The Mediating Role of Brand Equity in the Effect of Brand Relevance on Perceived Financial Performance: A Comparison of Private and Public Banks in Türkiye

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of brand relevance (BR) on perceived financial performance (PFP) and whether there is a mediating role of brand equity (BE) in this effect. The study also aims to compare private and public banks in terms of this effect and the mediating role of BE. The data collected from 201 public and 201 private bank customers through an adapted questionnaire was analyzed with SPSS software and Process Macro. The results reveal that for both public and private banks, BR on both PFP and BE and also BE has a significant positive effect on PFP, and BE plays a significant positive mediating role in the effect of BR on PFP. All these effects and the mediating role of BE are slightly higher for public banks than for private banks. The originality of this study is that it proposes a conceptual model from the consumer perspective that demonstrates the relationships between BR, BE and PFP, as well as the mediation of BE in the effect of BR on PFP and empirically tests this model for private and public banks