Page 67 - Azerbaijan State University of Economics

Tuba Bingöl, Leila Samii, Tej Dhakar: Co-Communication and Brand Reflection in Higher Education:
Perceptions of Enrollment Intention and Recommending

higher education institutions need to increase psychological engagement based on
experiences and cooperate with students who can share positive brand experiences.
It is important how customers understand brand to connect with them more efficiently
for companies. Products “social and psychological nature” connected with brands in
1955, by Gardner and Levy. In 1963, all consumers feelings and ideas based on
different sources in brand image (Herzog). For Pohlman & Mudd (1973), if product
is useful, it can relate to its prestige. According to Swartz (1983), messages given by
products are important for customers. How customers experience and feelings based
on functional and emotional utility of brand (Dobni & Zinkhan, 1990). Keller defined
brand image with four factors; judgements, feelings, performance, images based on
his brand building model (2001). Previous findings (Roy & Raj, 2015) showed that
positive brand image with clear information about high technology products had high
influence on purchase decision. According to Chen (2016), brand image affects
loyalty significantly and positively and loyalty affect recommending universities to
others significantly and positively.

Branding helps higher education (HE) institutions to build identity and image on
students and parents (Harvey, 1996). Chauhan and Pillai (2013) examined strategy of
Indian HE institutions on social media content. While 55 percent of the content posts
related to institution, most of other contents are updated for existing students. Ranking
of schools between business schools, success of faculty and Dean’s messages included
in content. Low percent of the content is related to special day wishes. Not just sending
promotional messages are important but universities need to connect with users and,
by this way ties between brand and consumers can built easily.

According to Hammick and Ju (2015) social media channels such as Facebook is used to
make stronger brand and consumer relationships. And, while customers see that
companies reaching them through socialness idea on social media, they can get better
ideas about brands and products. Socialness idea derived from social theory (Hammick
and Ju, 2015), which accepts computers as social actors (Nass & Moon, 2000). The way
that consumers perceive products through socialness of brand communication can be
helpful to build trustworthy relationships between company and customers (Hammick &
Ju, 2015). This can help to increase brand attitude positively and consumer attitudes
related to brands might be changed through feedback perceived.

Firms benefit from positive brand attitude to understand purchase behavior and brand
choice (Priester & Nayakankuppam, 2004). Consumer evaluations for the brands might

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