Brand equity in higher education: Challenges and possible strategies for Spanish public universities

Autores/as

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-1546

Palabras clave:

marketing, branding, valor de marca, educación superior, universidades públicas, agentes implicados, sistema de ecuaciones estructurales, España

Resumen

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.

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Biografía del autor/a

Javier Casanoves-Boix, Universitat de València

Dr Javier Casanoves-Boix is a Lecturer in Marketing at the Faculty of Economics, University of Valencia, Spain. His research interests focus on marketing and branding. He has published articles in several peer-reviewed journals (such as European Journal of Management and Business Economics, Revista de Investigación Educativa, and UCJC Business and Society Review, among others) and is the author of several books and book chapters related to his field of research in several peer-reviewed publishers (such as Thomson Reuters Aranzadi, Tirant lo Blanch, and Dykinson, among others). He has also collaborated with several companies, helping them to develop marketing and branding strategies.

Mónica Pérez-Sánchez, Universidad de Guanajuato

Mónica Pérez-Sánchez holds a Doctorate in Marketing from the University of Valencia, where she obtained the highest grade: "Outstanding Cum Laude" and "International Mention". Previously, she obtained a Masters in Tourism Marketing from the University of LaSalle Bajío and a Masters in Business Management and Administration from the University of Alicante. She also holds a specialisation in Human Resources Management from Fairfax Community College and a Bachelor's Degree in Tourism Resource Management from the University of Guanajuato. She has been a lecturer at the University of Guanajuato since 2006. She has the PRODEP profile and is a candidate for the National System of Researchers (SNI). Her research focuses on marketing, tourism, and cultural heritage.

José Miguel Lorente-Ayala, Universidad Cardenal Herrera CEU

Dr José Miguel Lorente-Ayala holds a PhD in Marketing from the University of Valencia, where he obtained the highest grade: "Outstanding Cum laude". He is a Lecturer in Marketing at CEU Cardenal Herrera University, Valencia, Spain. He has published articles in refereed journals such as Management Decision. His research focuses on non-profit marketing and the third sector.

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Publicado

2025-01-27

Cómo citar

Casanoves-Boix, J., Pérez-Sánchez, M., & Lorente-Ayala, J. M. (2025). Brand equity in higher education: Challenges and possible strategies for Spanish public universities. European Public & Social Innovation Review, 10, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-1546

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