‘Support your university’: how brand identification drives supporting behaviours among students and employees

Universities are increasingly investing in branding strategies to foster stakeholder support. However, despite the extensive research on brand identification as a key brand dimension in business settings, its antecedents and behavioral outcomes are still under-explored in higher education, especially among different stakeholder groups. This study examines how brand knowledge and brand pride shape brand identification and how different dimensions of brand advocacy influence the relationship between identification and crowdfunding intention, a high-commitment supportive behaviour. Using survey data from an Italian public university and multi-group structural equation modelling, the findings show that brand pride is the primary affective channel through which brand knowledge translates into brand identification. However, brand identification alone does not lead to crowdfunding intention. Its effect operates only through investment-oriented advocacy, whereas general advocacy behaviours, including positive word of mouth and forgiveness, do not predict crowdfunding intention. These findings highlight the distinctive role of investment-oriented advocacy across stakeholder groups.