The Psychological Impact of University Brand Equity Using Firm Generated EWOM on Students’ Satisfaction: The Moderating Effect of Gender

Abstract

This study uses firm-generated "electronic word of mouth (eWOM)" and students' satisfaction to analyse the effect of university brand equity. Four aspects of brand equity—"awareness, positioning, perceived quality, and trustworthiness"—are examined by the conceptual framework. It also examines how gender influences the relationship between student satisfaction and institution brand equity. At Nile University in Cairo, Egypt, the study used an exploratory survey methodology with a sample of 295 students from its four schools of "business administration, computer science, engineering, and biotechnology". The study found that information shared on internal social media platforms, specifically Facebook Groups of the various schools, is regarded as being more reliable than information shared through conventional communication techniques.  Additionally, it demonstrated that of the four components of brand equity, "Brand Trustworthiness" was the most important and best captured the happiness of Nile University students in the content produced by the university. The findings also suggest that "Brand perceived quality" and "Brand Trustworthiness" were affected by gender. It goes without saying that brand equity via company-generated content functions as a differentiator and a potent competitive advantage in the context of universities.