From Brand Awareness to Performance in Tanzanian Telecommunication Companies: The Mediating Role of Brand Attitude and Moderating Effect of Customer Satisfaction

Abstract

Telecommunication companies in Tanzania face intense competition, and despite substantial investments in brand visibility, many firms struggle to translate brand awareness into tangible performance outcomes. This study addresses this gap by examining how brand awareness, brand attitude, and customer satisfaction influence brand performance within the Tanzanian telecommunication sector. Guided by the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory (EDT), the study employed a positivist philosophy with a deductive approach and an explanatory research design. Data were collected from 314 employees across four major telecommunication companies in Dar es Salaam using a structured questionnaire. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was applied to test the hypothesised relationships. The findings reveal that brand awareness significantly and positively influences both brand performance and brand attitude, while brand attitude also has a positive effect on brand performance. Furthermore, brand attitude mediates the relationship between brand awareness and performance. Customer satisfaction was found to selectively moderate these relationships, strengthening the effect of brand attitude on performance but not significantly affecting the brand awareness–performance link. The study contributes theoretically by integrating RBV and EDT, demonstrating that intangible brand resources drive performance but their effectiveness depends on customer experiences. Practically, the findings underscore the need for telecommunication firms to combine awareness-building initiatives with strategies that foster favourable brand attitudes and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction.