Understanding the ties between brand gender and brand engagement in online brand communities: the moderating role of consumers’ biological sex

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jitender Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Brand Personality ◽  
Brand Identification ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Biological Sex ◽  
Brand Engagement ◽  
Female Consumers ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose This study aims to examine how brand gender (masculine/feminine brand personality [FBP] traits) stimulates brand engagement (cognitive processing, affection and activation) inside online brand communities (OBCs). The authors also explore the mediation of this effect through brand identification and brand personality appeal (BPA). The moderating role of consumers’ biological sex is also investigated. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical model has been tested with the data collected from OBC members through the structural equation modelling technique. Bootstrapping is used for mediation analysis and multiple group analysis for testing the moderating effects. Findings Results show that masculine brand personality (MBP) influences brand engagement directly, as well as through brand identification and BPA. However, FBP elicits brand engagement only through the mediation of brand identification and BPA. Consumers’ biological sex moderates the effect of FBP on brand engagement, but no moderation was traced for the effect of MBP on brand engagement. Research limitations/implications The context of the research poses a limitation on the broader replication of study findings. Other limitations include the absence of community-based variables and the focused use of gender centric brands in this study. This research will help researchers to understand the nuances in the underlying relationship between brand gender and brand engagement inside OBCs. Practical implications The managers can emphasize MBP but should not downplay the importance of FBP inside OBCs. To achieve brand engagement, the marketers should curate FBP in a way to affecting consumers’ brand identification and brand appeal. To achieve consumer brand engagement, MBP can be targeted at both male and female consumers, whereas FBP holds more importance among female consumers. Therefore, classifying members as per their biological sex is recommended for better brand engagement from brand gender inside OBCs. Originality/value This study explores finer mechanisms in the relationship between brand gender and brand engagement inside OBCs by charting out the powerful mediating role played by brand identification and BPA. The moderating role of consumers’ biological sex is an important dimension to these relationships, not explored hitherto.

Understanding customer brand engagement in user-initiated online brand communities: antecedents and consequences

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Matute ◽  
Ramon Palau-Saumell ◽  
Nicoletta Occhiocupo
Keyword(s):  
Affective Commitment ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Brand Engagement ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Community Identification ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences

Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of customer brand engagement (CBE) by proposing and empirically testing a model of antecedents and consequences of CBE for user-initiated online brand communities (OBCs). Design/methodology/approach The model is tested using a sample of 584 participants in two relevant OBCs created and managed by brand fans. Specifically, data were collected from two communities in the photography products category: Nikonistas and Canonistas. Findings The results indicate that community and brand identification positively and significantly influence CBE. Furthermore, the supporting role of OBCs’ moderators facilitates CBE and moderates the influence of community identification on CBE. Regarding the outcomes of CBE, the results show that higher levels of engagement are positively, directly and significantly associated with favorable intentions towards the brand and the community. These effects are then mediated by brand affective commitment. Research limitations/implications The study has been conducted in two Spanish OBCs of two specific high-involvement products category: it is cross-sectional and focuses on a limited number of antecedents and consequences. Practical implications Evidence from this research supports and emphasizes the potential that these platforms have for brand management such that firms’ resources could be best allocated on those elements that lead to superior CBE. Originality/value The study endorses the role of CBE in fostering brand and community-related favorable outcomes in the context of user-initiated OBCs. It shed lights on the potential that these online platforms have for brands and on the role that brand management should play in digital contexts that are outside the direct control of the company.

Engagement valence duality and spillover effects in online brand communities

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 877-897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Lay-Hwa Bowden ◽  
Jodie Conduit ◽  
Linda D. Hollebeek ◽  
Vilma Luoma-aho ◽  
Birgit Apenes Solem
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Method ◽  
Spillover Effect ◽  
Spillover Effects ◽  
Consumer Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Brand Engagement ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Constant Comparative Method ◽  
Depth Interviews

Purpose Online brand communities (OBCs) are an effective avenue for brands to engage consumers. While engaging with the brand, consumers simultaneously interact with other OBC members; thus engaging with multiple, interrelated engagement objects concurrently. The purpose of this paper is to explore both positively and negatively valenced consumer engagement with multiple engagement objects, the interplay between these, and the spillover effect from consumers’ engagement with the OBC to their engagement with the brand. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on 16 in-depth interviews with OBC members of a luxury accessory brand, a constant comparative method was adopted using axial and selective coding procedures. The objective was to understand the nature of participants’ engagement with the brand, the OBC, and the interplay between individuals’ engagement with these objects. The coding framework and resultant interpretive frameworks address engagement valence, outcomes, and direction. Findings This study illustrates consumer expressions of consumers’ positively and negatively valenced engagement with a focal brand, and with the OBC. Further, it demonstrates the interplay (spillover effect) that occurs between consumers’ engagement with the OBC, to their engagement with the brand. While the existence of positively valenced engagement with the OBC was found to further enhance consumer brand engagement (i.e. reflecting an engagement accumulation effect), negatively valenced engagement with the OBC was found to reduce consumer brand engagement (i.e. reflecting an engagement detraction effect). Originality/value While consumer engagement has been recognized to have both positive and negative manifestations, this study demonstrates that consumers’ engagement valence may differ across interrelated engagement objects (i.e. the brand and the OBC). Further, we demonstrate the existence of engagement spillover effects from the OBC to the brand for both positively and negatively valenced engagement.

scholarly journals Nostalgia in online brand communities

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 22-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Koetz ◽  
John Daniel Tankersley
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Community Identity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Communities ◽  
Symbolic Meanings ◽  
On Line ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Collective Dimension

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of a subculture of consumption organized toward a nostalgic brand on a social media platform. More specifically, the authors examine the role of these nostalgic feelings in the development of a community identity and the benefits they promote in the creation and perpetuation of this group. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a netnographic study to examine the case of Caloi 10 on Facebook. The data collection was carried out by following interactions among members of this community for seven months. Besides this, field observations and interviews were also considered in the analysis. Findings Four categories emerged from the analysis: Identity and nostalgia, the subculture’s ethos, consumption habits and hierarchical social structure. Nostalgia was shown to have a collective dimension, connecting the group around the brand, and positively affecting the ties between members and members and the brand. Practical implications On-line brand communities can be promoted to strengthen connections between consumers and a brand, and between consumers with each other. For that, it is important to understand the characteristics and specificities of these groups. Originality/value Few studies have dealt with the characteristics of brand communities in social media, as well as the role of nostalgia in these groups. This research fills these gaps, exploring aspects related to consumption as a way of transmitting symbolic meanings and expressing nostalgic feelings in on-line brand communities.

Knowledge sharing in online brand communities

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 320-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Sloan ◽  
Kelli Bodey ◽  
Richard Gyrd-Jones
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Online Brand Communities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to explore the role knowledge sharing plays in both firm-sponsored (FS) and user-generated (UG) Online Brand Communities (OBCs) on Facebook. Branding through online mediums is an under-researched area that is slowly gaining attention in the literature. In some ways, action has come first as theory struggles to catch up with technological advances. Given that social sharing behaviours (i.e. online social networking) are arguably driving the strategic direction of marketers, it is important to understand the discourse that is being communicated. One such avenue is through participation in an OBC. While it is apparent that research is growing in the OBC area, there are still areas of interest that have gained little attention. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using netnography, an appropriate yet under-applied methodological technique used to investigate the consumer behaviour of cultures and communities present on the Internet. Specifically, Facebook Pages relating to five OBCs based on the cruise-liner P & O Australia have been chosen for this case study. Findings – Results indicate that in both the FS and UG OBCs, knowledge-sharing was seen to have an important influence on pre-purchase decision-making. It also acted as a mechanism for trust building and sharing brand experiences and as an important encouragement to developing a sense of community among community members. A particularly interesting outcome of this research was the way in which consumers have taken on an active role in co-creating brand identity, which seemingly illuminates the role of brand management in social media. Practical implications – Given that this research was conducted with a real brand, with real customers, in a real OBC, the findings also point to some important practical applications. This study has found that the role of brands in their online forums is paramount, and as such, highlights the importance of effective brand governance. The rise of technology brings increased opportunities for a brand to reach out to their consumers. This study makes a further contribution by providing insights into how the consumer–brand relationship is shaped by the communication that occurs between consumers. To this end, consumers see it as the brand’s responsibility to monitor such online platforms, thus indicating the management of OBCs needs to be at the forefront of brand management practices. Originality/value – This study represents one of the earliest investigations of brand communities facilitated by social media, specifically focusing on Facebook as the communication platform. Importantly, this study increases our knowledge of consumer interaction in social media, with an emphasis towards the role that knowledge sharing contributes to OBCs and the differences prevalent between FS and UG online communities.

Who’s pulling the strings?

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 1808-1832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Welf H. Weiger ◽  
Hauke A. Wetzel ◽  
Maik Hammerschmidt
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
User Behavior ◽  
Autonomous Motivation ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Controlled Motivation ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose Firms increasingly rely on content marketing to trigger user engagement in social media brand communities. The purpose of this paper is to examine how three generic types of marketer-generated content (affiliative, injunctive and utilitarian content) drive user engagement by considering distinct motivational paths and the role of users’ preference for intimate (vs broad) social networks. Design/methodology/approach The authors conduct a field survey and a scenario experiment among social media users across different brands from three different product categories. They examine the impact of marketer-generated content on user engagement while considering the moderating role of network intimacy (i.e. the mutual confiding within a user’s social network in terms of small social circles) and the mediating role of user motivations (i.e. autonomous vs controlled motivation for community membership). Findings The findings show that affiliative content (i.e. content that highlights shared values) drives user engagement through autonomous motivation, and utilitarian content (i.e. content that highlights tangible benefits) drives user engagement through controlled motivation. Notably, injunctive content (i.e. content that demands specific user behavior) is not a promising instrument to increase user engagement in social media brand communities when not targeted correctly. Research limitations/implications The authors link three generic content types derived from literature on communal systems to user engagement, demonstrate the motivational underpinnings of their translation into engagement behavior and show that network intimacy can explain why the same content type can impact user engagement through two motivational paths. Practical implications The authors present three types of content that marketers can craft to trigger users to engage with a brand’s social media community and show when this content is most effective and why. By examining the moderating role of network intimacy, this research aims at providing targeting implications to social media marketers. Originality/value This research provides new insights on the effectiveness of marketer-generated content. The authors reveal two motivational paths that compete in explaining the overall effectiveness of different types of marketer-generated content to fuel user engagement. The authors further demonstrate that these relationships depend on the intimacy of a user’s circle of online friends.

The chain of effects from brand personality and functional congruity to stages of brand loyalty

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.R. Nikhashemi ◽  
Naser Valaei
Keyword(s):  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Brand Personality ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Functional Congruity ◽  
Gender Groups ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the impacts of brand personality and functional congruity on various components of brand loyalty (i.e. cognitive, affective, and conative) by examining the moderating role of gender. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model is examined by considering car as a product brand stimulus. Using a self-structured questionnaire, 263 usable responses are considered for data analysis by applying the structural equation modelling method. Findings The findings indicate that all hypotheses on the relationships between brand personality, functional congruity, and stages of brand loyalty are supported except for the relationship between brand personality and conative loyalty, whereby brand personality indirectly have impacts on conative brand loyalty via functional congruity. The outcome of the multi-group analysis shows that the impact of brand personality and functional congruity on cognitive, affective, and conative brand loyalty varies across gender groups. Practical implications The results indicate that if marketing managers are willing to create cognitive, affective as well as conative brand loyalty among consumers, they ought to tally their consumers’ purchasing and evaluation criteria with the functional and symbolic attributes. If the target consumers were motivated to purchase the product based on the symbolic attributes (as preferred by females in the present study), more attention should be focussed on communicating and delivering the symbolic attributes during their marketing campaign; on the other hand, if the consumers were inclined to buy product based on the utilitarian functions (as preferred by males in the current study), more emphasis should be placed on the functional values and attributes. Originality/value This study is the first to utilise self-congruity and the elaboration likelihood model to explain the influence of brand personality and functional congruity on each component of brand loyalty within the automobile industry’s context. This study on the moderating role of gender shows that the effect of brand personality and functional congruity is different across gender groups. The findings can help marketers to design an effective brand positioning and marketing strategies in order to stay competitive.

Does this fit my style? The role of self-congruity in young women’s repurchase intention for intimate apparel

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vania Vigolo ◽  
Marta Maria Ugolini
Keyword(s):  
Young Women ◽  
Brand Personality ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Ideal Self ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Repurchase Intentions ◽  
Female Consumers ◽  
Intimate Apparel

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of actual and ideal congruity in predicting the repurchase intentions of young women in relation to inconspicuous fashion items. Design/methodology/approach The research focussed on a non-luxury intimate apparel brand, typical of daily use and private consumption. Regression analyses were conducted on a sample of 308 young female consumers to identify the effect of actual and ideal congruity in determining repurchase intentions. A cluster analysis based on actual self-concept was employed to develop a typology for consumers. Findings Unexpectedly, the findings revealed that ideal congruity is a stronger predictor of repurchase intentions than actual congruity. Further, based on actual self-concept, three profiles of young women emerged: active romantics, self-assureds and reliables. The clusters differed in relation to perceptions of brand personality and the effect of self-congruity on repurchase intentions. Research limitations/implications This study was conducted using participants from one university in Northern Italy. Thus, the main limitations of this study relate to sample size and selection. Additionally, this study only investigated the perceptions of young women. Practical implications This study suggests that non-luxury intimate apparel items, typical of daily use, are not merely functional purchases, but reflect young women’s self-expression motives. Accordingly, fashion marketers should focus on consumers’ ideal self-concepts to develop effective promotion strategies. Further, specific dimensions of brand personality should be considered in relation to the different clusters. Originality/value This study shows that repurchase intentions towards inconspicuous non-luxury fashion items are explained more by self-esteem motives (i.e. ideal congruity) than self-consistency motives (i.e. actual congruity).

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