Surveying the relationship between brand equity and brand-customer personality congruency

Assigning human`s personality features to brands is one of the main subjects that has been focused by researchers in latest decades. On the other hand، congruency of brand personality with customers` personality is a concept that could affect brand equity. So in order to explore this relationship، this research has tested a model in Shahrvand Chain Stores of Tehran. Sample of 185 customers of this store has been selected and finally with return rate of 90%، 163 usable questionnaires have been returned. Partial Least Square method using SMART PLS software V 1. 5 showed that brand-customer personality congruency has significant and positive relationship with brand trust (t=2. 214، = β0. 205) and brand identification (t= 1. 944، = β0. 179 with sig< 0. 10)، also brand identification has positive relationship on brand loyalty (t=5. 371، = β0. 467) and brand trust has positive effect on brand loyalty (t=3. 741، = β0. 346) and brand equity (t=2. 583، =β0. 267)، and finally brand loyalty has positive effect on brand equity (t=5. 039، =β0. 559). In the other hand، the results revealed that brand-customer personality congruency has no direct effect on brand loyalty. Also brand identification do not directly affects brand equity.