal of this study is to examine how brand advocacy
and brand love among consumers relate to their preferred food brands.
Design/Methodology/Approach: To further understand the factors influencing
brand advocacy, 200 online food users in Sri Lanka were surveyed. A five-point
Likert scale, from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5) and was utilized in
this online survey. The self-administered survey was distributed online, and 200
respondents provided data using a judgmental sampling method of nonprobability in Sri Lanka, the research questionnaire was distributed from October
1 through November 31. SMART PLS 4.0 was used to understand and analyze
the gathered data. The acquired data were examined for internal consistency using
reliability analysis.
Findings: This paper offers empirical knowledge. A persona profile and an
experimental prototype are among the design study findings that are intended to
be activated for practical use. Examining the mediating influence of BESC, the
findings show that brand love has a significant and positive impact on consumers'
brand advocacy.
Originality: The study enhances the body of knowledge on self-concept theory
and offers food marketers insightful information about internet consumers.
Implications: This study aids in understanding emerging trends in Sri Lankan
online consumer behavior. Although brand love and brand advocacy have been
the subject of prior studies, BESC has a mediating influence. The current research
tries to close these knowledge gaps.
