BRAND LOYALTY OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

There was a time when branding was limited to FMCG and mass manufacturers, but recent times have seen the importance of marketing and brand management of novel sectors like education. Considering this scenario, the main aim of the paper is to investigate the impact of brand awareness and service quality of HEIs (Higher Education Institutions); on their credibility, trust and the loyalty in the long run, which can be achieved through brand promotion and provision of valued services. The purpose further extends in making a comparison of the effect of both brand awareness (BA) and service quality (SQ) on HEIs' Loyalty. Methodological tools of the research methods are comprised ofQuantitative data relying on a validated questionnaire with a sample size of 139. As the object of the research was higher education institutions (HEIs), two Government and two Private universities from Lahore (Pakistan) region were selected, which are involved in the aggressive brand promotion and known for the provision of esteemed service quality. The paper presenting the results of empirical analysis depicts that brand awareness and service quality have a significant impact on brand loyalty of educational institutes; thus, making it compulsory to stress on continuous brand management. However, in comparing both independent variables, it's the service quality that contributes more towards brand loyalty in the long run, yet both aspects work side by side and need to be focused. The results of the research can be equally useful for stakeholders encompassing higher education institutions as service providers, students/guardians as consumers or customers, accredited bodies and professional consultancy/marketing firms for informed decision making in their respective domains.As for research limitation, the data was collected from Lahore region which is known as an educational hub, so the results might show variations in less populated regions. Also, the nature of educational institutes I.e. state or private might account for different standpoints to some extent.