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FCC is vital for business performance and customer engagement (Bai and Yan, 2020) as well as customer behaviour
(Kumar et al., 2016).

2.2 BRAND EQUITY (CBBE)

A brand is a name, condition, design, symbol, or anything else that can be used to identify a product or service and
to distinguish one seller from another (Ilias et al., 2020). According to Sammut-Bonnici (2015), a brand may be described as
a collection of physical and intangible characteristics used to generate awareness and identification for a product, service,
person, location, or organization to establish its reputation. Brands pervade almost every area of human lives: economic, social,
cultural, athletic, and even religious (Maurya & Mishra, 2012). The characteristics of a brand include the price, the product's
quality, the brand's image, and its packaging (Khangn, 2012). One of the main objectives of brand management is to increase
customer awareness and recognition of a company's brand (Kenton, 2018). There are a few reasons why the brand is helpful
for businesses such as providing customers a more substantial and lasting impression (Touzé, 2021) and having a sense of
familiarity with the product or services (Lin, 2013).

Brand equity is a concept of belief that transcends basic familiarity to a level of superiority, and it is not always
connected to behaviour (Berthon et al., 2012). Brand equity (service) is the accumulation of consumer values (Seturi, 2017).
Aaker et al. (1992) offered one of the most thorough conceptualizations of consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) available,
consisting of four assets: brand awareness, brand association, brand loyalty, and perceived value. Schivinski and Dabrowski
(2015) conceptualized CBBE as a multidimensional construct comprising three reflective first-order variables: brand
awareness/associations, perceived quality, and brand loyalty. Brand equity is created through brand image and brand awareness
(Jara & Cliquet, 2012). Brand equity measures a brand's market value, and hence a brand with a high equity score has a high
market value (Mahmood & Bashir, 2020).

Brand equity is a critical notion in business practice and academic study because it enables marketers to obtain
competitive advantages via solid brands (Anselmsson et al., 2017). Brands have more significant brand equity to the degree
of well-known, increased brand loyalty, brand awareness, and perceived quality (Emari et al., 2012). Numerous studies have
been conducted on brand equity (Jara & Cliquet, 2012; Mahmood & Bashir, 2020; Shahid et al., 2017). For example, according
to Alam et al. (2019) found that firm-generated and user-generated content positively affect brand equity and purchase
intentions. Bruhn et al. (2012) found that brand communication enhances brand equity by raising the likelihood that a brand
would be included in a customer's consideration set, thus reducing the process of brand selection, and establishing a habit.

2.3 BRAND AWARENESS

Brand awareness is defined as how people become acquainted with a brand name and can recall and recognize it
(Djakeli, 2012; Lin, 2013; Gursoy et al., 2014). According to Chaney et al. (2018), brand awareness refers to customers' ability
to identify brands under various conditions, as reflected in brand reconstruction and recall performance. Brand awareness
represents the extent to which a brand is recognized, accepted, and remembered by consumers in any situation (Perreault et
al., 2013). Brand awareness has several levels, and it is beginning with not recognizing the brand and progressing to brand
recognition and the top-of-mind recalling stage (Ilias et al., 2020). A poster, a film, ads, banners, or social media may all be
used to increase awareness of a brand (Tritama & Tarigan, 2016). In fact, several factors, including brand exposure, customer
engagement, and e-WOM, are considered when evaluating the effects of social media on brand awareness (Shojaee & Azman,
2013).

Brand awareness is required for communication processes to take place (Djakeli, 2012). Consumer decision-making,
market performance, marketing mix, and brand equity are influenced by brand awareness (Zhang, 2020). Strong brand
awareness will provide a company with a competitive advantage in the market and enhance its overall reputation and credibility
(Latif & Mdnoor, 2014). Moreover, brand awareness is critical because people often buy a known brand which they are
comfortable with it (Panchal et al., 2012). Consumers also are more likely to choose a well-known brand over an unknown
brand when comparing the two (Huang & Sarigöllü, 2012). Consumers employ brand awareness as a decision heuristic, which
enhances the management of customer-based brand equity (Buil et al., 2013; Huang & Sarigöllü, 2012). As such, brand
awareness and recall are critical when consumers make purchasing decisions (Thoma & Williams, 2013).

2.4 PERCEIVED QUALITY

Perceived quality is challenging to comprehend and quantify since it comes from the abstract concept of value, with
many interpretations (Yu et al., 2017). Perceived quality is a relative and subjective notion (Gallarza et al., 2011). Customer
perceptions of quality may vary according to the individual's circumstances, consumption scenario, and

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