Sustainability countenance in brand equity: a critical review and future research directions

Brand equity, a strategic marketing asset, can elicit a welcoming, unique relationship that characterizes the bond between products and customers. An essential aspect of brand equity is sustainability, which has emerged as a paramount issue in environmental concerns that firms cannot overlook. Numerous researchers have presented their empirical findings on brand equity, but, with few exceptions, little knowledge has been published on its conceptualization and measurement. Accordingly, this research provides an in-depth analysis that brings associations to scattered brand equity literature, which merely discusses sustainability/greening as an essential aspect. In doing so, we submit that the sustainability dimension in brand equity can be helpful in two respects: (1) firms can use this concept to mitigate consumer cynicism about green attributes and brand functionality; and (2) it bridges the significant flaws in the current conceptualization of brand equity, which can serve as an inspiration for theoretical soundness and its betterment as a measuring tool. We also put forth that the concept of brand equity should include a sustainability paradigm other than marketing assets and stakeholder value.