Exploring visitor brand citizenship behavior: The case of the 'MICE city Busan', South Korea

This study examines the relationships between brand evidence, brand hearsay, brand distinctiveness, and brand citizenship behavior. The study identifies the crucial factors of brand evidence and brand hearsay they induce customer brand distinctiveness perception. It also investigates whether brand distinctiveness influences brand citizenship behavior. A self-administered survey was conducted with visitors (n=226) to the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) in South Korea. The results demonstrate that five components of brand evidence and two components of brand hearsay have significant influence on brand distinctiveness, while one component of brand hearsay, namely publicity, has no significant influence on brand distinctiveness. In addition, brand distinctiveness has a substantial influence on brand citizenship behavior. The results of this study contribute insights into the effect of each component of brand evidence and brand hearsay on brand citizenship behavior mediated by brand distinctiveness.