From Value Co-Creation to Brand Advocacy: Examining the Mediating Roles of Customer Delight and Inspiration in Airlines

Emam, Mahmoud El Sayed; Al-Romeedy, Bassam Samir; AbdElfattah, Asmaa AbdElfattah

doi:10.21608/mfth.2025.449826

From Value Co-Creation to Brand Advocacy: Examining the Mediating Roles of Customer Delight and Inspiration in Airlines

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Tourism Studies Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, University of Sadat City.

² Tourism Studies Department – High Institute of Tourism and Hotels EGOTH

10.21608/mfth.2025.449826

Abstract

This study aims to examine the effect of customer participation in value co-creation on brand advocacy behaviors in the airline sector, and to explore whether customer delight and customer inspiration play mediating roles in the relationship between participation in value co-creation and brand advocacy. The study employed a quantitative approach using an online questionnaire distributed to airline customers; a total of 884 usable questionnaires were obtained out of 1,894 distributed, yielding a 46.7% response rate. Data analysis and hypothesis testing were conducted using SPSS v.28 and AMOS v.26. The results show that customer participation in value co-creation has a positive and direct effect on strengthening brand advocacy behaviors, as well as on customer delight and inspiration. The findings also indicate that customer delight and customer inspiration positively and directly enhance brand advocacy behaviors. Moreover, both delight and inspiration partially mediate the relationship between participation in value co-creation and brand advocacy. The study recommends that airlines implement an integrated strategy aimed at enhancing customer participation across all service touchpoints, while designing interactive experiences that address both affective and cognitive dimensions to generate inspiring moments of delight and strengthen customers’ psychological attachment to the brand. Furthermore, it highlights the strategic value of investing in digital platforms and AI-driven technologies to personalize services and convert real-time customer feedback into actionable improvements. Overall, the findings advance the literature by emphasizing the mediating roles of emotions and inspiration in linking participation with brand advocacy, thereby providing a comprehensive framework for managing customer experience in highly competitive markets.

Keywords