From brand awareness with brand association to brand advocacy in the food and beverage sector: the mediation role of brand equity

Purpose Empirical analysis strongly supported all hypothesized relationships. BAW was confirmed as the core cognitive building block, significantly influencing BAS and PQ. It also shows a direct salience-driven effect on BE. BE acts as a key mediator, positively affecting BADV and translating accumulated brand value into proactive consumer behavior. Design/methodology/approach Using a quantitative approach, which combines a preliminary expert review for questionnaire contextualization with PLS-SEM, this study is based on cross-sectional survey responses from 422 consumers in Vietnam's food and beverage industry. Findings Empirical analysis strongly supported all hypothesized relationships. BAW emerged as the primary cognitive driver, significantly affecting BAS and PQ while directly influencing BE through salience. Notably, BE serves as a key mediator, converting accumulated brand value into proactive consumer behavior and reinforcing BADV. Practical implications Managers must follow the established sequence: initial resource allocation should establish salient BAW, then invest in improving BAS and providing reliable PQ to foster BE. BE should be monitored as a key management KPI because building equity is vital for securing the advocacy dividend needed for sustained growth in review-based markets. Originality/value This study offers context-specific empirical validation of a hierarchical CBBE structure in Vietnam's F&B sector and clarifies how direct and mediated awareness effects coexist to influence advocacy within a platform-mediated market.