Explaining the unsuccessful relationships between brand awareness and behavioral intention: a serial mediation study

Purpose This paper aims to explain the unsuccessful relationship between the awareness of prominent international education brands and enrollment intention. Design/methodology/approach A serial mediation model encompassing perceived congruity and brand attitude was developed and tested using the PLS-SEM technique, involving 132 respondents. Findings The results revealed that the awareness of international education brands, subsequently perceived as internally congruent with the prospective students’ self-image in terms of resource sufficiency, will yield enrollment intention by forming the desired brand attitude. Research limitations/implications This paper includes generalizability as its limitation, with suggestions to undertake the broader scope of studies. Future research could examine other variables to enhance the model. Practical implications This paper presents theoretical and managerial implications for higher education branding and marketing. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study could be the first to discuss the international university landscape in Indonesia. In addition, the proposed model could be a plausible framework for explaining the intention to accept not only international education brands but also other brands of goods and services, thereby benefiting both educational and consumer research.