*3.3. Research Hypotheses*

Authors like de Chernatony (1999) and Kapferer (1986, 2008) state that brand identity precedes brand reputation. It is our aim to confirm this hypothesis, in order to be able to argue that the management of corporate brand identity is developed under a relational approach. It follows that the choice and selection of recognized brands to develop should be carried out by the brand management team, taking into account the fact that brand identity develops and interacts with the external dynamic environment. We propose three research hypotheses:

**Hypothesis 1 (H1).** *The constructs trust, commitment, and motivation are a part of a higher dimension construct named brand relationships;*

**Hypothesis 2 (H2).** *The brand relationships construct influences the external part of corporate brand identity; and*
