The Structural Relationship between Functional, Symbolic Brand Image, Brand Attachment, and Willingness to Pay a Price Premium at Family Restaurants

The current study attempted to develop an effective brand image measurement including functional and symbolic brand image and to identify its impact on consumers' brand attachment and their willingness to pay a price premium. Grounded in the foundation of marketing and hospitality literature, this study developed a conceptual model that explains the relationships among functional/symbolic brand image, brand attachment and consumers' willingness to pay a price premium. Based on the proposed model, five hypotheses were developed with four constructs. The results from the current study revealed a significant relationship between mostly all constructs in the model except the relationship between functional brand image and consumers' willingness to pay a price premium. The results also clearly showed the significant mediating effect of brand attachment on the relationships between functional/symbolic brand image and consumers' willingness to pay a price premium. Moreover, the findings of this study highlighted the critical importance of symbolic brand image and brand attachment in consumers' brand evaluation.