AN INVESTIGATION OF THE BRANDCONSUMER RELATIONSHIP MODEL BASED ON DIGITAL MARKETING IN THE HOTEL INDUSTRY

Hotels have increasingly tended to develop their relationship with consumers, and the brand-consumer relationship has been received a great deal of attention in tourism and hotel researches. This study investigates the model of the brand-consumer relationship based on digital marketing in the hotel industry. Data was collected by an interview of 311 consumers. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationship between variables. The results indicated that the effect of brand love on brand satisfaction and brand trust was significant, and the positive impact of brand satisfaction and brand trust on brand equity was also confirmed. Moreover, brand equity positively affected brand trust, and the positive impact of brand satisfaction and brand trust on brand loyalty with the mediating role of brand equity was approved. Further, the results indicated that word-of-mouth advertising positively moderated the impact of brand satisfaction and brand trust on brand loyalty. This study helps to develop different literature and hospitality (hoteling) approaches and delineate future directions for researchers. Finally, this study leads to some implications on the brandconsumer relationship in the hotel industry and digital marketing optimization.