Impact of individual and brand level factors in generation of different user-generated content

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kemal Cem Soylemez
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Target Audience ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Self Construal ◽  
Online Brand Community ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Brand Product

Purpose This study aims to categorize user-generated content (UGC) based on the target audience, namely, brand-oriented content (BOC) and community-oriented content (COC). By using the equity theory, this study investigated how personal factors (motivations and self-construal) and brand/product factors (brand luxury) drive members to generate brand-oriented or COC. Design/methodology/approach Experimental studies were conducted with online brand community (OBC) participants who had been active in an OBC in the past 30 days. Findings Both in Studies 1 and 3, participants with an independent self-construal generated more BOC relative to COC, whereas participants with an interdependent self-construal generated more COC relative to BOC. In Study 1, extrinsically motivated participants generated more BOC relative to COC, whereas intrinsically motivated participants generated more COC relative to BOC. However, this finding was not confirmed in Study 3. In Study 2, the participants of luxury brand communities generated more COC relative to BOC, whereas participants of affordable brand communities generated more BOC relative to COC. However, this finding was not confirmed in Study 3. Practical implications This research provides marketing practitioners with an opportunity to focus on different motivation types in different contexts. The study also helps marketing departments understand the relationship between brand characteristics and UGC types. Finally, the insights of this study can also be useful in a brand extension context. Originality/value This study has constructed a better understanding of content generation in OBCs by categorizing UGC based on their target audience.

4W of user-generated content: why who we are and where we post influence what we post

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kemal Cem Soylemez
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Factors ◽  
Community Ownership ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Community ◽  
High Level

PurposeIn continuation of Soylemez (2021), this study utilized equity theory and investigated how personal factors (personality traits) and community factors (ownership) influence relative generation of brand-oriented and community-oriented content.Design/methodology/approachA study of A/B testing was conducted with 104 online brand community (OBC) participants who had been active in an OBC in the last 30 days.FindingsMembers with a high level of conscientiousness, extroversion and neuroticism generate more brand-oriented content than community-oriented content. Openness to experience, agreeableness and community ownership have been found to have no significant effects.Practical implicationsThis research helps marketing practitioners on whether they should build their own online brand communities. The study also suggests that brands should adjust their community strategies based on the personality traits of community members and expectations from the community.Originality/valueThis is the first study that investigates how personality traits and community ownership influence the generation of different types of user-generated content (UGC).

Online brand communities as heterogeneous gatherings: a netnographic exploration of Apple users

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuğba Özbölük ◽  
Yunus Dursun
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Participant Observation ◽  
Opinion Leader ◽  
Brand Community ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Online Brand Community

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.

Cultural differences in gift recipients’ attitude and behavior toward disliked gifts

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theeranuch Pusaksrikit ◽  
Sydney Chinchanachokchai
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Relationship Closeness ◽  
Marketing Segmentation ◽  
Self Construal ◽  
The Usa ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of cultural differences and the types of relationship closeness involved in recipients’ emotional and behavioral reactions after receiving disliked gifts. Design/methodology/approach Collecting data from Thailand and the USA, two experiments were conducted in a 2 (self-construal: independent/interdependent) × 2 (relationship closeness: close/distant) between-subjects design. Study 1 explores the recipients’ feelings and reactions upon receipt of a disliked gift. Study 2 explores the disposition process for a disliked gift. Findings The results show that a recipient’s emotions, reaction and disposition process can be affected by cultural differences and relationship closeness: specifically that close and distant relationships moderate the relationship between self-construal and gift-receiving attitudes and behaviors. Research limitations/implications Future research can investigate representative groups from other countries to broaden the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications This understanding can guide gift-givers when selecting gifts for close or distant recipients across cultures. Additionally, it can help retailers develop and introduce new marketing strategies by applying self-construal as a marketing segmentation tool for gift purchase and disposition. Originality/value This research is among the first studies to offer insights into how individuals in different cultures manage disliked gifts they receive from people in either close or distant relationships.

Workplace incivility and knowledge hiding behavior: does personality matter?

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 278-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasidah Arshad ◽  
Ida RosnitaI Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Workplace Incivility ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Personal Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Realistic Job Preview ◽  
Emotions In The Workplace ◽  
Hiding Behavior ◽  
Knowledge Hiding ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Personality Disposition

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between workplace incivility and knowledge hiding, and role of personality disposition (neuroticism) in moderating such relationships.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 108 employees nested in 18 teams from private sectors via survey questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression models were used to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe findings show that the higher the level of workplace incivility experienced by the team members, the higher the tendency for them to hide knowledge and this relationship is moderated by neuroticism. Specifically, the relationship was found to be stronger for those employees high in neuroticism compared to those low in neuroticism.Practical implicationsThe study offers important implication in term of knowledge hiding prevention or reduction. The behavior can be reduced by creating awareness among employees on the importance of civility at work via campaign, realistic job preview and leading by example. To manage the effect of neuroticism, managers need to identify those high in the trait and provide them with training on how to better regulate and manage negative emotions in the workplace.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the research on knowledge hiding behavior by advancing the understanding of organizational and personal factors that can influence knowledge hiding among employees working in team. It is the first to propose and empirically validate the predictive effect of workplace incivility on knowledge hiding. It also addresses the usefulness of examining personality disposition in understanding the relationship between workplace incivility and knowledge hiding behavior.

Consumer engagement in online brand communities: a social media perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-42 ◽  
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.

scholarly journals Consumer Engagement in Online Brand Communities: Community Values, Brand Symbolism and Social Strategies

10.28945/4536 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 065-090
Author(s):  
Haili Pan
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Community Engagement ◽  
Social Value ◽  
Brand Community ◽  
Consumer Engagement ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Community ◽  
Symbolic Value ◽  
The Relationship

Aim/Purpose: This study examines the kind of community value companies should provide when strengthening the relationship between customers and brands through the establishment of an online brand community, and how this kind of community value promotes customers’ sense of community engagement and willingness to spread brand reputation. The paper also discusses how an enterprise’s brand symbolism affects the relationship between community value and customers’ engagement in online brand community. This study explored the important role of brand symbolism in the establishment of an online brand community. Background: Many companies want to create online brand communities to strengthen their relationships with consumers as well as to provide better service and value to consumers, for example, Huawei’s Huafen community (club.huawei.com), Apple’s support community (support.apple.com/zh-cn), and Samsung’s Galaxy community (samsungmembers.cn). However, these brand communities may have different interests and consumer engagement about the kind of community value to offer to their customers. Methodology: This study uses data collection from questionnaire surveys to design a quantitative research method. An online questionnaire survey of mobile phone users in China was conducted to collect data on social value, cognitive value, brand symbolism, customer community engagement, and brand recommendation. The brands of mobile phone include Apple, Huawei, Samsung, OPPO, VIVO, MI, and Meizu. The researcher purchased a sample service of WJX, an online survey company (www.wjx.cn), and WJX company distributed the questionnaire to research participants. The WJX company randomly selected 240 subjects from their sample database and then sent the questionnaire link to research participants’ mobile phones. Among the 240 research participants, the researcher excluded participants who lacked online brand community experience or had invalid data to qualify for data collection. After the researcher excluded participants who did not qualify for data collection, only 203 qualified questionnaire surveys advanced to the data collection and analysis phase, which was the questionnaire recovery rate of 84.58%. For the model analysis and hypotheses testing, the researcher used statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics and AMOS 21 and Smartpls3. Contribution: This study deepens the body of literature knowledge by combining online brand community value and brand symbolic value to explore issues that companies should consider when establishing an online brand community for their products and services. This study confirms that brands with high symbolic value establish communities and strengthen social values in the online brand community rather than reducing brand symbolism. Online brand community involves a horizontal interaction (peer interaction) among peers, which can have an effect on the symbolic value of brand (social distance). Findings: First, online brand community value (both cognitive and social value) has a positive impact on customer community engagement. Second, customer community engagement has a positive impact on customers’ brand recommend intention. Third, the customer community engagement is a mediator between the online brand community value and the customer brand recommend intention. Most importantly, fourth, the symbolic value of the brand controls the relationship between community value and customer community engagement. For brands with high symbolic value, the community value should emphasize cognitive value rather than social value. For brands with a low symbolic value, the community provides cognitive or social value, which is not affected by the symbolism of the brand. Recommendations for Practitioners: Practitioners can share best practices with the corporate sectors. Brand owners can work with researchers to explore the characteristics of their online brand communities. On this basis, brand owners and researchers can jointly build and manage online brand communities. Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers can explore different perspectives and factors of brand symbolism that involve brand owners when establishing an online brand community to advance consumer engagement, community value, and brand symbolism. Impact on Society: Online brand community is relevant for brand owners to establish brand symbolism, community value, and customer engagement. Readers of this paper can gain an understanding that cognitive and social values are two important drivers of individual participation in online brand communities. The discussion of these two factors can give readers and brand owners the perception to gain more understanding on social and behavior activities in online brand communities. Future Research: Practitioners and researchers could follow-up in the future with a study to provide more understanding and updated research information from different perspectives of research samples and hypotheses on online brand community.

scholarly journals “No piracy talk”: how online brand communities work to denormalize controversial gaming practices

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 1103-1122
Author(s):  
Daiane Scaraboto ◽  
Stefânia Ordovás de Almeida ◽  
João Pedro dos Santos Fleck
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Brand Community ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Community ◽  
Alternative Practices ◽  
Normalization Process

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explain how online brand communities work to support the denormalization of controversial (i.e. illegal yet normalized) gaming practices.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative study was characterized by long-term immersion in an online brand community for Brazilian Xbox gamers. The dataset includes online and offline interactions with community members, interviews, and online archival data.FindingsThis study shows how online brand community members promoted legal gaming in a market where piracy was prevalent. It demonstrates how community members worked to establish coherence; engaged in cognitive participation; developed collective action that extended beyond the community; and reflected on their own work.Research limitations/implicationsThis study identifies online brand communities as a potential ally in combating controversial practices in online gaming; complements individual and behavioral approaches in explaining why consumers adopt controversial practices in online environments; and adds a normalization framework to the toolkit of Internet researchers.Practical implicationsThis study identifies ways in which the potential of online brand communities can be leveraged to reduce consumer adherence to controversial gaming practices through denormalizing these and normalizing alternative practices that may be more desirable to companies and other stakeholders.Originality/valueThis long-term, qualitative study inspired by normalization process theory offers an innovative perspective on the online practices of consumers who engage with a brand in ways that create value for themselves and for the brand.

Gaining satisfaction: the role of brand equity orientation and failure type in service recovery

2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (10) ◽  
pp. 2317-2342
Author(s):  
Ke Ma ◽  
Xin Zhong ◽  
Guanghui Hou
Keyword(s):  
Brand Equity ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Mediation Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Failure Type ◽  
Recovery Strategies ◽  
Recovery Satisfaction ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to examine the role played by brand equity orientation and failure type in service recovery. Specifically, through the lens of forgiveness, the way brand equity orientation and failure type influence consumer response to recovery is revealed. Design/methodology/approach This research tests a novel model using data collected from 1,589 consumers in two scenario-based experimental studies. The statistical product and service solutions (SPSS) program with the PROCESS tool was used to test the mediation and moderated mediation effects. Findings The research findings suggest that forgiveness plays a mediation role in the relationship between recovery and satisfaction. Brand equity orientation moderates the mediation effect of forgiveness on the relationship between recovery and recovery satisfaction. In addition, failure type also plays an important role and there is a significant three-way interaction effect (service recovery × brand equity orientation × failure type) on recovery satisfaction under certain circumstances. Research limitations/implications Building on the extant literature which focuses on the cognitive process when investigating recovery and consumer reaction, this research advocates the significant role played by the psychological process, namely, the feeling of forgiveness, in explaining the effect of distinct recovery strategies on consumer satisfaction. This research also unveils the effects of brand equity orientation and failure type on recovery outcomes. Practical implications When addressing performance failure, brand equity orientation and failure type need to be identified. Businesses could develop recovery strategies to arouse consumer forgiveness, which would lead to increased recovery satisfaction. When designing recovery strategies, managers need to be mindful of the effects of brand equity orientation and failure type. Originality/value This research is one of the few which reveals the mediating role played by forgiveness on the effect of recovery. Taking brand equity orientation and failure type into consideration, the findings of this research provide new insights into the recovery literature.

scholarly journals Do different kinds of user-generated content in online brand communities really work?

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (7) ◽  
pp. 954-968 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonia Estrella-Ramón ◽  
Fiona Ellis-Chadwick
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
User Generated Content ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Product Success ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Negative Comments ◽  
Ridge Regression Analysis

Purpose Due to the fact that user-generated content (UGC) and online brand communities (OBCs) are gaining popularity, the purpose of this paper is to identify the type of UGC that has a real effect on product success, in terms of the number of owners, within a popular OBC associated with video games. Design/methodology/approach Different types of UGC for 205 video games were manually collected (the number of positive and negative comments, discussions, screenshots, artwork, videos, guides developed by users and the presence of a workshop) to test their influence on product success. The proposed hypotheses were tested using multiple ridge regression analysis. Findings Results show that users look for simple and quick reviews and content about products in OBCs (i.e. guides developed by users, comments, artwork and screenshots). However, results also show that users do not guide their purchases based on UGC when the process of gaining understanding is more time consuming (i.e. reading discussions, watching videos) or requires more active involvement (i.e. workshop presence). Originality/value Limited research has been conducted on the type of UGC found in OBCs. This study contributes to the understanding of the potential influence of different types of UGC on product success. In addition, it offers managerial insights for companies into how to manage content in online communities.

Exploiting online environment to engage customers: social commerce brand community

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-361
Author(s):  
Maria Teresa Cuomo ◽  
Alice Mazzucchelli ◽  
Roberto Chierici ◽  
Francesca Ceruti
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Social Commerce ◽  
Brand Community ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
The Social ◽  
Online Brand Community ◽  
Multiple Case

Purpose Taking jointly into account social commerce and online brand community, this paper aims to investigate how the growth of social commerce and the fast adoption of online brand communities have given firms the opportunity to establish a new kind of community, namely, the social commerce brand community. Adopting a managerial perspective, the research aims to identify the core dimensions of social commerce brand community and shed light on how they contribute in engaging customers and transform them into brand advocates. Design/methodology/approach Five social commerce retailers operating into five different sectors of activity have been involved in a multiple case study. Data retrieved from semi-structured interviews have been triangulated with information gathered from different sources to provide depth to the cases and enhance data validity. Findings This study substantiates the rise of social commerce brand community as a new phenomenon that differs from traditional online brand communities and provides firms with concrete support in selling activities and in managing relationships with customers. The multiple case study allows also to detect social commerce brand community core pillars, namely, participants’ identification, participation, conversation and social support. These four elements turned out to be crucial to develop an effective social commerce brand community. Research limitations/implications This study extends existing theory on social commerce and online brand community by investigating the social commerce brand community as a new phenomenon and clarifying the fundamental pillars on which it relies. Originality/value This study extends existing theory on social commerce and online brand community by investigating the social commerce brand community as a new phenomenon and clarifying the fundamental pillars on which it relies.

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