When Coaches Become Brands
How Fitness Instructors’ Personal Brand Shapes Members’ Self-Congruity, Brand Attachment, and Purchase Intention
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24231997 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chih‐Wei Lin (0000-0002-7497-7805, Chaoyang University of Technology , Taichung , Taiwan), Chin-Cheng Yang (0000-0002-6784-9549, Chaoyang University of Technology , Taichung , Taiwan), Yu-Hui Lee (0009-0003-5361-0582, Chaoyang University of Technology , Taichung , Taiwan), I-Yu Tsai (0009-0008-9072-2176, Chaoyang University of Technology , Taichung , Taiwan), Yu-Sheng Lin (0000-0001-6831-5576, Chaoyang University of Technology , Taichung , Taiwan) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 112 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 217-231 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Physical Culture and Sport Studies and Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1899-4849 • E-ISSN: 2081-2221 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.2478/pcssr-2026-0015 |
| OpenAlex | W7221685280 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 39 |
This study examines the effects of fitness instructors’ personal brand on members’ self-congruity, brand attachment, and purchase intention in the context of fitness services. An online questionnaire survey was conducted, and data were collected from fitness club members in Taiwan using snowball sampling, resulting in 336 valid responses. The research model was examined through reliability and validity assessments, structural equation modeling, and mediation analysis. The findings indicate that fitness instructors’ personal brand has significant positive effects on both self-congruity and brand attachment. Self-congruity also positively influences brand attachment; however, its direct effect on purchase intention is not statistically significant. In contrast, brand attachment has a significant and strong positive effect on purchase intention and plays a key mediating role in the relationship between fitness instructors’ personal brand and members’ purchase intention. The findings suggest that members’ intentions to continue purchasing or recommending fitness courses are driven not only by their cognitive identification with an instructor’s brand image, but more importantly by the emotional attachment developed through repeated interactions and accumulated trust. Overall, this study highlights the importance of personal brand management for fitness instructors and provides practical implications for strengthening member relationships, deepening emotional connections, and improving customer retention in the fitness industry.
brand attachment · Brand management · Customer retention · emotional attachment · exercise instructors · fitness services · gym members · personal branding · purchase intention · self-congruity · Trust · word-of-mouth recommendation · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Customer Service Quality and Loyalty · Marketing and Advertising Strategies
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The Commitment-Trust Theory of Relationship Marketing
When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM
A deeper look at the effects of the Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) service experience on brand loyalty and brand attachment
The Power of Interactive Mobile Advertising
Structural model robustness checks in PLS-SEM
Self-Concept in Consumer Behavior
Self-Construal, Reference Groups, and Brand Meaning
| Highly cited | No |
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