Antecedents and consequences of university brand identification; Examining the Role of Cultural Orientation (Collectivism / Individualism)

The purpose of the present research is to investigate how students connect with the university and identification them with the university and provide student supportive behaviors. Therefore, the present study examines the Antecedents university brand identification, including brand personality, brand prestige and brand knowledge. In addition, the effect of student identification on their supportive behaviors, including university affiliation, suggestions for improvement, Advocacy Intentions and participation in future activities has been studied. Also, as brand identification can be influenced by the cultural context of the personality, the role of cultural orientation (collectivism / individualism) as a moderating variable has been investigated, which has so far not been considered in previous studies. The present research is Practical-survey and in a statistical sample of 390 students of state universities in the city of Tehran, a questionnaire has been tested and the data have been analyzed by structural equation modeling method. The findings showed that the personality and prestige of the university brand play a key role in identifying students with the university. In collectivist societies, the role of brand prestige is much stronger than other variables in the formation of student identification. In addition, according to findings, students who identify with a university tend to be more willing to provide supportive behaviors and responses.