Effects of financial consumer protection on brand love and brand advocacy

Abstract

Financial consumer protection has emerged as a critical global trend. This study examines how financial consumer protection affects brand advocacy in the context of retail banks in Hong Kong. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse a sample of 300 responses to an online survey. The results showed that fairness, transparency, and data privacy protection affected customer satisfaction, while governance had no significant effect on it. Customer satisfaction was positively associated with both brand love and brand advocacy. Brand love had a strong relationship with brand advocacy. Customer satisfaction also mediated the relationships between financial consumer protection, brand love, and brand advocacy. As an evolving concept in the global banking sector, financial consumer protection not only shapes consumer behaviour but also influences their trust and thus impacts branding advocacy efforts. This study fills the gap in the literature on the impact of financial consumer protection on branding by examining the influence of financial customer protection on brand love and brand advocacy. This research adds value to the branding literature by identifying new inter-construct relationships. It also contributes to the advancement of knowledge by exploring a novel construct (financial consumer protection). Understanding the role of financial consumer protection in brand love and brand advocacy can help bank practitioners to design branding strategies that support long-term profitability.