Title: The mediating role of emotional brand attachment on the effect of brand reputation on brand advocacy: the effect of gender

Authors: Bora Açan; Zübeyir Çelik; Reha Saydan

Addresses: Department of Marketing and Advertising, Yalova Vocational School, Yalova University, Yalova, Türkiye ' Department of Electronic Commerce and Management, Kütahya Faculty of Applied Sciences, Kütahya Dumlupınar University, Kütahya, Türkiye ' Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Van Yüzüncü Yıl University, Van, Türkiye

Abstract: This study aimed to determine the effect of brand reputation (BR) on brand advocacy (BA) and whether emotional brand attachment (EA) has a significant mediating role on this effect and whether gender has an effect in these relationships between these variables. Data were collected from 288 smartphone users in Türkiye through face-to-face survey. Data analyses were performed using SPSS and Process Macro. BR has an indirect, significant positive effect on BA through EA. Additionally, BR has a direct significant positive effect on both EA and BA, while EA has a direct significant positive effect on BA and brand (BRD) has a direct significant positive effect on BA. Moreover, gender was found to have an effect on these relationships. The study enriches and contributes to the limited literature on these topics by demonstrating the structural validity of the research model tested and presenting the findings.

Keywords: brand reputation; brand advocacy; emotional brand attachment; mediating role.

DOI: 10.1504/MEJM.2026.156241

Middle East Journal of Management, 2026 Vol.13 No.5, pp.503 - 524

Received: 23 Oct 2024
Accepted: 17 Feb 2025
Published online: 08 Sep 2026 *

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