The Mediating Effect of Brand Perception on the Relationship Between Brand Elements and Purchase Intention: A Study of Forbidden City Cultural Creative Products Among Chinese Youth
List of Authors
Azhari Md Hashim, Limin Niu
Keyword
Forbidden City; Palace Museum; Cultural Creative Products; Brand Elements; Brand Perception; Purchase Intention; PLS‑SEM; Chinese Youth
Abstract
This study examines how brand elements of Forbidden City (Palace Museum) cultural creative products shape Chinese youths’ purchase intention, and whether brand perception mediates this relationship. By decomposing brand elements into visual, verbal, and cultural‑symbolic components, the paper clarifies which brand element signals are most influential in strengthening brand perception and stimulating purchase intention. A quantitative, cross‑sectional survey was administered to Chinese students aged 18–35 (N = 320). Measurement items were adapted from recent branding and museum cultural consumption research and assessed on a five‑point Likert scale. The proposed model was tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS‑SEM). The results show that visual, verbal, and cultural‑symbolic brand elements significantly enhance brand perception. Brand perception, in turn, exerts a strong positive effect on purchase intention. Mediation tests indicate that brand perception transmits the effects of brand elements to purchase intention, with cultural‑symbolic elements exhibiting the largest total effect through brand perception. The model explains 42.0% of the variance in brand perception and 54.6% of the variance in purchase intention. The paper extends museum cultural creative product research by focusing on the Forbidden City context and operationalizing brand elements as an interpretable tri‑component system. The findings offer actionable design and communication implications for museum brands seeking to convert cultural symbolism into market demand among Chinese youth.