Influence brand awareness and brand association on brand equity: Mediation of trust and brand loyalty in Kentucky Fried Chicken in East Java, Indonesia

The aim of this study is to empirically prove how trust and loyalty mediate the effect of brand awareness and association on the brand equity of Kentucky Fried Chicken in East Java. The research sample consists of 200 customers, and data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling. The results of the study show that brand awareness and associations have an effect on trust, loyalty, and brand equity. Trust and brand loyalty are found to mediate the influence of brand awareness and associations on brand equity. These findings contribute to the development of consumer brand relationship theory, which suggests that an emotional connection between fast food brands and customers can lead to strong brand equity. In the case of KFC, brand equity is strengthened through brand awareness and association, which in turn create trust and brand loyalty. The implications of these results for KFC management in East Java are that they should focus on increasing the popularity of the KFC brand through content marketing, sponsoring various activities, and using endorsers to ensure that customers always remember KFC as a fast-food brand. KFC outlets in East Java consistently maintain the quality of their products and always maintain good relationships with customers, so that customers are willing to recommend KFC to others.