The Role of Brand Love and Co-Creation on Word-of-Mouth Communication inBrand love and the Telecommunication Sector of Pakistan: Mediation of Brand Association and Brand Loyalty

Abstract

Branding is an important factor in developing WOM communication, especially in the telecommunication sector in Pakistan. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the association between brand co-creation, brand love, and Word-of-Mouth communication, where the role of brand loyalty and brand association was studied in mediation. The researcher has implemented a quantitative design and used the five-Likert scale questionnaires as a research instrument. A total of 296 questionnaires have been included in the study, and the variable associations were evaluated based on mediation and path analysis. The results indicate a significant association between brand love, co-creation branding, and Word-of-Mouth communication by customers, showing that brand love is a stronger antecedent in the generation of word-of-mouth communication by the customers. The mediation results were also positive, showing that brand association and brand loyalty influence the relationship of brand love, co-creation branding, and Word-of-Mouth communications. The study is novel from the standpoint that the study has introduced the mediation of brand loyalty and brand association in the brand experience and Word-of-Mouth association, thus deepening the understanding of factors affecting the word-of-mouth communication of the customers.

Keywords: Telecommunication Sector, Word-of-Mouth communication, co-creation branding, Pakistan.