Examining how brand awareness drives performance in Tanzanian telecommunication companies: mediating role of brand attitude and reputation

The focus of this study is to examine the influence of brand awareness on brand performance in Tanzanian telecommunication companies by assessing its direct effects and indirect effects through brand attitude and brand reputation. Employing stratified and systematic sampling, data were collected from 314 employees across four major telecommunication companies in Dar es Salaam. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was applied to assess the hypothesised relationships. The results demonstrate that brand awareness exerts both direct and indirect effects on brand performance, with significant mediation through brand attitude and reputation. Moreover, both brand attitude and brand reputation independently enhance brand performance, underscoring their strategic value as consumer-driven relational resources. These findings extend the Resource-Based View (RBV) by integrating demand-side perspectives, thereby offering a more comprehensive understanding of how intangible brand assets facilitates brand performance. The study contributes to marketing and strategic management literature and provides practical insights for managers in emerging markets to align branding strategies with consumer perceptions to strengthen firm performance.