Testing the role of service quality on the development of brand associations and brand loyalty

Abstract

Purpose The study aims to: measure brand associations in the context of a fitness club, test the influence of brand associations on the development of brand loyalty, and investigate the role of service quality on the development of brand associations. Design/methodology/approach A total of 165 members of a managed‐owned fitness club, located in North Greece, participated in the study. They completed a 25‐item questionnaire to measure brand associations, and a 25‐item questionnaire to measure service quality. Findings The exploratory factor analysis revealed eight brand association factors: popularity, management, logo, escape, vicarious achievement, nostalgia, pride and affect. In terms of the relationships among brand associations, loyalty and service quality, the regression analyses revealed that: five of the eight brand associations (escape, nostalgia, pride, logo, and affect) significantly contributed to the prediction of loyalty, the service quality dimensions predicted significant amount of variances in all the eight brand associations. Practical implications The study provides support for the value of measuring brand associations in the fitness industry. Furthermore, various suggestions related to how fitness club managers can measure brand associations and design marketing strategies in order to develop them, are discussed. Originality/value The study provides empirical verification of the links among brand associations, brand loyalty and service quality, which have been theoretically proposed, but not empirically tested in the literature.