The intensification of competition, the proliferation of brand choices, and the increasing symbolic saturation of consumer markets have elevated the strategic importance of understanding how durable consumer–brand relationships are formed, sustained, and transformed over time (Aaker 2009). Within this context, brand attachment, brand trust, and brand loyalty have emerged as interrelated yet theoretically distinct constructs that together shape the long-term value of brands from a consumer-based perspective (Belaid and Behi 2011; Atulkar 2020). Despite the extensive literature addressing these concepts individually, there remains a fragmented understanding of how they interact dynamically across utilitarian and symbolic consumption contexts, particularly in environments characterized by low involvement, service-dominant logics, and digitally mediated brand encounters (Dhikari 2019; Algharabat et al. 2020). This study develops an integrative theoretical and interpretive framework that synthesizes classical brand equity theory with contemporary relational and affective branding perspectives to examine how brand attachment and brand trust jointly contribute to the formation and stabilization of brand loyalty.

Grounded exclusively in established scholarly literature, this research adopts a qualitative-descriptive methodological orientation, emphasizing analytical reasoning, conceptual triangulation, and interpretive synthesis rather than statistical modeling (Baron and Kenny 1986; Aldás-Manzano 2013). The methodological approach is designed to bridge structural brand equity models with relational paradigms that foreground emotions, narratives, and symbolic meaning-making (Aaker and Aaker 2016; Bagozzi et al. 2017). By systematically analyzing patterns reported across prior empirical studies in retailing, hospitality, services, and consumer goods, the study identifies recurring relational mechanisms through which brand experiences and perceived quality evolve into trust-based attachments and, subsequently, behavioral and attitudinal loyalty (Caruana 2002; Hemsley-Brown and Alnawas 2016).

The findings suggest that brand attachment operates as a pivotal mediating construct that translates functional performance and symbolic resonance into emotionally grounded loyalty, while brand trust functions as a stabilizing force that mitigates perceived risk and reinforces relational continuity over time (Frasquet et al. 2017; Ahmadian et al. 2023). Furthermore, the analysis reveals that contextual factors such as service intensity, experiential richness, and brand authenticity significantly moderate these relationships, underscoring the need for context-sensitive branding strategies (Assiouras et al. 2015; Bahri-Ammari et al. 2016). The study contributes theoretically by offering a holistic relational branding model that integrates cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions, and managerially by articulating nuanced implications for building resilient brand relationships in contemporary markets characterized by volatility and consumer skepticism (Berthon et al. 2009; Green et al. 2015).

Brand attachment, Brand trust, Brand loyalty, Consumer–brand relationships, Consumer-based brand equity, Relational branding

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