Marketing communication, image and brand equity of shariah-compliant tourism in Malaysia

Abstract

Unlike contemporary brand marketing, international Muslim tourists rarely perceive that Islamic brands are being broadcasted through countless, sophisticated media channels around the globe. In terms of tourism industries of Islamic countries, so far little is the attention of studying shariah-compliant tourism brand promotion that could contribute to theories and practices. This study shows that shariah-compliant tourism brands have a potential for the further development to cater to the two billion Muslims around the world. Brand image is the most important element of cognitive knowledge which is placed in the proposed model as a unique mediating factor that has a significant role in creating brand equity. Theories suggest that positioning brands in the consumers’ mind would yield both brand image and equity which influence consumers in their decision-making processes. The main objective of the current study is to measure the effects of IMC on shariah-compliant tourism brand equity through shariah-compliant brand image and Islamic country image from the international Muslim tourists’ perspective in Malaysia. Different media channels (traditional channel-based and modern channel-based marketing communication) are effective to broadcast shariah-complaint tourism message to international Muslim tourists, which could create consumer-based shariah-compliant tourism brand equity. This study revealed that modern channel-based marketing communication significantly influenced shariah-compliant tourism brand equity through shariah-compliant tourism brand image and Islamic country image. However, conventional channel-based marketing communication did not significantly affect shariah-compliant tourism brand equity through shariah-compliant tourism brand image and Islamic country image. In addition, gender moderated the relationship between modern channel-based marketing communication and shariah-compliant tourism brand equity. Finally, a few implications have been provided for promoting shariah-compliant tourism of Malaysia with a view to building and enhancing customer-based shariah-compliant tourism brand equity. Future research directions are also discussed for the shariah-compliant tourism of the Islamic countries according to the scopes of brand equity theories.