This study aims to investigate how brand image influences brand loyalty in Vietnam’s B2B logistics sector, focusing on the mediating roles of emotional constructs – brand love and brand engagement.
This research uses a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews with logistics stakeholders in Vietnam. Structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was applied to test hypothesized relationships based on signaling theory and Service-Dominant Logic (S-D Logic).
Brand image significantly drives brand loyalty directly and indirectly via brand love. While brand love fosters engagement, brand engagement alone does not predict loyalty. Emotional constructs enhance relational outcomes, highlighting the dual emotional-functional pathway in B2B branding.
The study uses a cross-sectional design and is limited to a single industry and region. Future research should explore longitudinal effects, including diverse decision-makers, and expand across sectors and geographies.
B2B firms should combine emotional and functional branding strategies, leveraging customer relationship management, blockchain and co-creation tools to strengthen brand relationships and trust in high-risk industrial environments.
This study extends emotional branding theory into B2B settings by empirically validating brand love and engagement as key relational constructs. It proposes a dual-path model that integrates signaling theory and S-D Logic in an emerging market context.
