Economic Geography Research

Economic Geography Research

The role of brand knowledge and identity in creating customer-centered brand equity through the mediation of employee brand equity in the Iraq hotel industry

Document Type : Articles extracted from Thesis

Authors
1 PhD student in Business Administration-Marketing, Department of Business Administration, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran.
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Business Administration, Kermanshah Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kermanshah, Iran
10.30470/jegr.2026.2075623.1343
Abstract
Employee-based brand equity is a concept that focuses on the role and impact of employees in strengthening and developing the brand. This concept indicates the level of commitment, recognition, and interaction of employees with the brand, which can directly affect the overall performance of the organization. On the other hand, brand identity and knowledge create a set of expectations in the minds of consumers and employees of the organization.The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of brand knowledge and brand identity in customer-based brand equity by considering the mediating role of employee-based brand equity in the Iraqi hotel industry. The importance of this study is that in the competitive hotel industry, brand equity is considered a key factor in the success of the organization not only from the perspective of customers but also from the perspective of employees. The present study is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey in terms of method. To collect data for this study, a questionnaire with 30 items was distributed among 350 respondents from hotels in Iraq. Respondents were selected based on purposive sampling. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS software was used to analyze the data. The results show that brand knowledge and brand identity have a positive and significant effect on employee-based brand equity, and this variable, in turn, plays a significant mediating role in the effect of these factors on customer-based brand equity. The findings indicate that strengthening brand knowledge and identity among employees can lead to improved customer perception of the brand and increased loyalty. Based on the results, it is suggested that hotel managers should enhance brand equity at both the employee and customer levels through training, effective intra-organizational communications, and internal branding programs.
Keywords


Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 02 June 2026

  • Receive Date 01 November 2025
  • Revise Date 02 December 2025
  • Accept Date 02 June 2026