Brand Fairness, Brand Identification, and Customer Engagement–Model Inventory

Abstract

The Brand Fairness, Brand Identification, and Customer Engagement Model (Gligor et al., 2023) is a specialized instrument developed to measure the complex relationship between perceived brand fairness, brand identification, and customer engagement, with a primary objective of investigating gender-related differences. The model operationalizes customer engagement across four distinct, measurable dimensions: customer purchases, customer referrals, customer influence, and customer knowledge. The items within this 26-item scale were adapted and refined from existing research to suit the context of the study. The instrument was validated using a sample of US undergraduate students, and the resulting psychometric assessment provided evidence of a clear factor structure, strong reliability, and robust validity.

Keywords

Brand Fairness, Brand Identification, Customer Engagement, Gender-Related Differences, Customer Influence, Customer Purchases, Psychometric Model, Marketing Communications.

Authors

Gligor, David; Bozkurt, Sıddık; Welch, Emma; Gligor, Nichole.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this measurement model is to systematically assess the specific impact of gender on the overall construct of Customer Engagement. The researchers sought to determine if and how gender influences the behavioral manifestation of engagement across the four delineated sub-constructs.

By examining gender-related differences across customer purchases, customer referrals, customer influence, and customer knowledge, the model provides a foundation for marketers and practitioners to tailor strategies based on demographic findings, ensuring equitable brand treatment and effective customer relationship management.

Construct

This comprehensive inventory measures three primary constructs that drive customer behavior and loyalty in a competitive market. These include Perceived Brand Fairness, which reflects the customer’s belief that a brand treats them justly, keeps its promises, and maintains respect and courtesy.

The second major construct is Brand Identification, which captures the psychological bond between the consumer and the brand—specifically, the extent to which the brand reflects the customer’s self-identity or desired self-image. The final construct, Customer Engagement, is a multi-faceted concept broken down into the following four behavioral sub-constructs:

• Customer Purchases (focusing on repurchase intention and product ownership contentment).

• Customer Referrals (measuring word-of-mouth promotion, often motivated by incentives).

• Customer Influence (active discussion and advocacy of the brand on media or in conversations).

• Customer Knowledge (providing feedback and suggestions for product or service improvement).

Validity

The research provided strong evidence supporting the measurement model’s Convergent Validity and Discriminant Validity, confirming the internal consistency and distinctiveness of the constructs.

For Convergent Validity, the Average Variance Extracted (AVE) for each individual construct surpassed the recommended statistical threshold of >0.5, aligning with the criteria established by Hair et al. (2013). For Discriminant Validity, the square root of each measure’s AVE was found to exceed its correlation with all other measures in the model, further supporting the empirical distinction between constructs such as Brand Identification and Perceived Brand Fairness.

Reliability

The reliability of the constructs was assessed through the evaluation of Internal Consistency. This was determined using Cronbach’s alpha, a standard measure in psychometric research.

The calculated Cronbach’s alpha values across the different constructs ranged significantly from 0.82 to 0.95. These high coefficients indicate strong internal consistency and suggest that the items within each factor reliably measure the intended underlying dimension.

Factor Analysis

The psychometric properties of the scale were rigorously evaluated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). CFA was conducted using Stata 15.1 to ensure the measures demonstrated a good fit with the hypothesized structure (excluding the gender variable).

The CFA results demonstrated a good model fit within acceptable limits, with key fit indices reported as follows: χ2 (284) = 746.123, p > χ2 = 0.000, RMSEA = 0.08, CFI = 0.92, TLI = 0.91, and SRMR = 0.06. Furthermore, Common Method Bias (CMB) was assessed using Harman’s one-factor test. The results confirmed that CMB was not a significant concern, as the first factor accounted for only 40.38% of the total variance, well below the 50% threshold recommended by Podsakoff et al. (2003).

Instrument

Test Type: Original measurement model.

Format: The 26 items are rated using a seven-point Likert-type scale, ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree).

Language Available: English.

Population Group: Human participants, including both male and female individuals.

Age Group: Adulthood (18 years & older), specifically Young Adulthood (18-29 years) and Thirties (30-39 years).

Population Details: The validation sample consisted of university students located in the United States.

Test Methodology: Comprehensive psychometric assessments, including Test Validity, Convergent Validity, Discriminant Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).

Keywords

Perceived Brand Fairness, Brand Identification, Customer Engagement, Customer Purchases, Customer Referrals, Customer Knowledge, Measurement Model, Psychometrics, CFA.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Emma Welch: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3466-5700

Affiliation Email addresses:

• Gligor, David: University of Mississippi, Department of Marketing

• Bozkurt, Sıddık: Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Department of Business Administration

• Welch, Emma: University of Mississippi, Department of Marketing, [email protected]

• Gligor, Nichole: University of North Texas, Department of Political Science

Correspondence Address: Welch, Emma: University of Mississippi, Department of Marketing, Oxford, Mississippi, United States, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: Contact Publisher

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

Gligor, D., Bozkurt, S., Welch, E., & Gligor, N. (2023). An exploration of the impact of gender on customer engagement. Journal of Marketing Communications, 29(4), 379–402. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2022.2030390

Items of the Brand Fairness, Brand Identification, and Customer Engagement–Model Inventory

This is a 26-item measure. No data is Available regarding the specific content of each item.

Factors and Subscales: The constructs measured by the instrument include:

• Perceived Brand Fairness

• Brand Identification

• Customer Engagement, which is further broken down into four sub-constructs:

  • Customer Purchases

  • Customer Referrals

  • Customer Influence

  • Customer Knowledge

Brand Fairness, Brand Identification, and Customer Engagement Model

Perceived Brand Fairness

(Scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree)

• Overall, this brand treats me fairly.

• This brand keeps its promises.

• This brand treats me with courtesy and respect.

• This brand treats all customers equally.

Brand Identification

(Scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree)

• This brand reflects who I am.

• I can identify myself with this brand.

• I feel a personal connection with this brand.

• I (can) use this brand to communicate who I am to other people.

• I think this brand (could) help/helps me become the type of person I want to be.

• I consider this brand to be ‘me’ (it reflects who I consider myself to be or the way I want to present myself to others).

• This brand suits me well.

Customer Engagement

(Scale: 1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree)

Customer Purchases

• I will continue buying the products/services of this brand in the near future.

• My purchase with this brand makes me content.

• Owning the products/services of this brand makes me happy.

Customer Referrals

• Given that I use this brand, I refer my friends and relatives to this brand because of the monetary referral incentives.

• I promote this brand because of the monetary referral benefits provided by the brand.

• In addition to the value derived from the product, the monetary referral incentives also encourage me to refer this brand to my friends and relatives.

• I enjoy referring this brand to my friends and relatives because of monetary referral incentives.

Customer Influence

• I actively discuss this brand on media.

• I love talking about my brand experience.

• I discuss the benefits that I get from this brand with others.

• I am part of this brand and mention it in my conversations.

Customer Knowledge

• I provide feedback about my experience with this brand to the firm.

• I provide suggestions for improving the performance of this brand.

• I provide suggestions/feedback about the new products/services of this brand.

• I provide feedback/suggestions for developing new products/services for this brand.