مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد تجسم ارزش برند مقصد مشتری محور – الزویر 2018

This study aims to develop a more comprehensive customer-based destination brand equity model, compared to those examined in previous studies. In line with the research purpose, the data obtained from 478 domestic and foreign tourists visiting Alanya in Turkey were used. For testing the model developed in the present study, structural equation modeling was preferred. In the light of the findings, all antecedent variables positively affect their consequence variables. Furthermore, destination natural quality perceptions on destination hedonic value perceptions have been found to have a stronger influence than destination service quality perceptions. On the other hand, it has been found that destination service quality perceptions affect destination functional value perceptions more strongly than destination natural quality perceptions. Hedonic value perceptions of tourists were found to be a more determinant antecedent for trust. Also, metric and scalar invariance of destination brand awareness, destination brand trust and destination brand satisfaction scales are completely fulfilled while scalar invariances of the destination brand quality, destination brand value, and destination brand loyalty are partially fulfilled. By developing a more comprehensive CBDBE model, the present study contributes to helping destination management organizations to understand the relationships among the factors affecting the tourists’ general perceptions of a destination. The fact that the factors generally ignored in the previous studies within the scope of CBDBE were examined in the present study, and that these factors were analyzed through a single model, eliminates a significant shortcoming in this field.

Introduction

Customer perceptions of a brand drive the customer’s behaviors and have become more important for organizations from the past to present. Positive brand perceptions result in organizations gaining a stronger sustainable competitive advantage over their rivals (Pappu, Quester, & Cooksey, 2005). Sustainable competitive advantage enables organizations to sell their product and services at higher prices, have a larger market share, develop more efficient and effective communication programs, and have greater consumer loyalty. Many organizations therefore seek to formulate and maintain a strong brand image among their target audience (Aaker, 1992). Unfortunately, the assessment of whether brands are successful or not is not only challenging but also requires different kinds of methods. Branding is more complicated for an organization with diverse product offerings (Pike, 2005). For example, tourism destinations comprise a vast number of offerings, targeting different markets segments, and are sold by many suppliers. While the suppliers within a single destination compete, they join forces in forming tourism destination organizations, which compete with other destinations to bring tourists to the destination. Hence, tourism destinations are the biggest brands in the travel industry (Morgan, Pritchard, & Piggott, 2002), and the brand marketing of tourism destinations are extremely complex (Dredge & Jenkins, 2003; Gnoth, 2002). Some researchers (Im, Kim, Elliot, & Han, 2012; Morgan, Pritchard, & Pride, 2004), posit that destinations are too complicated for branding because of administrative difficulties as well as the high number of stakeholders involved. The complex characteristics of the destinations also make branding difficult (Boo, Busser, & Baloglu, 2009; Dredge & Jenkins, 2003; Gnoth, 2002), and cause the destination branding process to be more complex and complicated (Pike, 2005). Nevertheless, positive brand perceptions motivate the customers to choose the destination even though they have not experienced it before. Destinations therefore have to make significant efforts to develop efficient destination marketing strategies for their target markets (Ruzzier, Antoncic, & Ruzzier, 2014). At this point, destination branding can be utilized as an important competitive tool (Pappu et al., 2005). Destination branding not only develops the positioning of the destination but also plays a significant role in tourists’ preferences (del Chiappa & Bregoli, 2012; Harish, 2010).