Building brand resonance to enhance the performance of sustainable food and beverage small and medium enterprises

Orientation: Brand awareness (BAW) and brand association (BASS) are important aspects in driving brand resonance (BR) to improve loyalty. Research purpose: This study examines how BR fosters customer loyalty (CL) among food and beverage small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia and tests the direct and indirect (mediated) effects of BAW and BASS on loyalty. Motivation for the study: Food and beverage SMEs operate in uncertain business environments. Escalating customer demands and various disasters are major contributors to the uncertainty that affects business performance. This requires SMEs to develop competitive marketing strategies to maintain CL. Research design, approach and method: A quantitative, survey research approach was adopted using a structured self-administrative measuring instrument. A non-probability sample was used, and a sample size of 481 was obtained. SmartPLS3 was used to analyse the data. Main findings: BAW and BASS positively and significantly influence BR. BAW also has a significant positive direct effect on CL. In contrast, BASS shows a negative but statistically insignificant direct relationship with CL. BR has a significant positive effect on CL and mediates the relationships between BAW and BASS and CL. Practical/managerial implications: These findings offer valuable insights to food and beverage entrepreneurs in developing marketing strategies focused on building BR to foster deeper loyalty. Contribution/value-add: The study contributes to branding theory by empirically positioning BR as the central pathway through which cognitive brand equity dimensions (BAW and BASS) translate into loyalty. By evidencing the pivotal role of resonance in sustaining consumer–brand closeness, the research clarifies how perceived brand ‘fit’ or attunement is formed and why it matters for SME competitiveness.