THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTERNAL BRAND MANAGEMENT, CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT AND CONSUMER PURCHASE INTENTION: MEDIATED ROLE OF BRAND PRIDE

Abstract

As markets become more globalized, internal brand management (IBM) has become a strategic necessity for businesses that want to have their employees on the same page and get their consumers more involved. This research investigates the influence of IBM on consumer engagement with brands (CEB) and consumer purchase intention (CPI), emphasizing the mediating function of brand pride (BP). Utilizing data gathered via a time-lagged survey design from 386 employees and 386 consumers in three Pakistani cities—Peshawar, Mardan, and Islamabad—this study conceptualizes IBM through three dimensions: brand communication, brand identity, and brand leadership. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is utilized to evaluate the proposed correlations. The results show that IBM has a big effect on both staff brand pride, consumer engagement and consumer purchase intention. Brand pride is an important mediator between IBM-CPI and IBM-CEB relationship. The research enhances branding literature by incorporating affective employee-based characteristics into consumer outcome models, therefore underscoring IBM's strategic significance in enhancing external brand performance through internal alignment. The implications for global brand management methods are examined, especially within culturally varied and emerging market environments.