Should firms pay for online brand communities: Using lead user theory in analyzing two contrasting cases

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the different types of members based on their roles within an online brand community dedicated to Apple. Design/methodology/approach Design/methodology/approach Data are drawn from an 18-month netnographic study, including participant and non-participant observation. Findings Findings reveal that members of the online brand community share a common goal but they are heterogeneous in many respects. In this research, five different types of brand community members are identified: learner, pragmatist, activist, opinion leader and evangelist. These findings emphasize the heterogeneity of the brand community or the differences of members and subgroups they form in the community. Practical implications This paper offers some insights for brand managers. There are different sub-tribes in online brand communities and these sub-tribes develop their own meanings of the brand. This means that online brand communities do not form one single homogenous target group and can be segmented into subgroups. Findings also offer a deeper understanding of negative characteristics of online brand community members. The role “activist” found in this study may be crucial for marketers, as activists can represent the negative side of online brand communities. Originality/value The literature on brand communities has focused predominantly on the homogeneity of these communities. This paper extends the literature by demonstrating the heterogeneity in an online brand community. The paper contributes to the brand community literature by substantiating that online brand community members can be segmented into subgroups based on their roles within the community. In addition, the paper extends the existing literature on brand communities that has overlooked the destructive consumer roles.

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How to alleviate social loafing in online brand communities: The roles of community support and commitment

Electronic Commerce Research and Applications ◽

10.1016/j.elerap.2021.101051 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 101051

Author(s):

Chu-Bing Zhang ◽

Na Li ◽

Sheng-Hao Han ◽

Yu-Dong Zhang ◽

Ru-Jing Hou

Keyword(s):

Community Support ◽

Social Loafing ◽

Brand Communities ◽

Online Brand Communities

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Social Capital: An Influence on Critical to Success Factors in Online Brand Communities

International Journal of Web Based Communities ◽

10.1504/ijwbc.2018.094920 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 268 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Stephanie Meek ◽

Claire Lambert ◽

Maria M. Ryan ◽

Madeleine Ogilvie

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Success Factors ◽

Brand Communities ◽

Online Brand Communities

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Conceptualising and validating the social capital construct in consumer-initiated online brand communities (COBCs)

Technological Forecasting and Social Change ◽

10.1016/j.techfore.2018.11.018 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 139 ◽

pp. 303-310 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Stacey Li ◽

Pratik Modi ◽

Meng-Shan (Sharon) Wu ◽

Cheng-Hao (Steve) Chen ◽

Bang Nguyen

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Brand Communities ◽

Online Brand Communities ◽

The Social

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Consumer engagement in online brand communities: a social media perspective

Journal of Product & Brand Management ◽

10.1108/jpbm-06-2014-0635 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 28-42 ◽

Cited By ~ 338

Author(s):

Laurence Dessart ◽

Cleopatra Veloutsou ◽

Anna Morgan-Thomas

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Holistic Approach ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Consumer Engagement ◽

Content Type ◽

Brand Communities ◽

Online Brand Communities ◽

Social Media Platforms ◽

Online Brand Community ◽

Conceptual Relationships

Purpose – This paper aims to delineate the meaning, conceptual boundaries and dimensions of consumer engagement within the context of online brand communities both in term of the engagement with the brand and the other members of the online brand communities. It also explores the relationships of consumer engagement with other concepts, suggesting antecedents of engagement. Design/methodology/approach – Data are collected through semi-structured interviews with 21 international online brand community members, covering a variety of brand categories and social media platforms. Findings – This paper suggests that individuals are engaging in online communities in social network platforms both with other individuals and with brands. The study also identifies three key engagement dimensions (cognition, affect and behaviours). Their meaning and sub-dimensions are investigated. The paper further suggests key drivers, one outcome and objects of consumer engagement in online brand communities. These findings are integrated in a conceptual framework. Research limitations/implications – Further research should aim at comparing consumer engagement on different social media and across brand categories, as this study takes a holistic approach and does not focus on any particular category of brands or social media. Consumers’ views should also be evaluated against and compared with marketing managers’ understanding of consumer engagement. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the fast-growing and fragmented consumer engagement literature by refining the understanding of its dimensions and situating it in a network of conceptual relationships. It focusses on online brand communities in rich social media contexts to tap into the core social and interactive characteristics of engagement.

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Quality dimensions in online communities influence purchase intentions

Management Decision ◽

10.1108/md-11-2016-0822 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 55 (9) ◽

pp. 1984-1998 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Chung-Yu Wang ◽

Hsiao-Ching Lee ◽

Li-Wei Wu ◽

Chih-Chung Liu

Keyword(s):

Relationship Quality ◽

Purchase Intention ◽

Information Quality ◽

Uncertainty Reduction ◽

Purchase Intentions ◽

Online Questionnaire ◽

Content Type ◽

Brand Communities ◽

Online Brand Communities ◽

Quality Dimensions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how quality dimensions in independently owned online brand communities influence purchase intentions via uncertainty reduction and the role of involvement. Design/methodology/approach This work validates the model and hypotheses through non-probabilistic sampling. The online questionnaire was made on the website of MySurvey and an invitation letter was posted to the forums. The respondents received the questionnaire items translated into Chinese. The final survey sample consisted of 235 respondents. Findings Empirical results confirm that as for independently owned online brand communities, their information quality and relationship quality are effective tools for influencing purchase intentions via uncertainty reduction. In addition, the authors demonstrate that involvement has a positively moderating influence on the relationship between uncertainty reduction and purchase intentions. Originality/value The current study moves beyond uncertainty reduction to demonstrate that information quality and relationship quality of forums influenced purchase intention via uncertainty reduction and the moderating variable such as involvement.

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