Brand equity in higher education: Challenges and possible strategies for Spanish public universities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-1546Palabras clave:
marketing, branding, valor de marca, educación superior, universidades públicas, agentes implicados, sistema de ecuaciones estructurales, EspañaResumen
Introduction: This research was conducted to examine the role of brand equity applied to public universities. For this purpose, the main contributions of the literature related to the study were analysed in order to identify the variables that determine brand equity in the higher education sector. Methodology: An empirical study was carried out using a valid sample of 1.246 responses from three stakeholders (353 lecturers, 256 service staff and 658 students) belonging to two public universities in Valencia (Spain). SPPS v.19 and EQS 6.2 were used as working tools. Results and discussion: The results show the impact of each variable of brand equity, namely: brand awareness, brand image, perceived quality and brand loyalty. Differences in perception between internal and external stakeholders are also shown. Conclusions: This research can help university managers by unravelling the key opinions of their staff and students about university brand equity, and especially about brand image, in order to develop appropriate strategies to maintain or improve it.
Descargas
Citas
Aaker, D. A. (1992). The value of brand equity. Journal of business strategy, 13(4), 27-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/eb039503
Abbas, S. A. (2019). Brand loyalty of higher education institutions. Abbas, SA (2019). Brand loyalty of Higher Education Institutions. Marketing and Management of Innovations, 1, 46-56. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21272/mmi.2019.1-04
Atilgan, E., Aksoy, Ş., & Akinci, S. (2005). Determinants of the brand equity. Marketing Intelligence and Planning, 23(3), 237-248. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/02634500510597283
Azzari, V., & Pelissari, A. (2021). Does brand awareness influences purchase intention? The mediation role of brand equity dimensions. BBR. Brazilian Business Review, 17, 669-685. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15728/bbr.2020.17.6.4
Bagozzi, R. P., & Yi, Y. (1988). On the evaluation of structural equation models. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 16(1), 74-94. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/009207038801600107
Brewer, A., & Zhao, J. (2010). The impact of a pathway college on reputation and brand awareness for its affiliated university in Sydney. International Journal of Educational Management, 24(1), 34-47. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09513541011013033
Brown, R. M., & Mazzarol, T. W. (2009). The importance of institutional image to student satisfaction and loyalty within higher education. Higher Education, 58(1), 81-95. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-008-9183-8
Bueno, V. M., Wendlandt, T. R., & Valenzuela, R. (2018). Personalidad de marca en instituciones de educación superior del noroeste de México. Clío América, 12(24), 184-197. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21676/23897848.2864
Buil, I., Martínez, E., & De Chernatony, L. (2010). Medición del valor de marca desde un enfoque formativo. Cuadernos de gestión, 10, 167-196. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5295/cdg.100204ib
Carmines, E. G., & Zeller, R.A. (1979). Reliability and validity assessment, 17. Sage publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412985642
Casanoves-Boix, J., Kuster-Boluda, I., & Vila-López, N. (2019). Perceived quality as a key to building educational brand through university lecturers. UCJC Businessand society review, 16.
Casanoves-Boix, J., Pinazo-Dallenbach, P., & Flores-Pérez, J. R. (2020). The perception of educational brand capital in the Spanish context: a proposal for measurement with internal stakeholders. Harvard Deusto Business Research, 9(1), 40-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3926/hdbr.265
Christodoulides, G., & De Chernatony, L. (2010). Consumer-based brand equity conceptualisation and measurement: A literature review. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 52(1), 43-66. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2501/S1470785310201053
Curtis, T., Abratt, R., & Minor, W. (2009). Corporate brand management in higher education: the case of ERAU. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 18(6), 404-413. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420910989721
Delgado-Ballester, E., & Munuera, J.L. (2002). Medición del capital de marca con indicadores formativos. Investigación y Marketing, 759, 16-20.
Díaz, J. A., Alonso, A. V., & Mas, M. A. (2002). Evaluación de actitudes y creencias GIS: diferencias entre alumnos y profesores. Revista de educación, 328, 355-382.
Esteban, A. A., Ballester, M. E. D., & Muñoz, J. P. (2014). ¿Quién ama a las marcas? Determinantes personales y de consumo. Revista española de Investigación de Marketing ESIC, 18(1), 2-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1138-1442(14)60002-4
Faircloth, J. B., Capella, L. M., & Alford, B. L. (2001). The effect of brand attitude and brand image on brand equity. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 9(3), 61-75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2001.11501897
Farquhar, P. H. (1989). Managing brand equity. Marketing research, 1(3).
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Journal of marketing research, 382-388. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800313
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2005). Multivariate data analysis, 7. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Hennig, T., Langer, M. F., & Hansen, U. (2001). Modeling and managing student loyalty: An approach based on the concept of relationship quality. Journal of service research, 3(4), 331-344. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/109467050134006
Hossien, E., Ali, J., & Mehdi, M. (2012). The mediatory impact of brand loyalty and brand image on brand equity. African Journal of Business Management, 6(17), 5692-5701. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5897/AJBM11.788
Huang, R., & Sarigöllü, E. (2012). How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix. Journal of business research, 65(1), 92-99. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.02.003
Karupannan, A., & Vijayakumar, M. (2012). A study on hierarchical relationship between brand equity dimensions of selected FMCG product. Sumedha Journal of Management, 1(3), 69.
Kaushal, V., & Ali, N. (2019). University reputation, brand attachment and brand personality as antecedents of student loyalty: A study in higher education context. Corporate Reputation Review, 1-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41299-019-00084-y
Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of marketing, 57(1), 1-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299305700101
Kim, W. G., & Kim, H. B. (2004). Measuring customer-based restaurant brand equity. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 45(2), 115-131. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0010880404264507
Lee, G. C., & Leh, F. (2011). Dimensions of customer-based brand equity: A study on Malaysian brands. Journal of Marketing Research and Case Studies, 1-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5171/2011.821981
Liu, C. R., Liu, H. K., & Lin, W. R. (2015). Constructing customer‐based museums brand equity model: The mediating role of brand value. International Journal of Tourism Research, 17(3), 229-238. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.1979
Lomer, S., Papatsiba, V., & Naidoo, R. (2018). Constructing a national higher education brand for the UK: Positional competition and promised capitals. Studies in Higher Education, 43(1), 134-153. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2016.1157859
McAlexander, J. H., Koenig, H. F., & Schouten, J. W. (2006). Building relationships of brand community in higher education: A strategic framework for university advancement. International Journal of Educational Advancement, 6(2), 107-118. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.ijea.2150015
Mirzaei, A., Siuki, E. H., Gray, D., & Johnson, L. W. (2016). Brand associations in the higher education sector: The difference between shared and owned associations. Journal of Brand Management, 23(4), 419-438. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2016.14
Mourad, M., Ennew, C., & Kortam, W. (2011). Brand equity in higher education. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 29(4), 403-420. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/02634501111138563
Nasib, N., Azhmy, M. F., Nabella, S. D., Rusiadi, R., & Fadli, A. (2022). Survive Amidst the Competition of Private Universities by Maximizing Brand Image and Interest in Studying. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 14(3), 3317-3328. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i3.2037
Nath Sanyal, S., & Datta, S. K. (2011). The effect of perceived quality on brand equity: an empirical study on generic drugs. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 23(5), 604-625. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13555851111183057
Noor, S. M., Manan, K. A., & Kuthoos, H. M. A. (2019). Assessing corporate brand equity of public universities. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 35(3). DOI: https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2019-3503-17
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I.H. (1994). Psychometric theory. Third Edition. McGraw- Hill.
Pappu, R., Quester, P. G., & Cooksey, R. W. (2005). Consumer-based brand equity: Improving the measurement-empirical evidence. Journal of Product and Brand Management, 14(3), 143-154. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420510601012
Perera, C. H., Nayak, R., & Van Nguyen, L. T. (2020). The impact of subjective norms, eWOM and perceived brand credibility on brand equity: application to the higher education sector. International Journal of Educational Management. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-05-2020-0264
Pinar, M., Girard, T., & Eser, Z. (2011). An exploratory study of consumer-based brand equity in Turkish banking industry. Services Marketing Quarterly, 32(4), 282-301. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15332969.2011.606760
Rachmadhani, A. P., Handayani, N. U., Wibowo, M. A., Purwaningsih, R., & Suliantoro, H. (2018). Factor identification of higher education choice to enhance brand awareness of state university. In MATEC Web of Conferences, 154 (p. 01051). EDP Sciences. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/201815401051
Retamosa-Ferreiro, M. University Branding: capital de marca universitario desde la perspectiva de sus grupos de interés (Doctoral dissertation, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha).
Rodríguez, G. C., Román, C. P., & Zúñiga, J. Á. (2019). The relationship between identification and loyalty in a public university: Are there differences between (the perceptions) professors and graduates? European Research on Management and Business Economics, 25(3), 122-128 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2019.04.005
Ruiz, A. L., Forcada, J., & Zorrilla, P., 2019. The university image: a model of overall image and stakeholder perspectives. Cuadernos de Gestión, 19(1), 63-86. https://doi.org/10.5295/cdg.160720al DOI: https://doi.org/10.5295/cdg.160720al
Shamsudin, M. F., Ishak, M. F., Yazid, M. F. M., & Ahmad, A. H. (2022). Role of Brand Awareness, Brand Image and Perceived Quality in Private Universities. Global Business & Management Research, 14.
Steiger, J. H. (1990). Structural model evaluation and modification: An interval estimation approach. Multivariate behavioral research, 25(2), 173-180. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327906mbr2502_4
Sürücü, Ö., Öztürk, Y., Okumus, F., & Bilgihan, A. (2019). Brand awareness, image, physical quality and employee behavior as building blocks of customer-based brand equity: Consequences in the hotel context. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 40, 114-124. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2019.07.002
Świtała, M., Gamrot, W., Reformat, B., & Bilińska-Reformat, K. (2018). The influence of brand awareness and brand image on brand equity–an empirical study of logistics service providers. Journal of Economics and Management, 33, 96-119. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22367/jem.2018.33.06
Taylor, S. A., Celuch, K., & Goodwin, S. (2004). The importance of brand equity to customer loyalty. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 13(4), 217-227. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/10610420410546934
Torres, J. A., Valencia, A., Bermúdez, J., Díez, L. F., Urrego, M. L., & Maussa, F. O. (2018). Characterization of entrepreneurial intention in university students as from Systemic Entrepreneurship Intention Model: A case study. Cuadernos de Gestión, 18(2), 95-114. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5295/cdg.160670jt
Vargas, G.M.G. (2014). Calidad y equidad de la educación superior pública. Aspectos por considerar en su interpretación. Revista Educación, 31(2), 11-27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15517/revedu.v31i2.1241
Washburn, J. H., & Plank, R. E. (2002). Measuring brand equity: An evaluation of a consumer-based brand equity scale. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 10(1), 46-62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2002.11501909
Yoo, B., & Donthu, N. (2001). Developing and validating a multidimensional consumer-based brand equity scale. Journal of business research, 52(1), 1-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(99)00098-3
Yuan, R., Liu, M. J., Luo, J., & Yen, D. A. (2016). Reciprocal transfer of brand identity and image associations arising from higher education brand extensions. Journal of Business Research, 69(8), 3069-3076. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.01.022
Zabalza, M. Á. (2009). Ser profesor universitario hoy. La cuestión universitaria, 5, 68-80.
Descargas
Publicado
Cómo citar
Número
Sección
Licencia
Derechos de autor 2025 Javier Casanoves-Boix, Mónica Pérez-Sánchez, José Miguel Lorente-Ayala

Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-SinDerivadas 4.0.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under Creative Commons Non Commercial, No Derivatives Attribution 4.0. International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.), that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).