CITRA MEREK MELEKAT, SISWA BERTAHAN: STRATEGI BRANDING PADA LEMBAGA BAHASA LIA

Language course institutions face increasing competition in the era of technological advancement. The demand is clear to attract prospective students, let alone retain those who have joined. This study aims to analyze the effect of digitalization service quality, promotion and price on student retention mediated by the brand image of LIA Language Institute in Jabodetabek area. A total of 199 respondents were determined and collected through stratified random sampling techniques from a total of 460 students. Using the SEM-PLS analysis technique on SmartPLS 4, it was found that digital service quality and promotion are able to improve brand image but cannot be variables that play a role in maintaining student retention directly. This is where the role of brand image emerges as a variable that has a direct effect or as a mediator for students' preference to stay in this course institution until the end of the program. In addition, the price variable, which is expected to strongly influence student retention, shows contradictory findings.