The effect of customers’ perceived benefits on virtual brand community loyalty

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minjung Kang ◽  
Dong-Hee Shin
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Virtual Space ◽  
Consumer Loyalty ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Brand Community ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Marketing Tool ◽  
Community Site

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how types of virtual brand community (VBC) benefits influence VBC loyalty through specific types of interaction. Design/methodology/approach – The study targeted 250 brand community users to conduct an empirical analysis using SPSS 19.0. Findings – Consumers’ perceived benefits (functional, experiential, and symbolic) were found to be the leading variables in inducing consumer loyalty. Brand community managers should not focus only on the benefits offered by the brand community, but also on how these benefits can be associated with human-to-computer and consumer-to-consumer (C2C) interaction. Research limitations/implications – The virtual community (VC) has an important role as a marketing tool. As the VC within the virtual space has gradually been increasing, its importance has grown as well, therefore making research studies on heightening members’ brand community site loyalty important. Originality/value – This study broadens and contextualizes our understanding of what type of VBC interaction can be further activated in the process of enhancing the members’ VBC loyalty, which is affected by consumers’ perceived benefits.

scholarly journals Millennial cultural consumers: co-creating value through brand communities

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 119-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Vaux Halliday ◽  
Alexandra Astafyeva
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Knowledge Development ◽  
Brand Community ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Art And Culture ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Community Theory ◽  
Conceptual Paper ◽  
Research Propositions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise millennial cultural consumers (MCCs) to bring together strands of consumer theory with branding theory to consider how to attract and retain younger audiences in arts organisations. Within that the authors single out for attention how “brand community” theory might apply to MCCs. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a conceptual paper that reviews and comments on concepts relevant to helping arts organisations develop strategies to attract and retain younger consumers in their audiences. Findings – Thoughtful conceptual insights and four research propositions for further work by academics and/or practitioners on Millennials and the art and culture world are derived from this review and commentary. Managerial implications are also drawn out. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the knowledge development of such concepts as value and brand communities. It also provides an explanation of these concepts conncecting academic thought on value with pressing management challenges for arts organisations, suggesting ways to apply brand community thinking to innovatiely conceptualised MCCs.

Curvilinear effects of e-loyalty in China’s online tourism industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xueyan Yang ◽  
Xiaoni Zhang ◽  
Samuel Goh ◽  
Chad Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Virtual World ◽  
Online Community ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Consumer Loyalty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Travel Industry ◽  
Online Travel

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand e-loyalty in the travel industry. Specifically, this paper aims to examine the curvilinear relationship between predictors and e-loyalty. Design/methodology/approach An empirical study was conducted using an online survey with one of the largest travel companies in China. Structural equation modeling was used to test the models, and pair-wise nested F-tests were used to compare the models. Findings Results show that the curvilinear model has greater explanatory power of loyalty than traditional linear models. The results of pair-wise nested F-tests show that the loyalty model exhibits statistically significant R2 improvement compared to the linear model. However, the R2 improvement in the integrated model is not statistically different from that in the linear model. Confirmation and satisfaction are found to be salient factors influencing loyalty. Research limitations/implications This study makes important contributions to the online community literature by understanding the drivers of loyalty in the travel industry. However, there are limitations. First, this study addressed member loyalty of an online travel community with data collected from one company. Thus, generalizability is limited. Online communities and firms may have different characteristics, resulting in different factors influencing consumer loyalty. The authors plan in the future to collect data from other online travel companies and examine their model with different samples so as to check the generalizability of the current findings. Second, the authors collected a snapshot view on loyalty. Both researchers and managers note that small changes in loyalty and retention can yield disproportionately large changes in profitability (Reichheld et al., 2000). Consumer loyalty may change over time, so to maintain and increase profits, it is important to monitor such change. In the future, the authors plan to conduct a longitudinal study of community members to evaluate their loyalty over time. Practical implications As China seeks to gain additional market share in the global tourism market, travel companies should make use of websites as a marketing tool to attract and retain customers. These actions enable a travel company to enhance its competitiveness. More and more people use the internet for tour deals, bookings and finding tour-related information. Effective use of websites can affect the competitiveness of ecommerce companies. E-vendors could assess and adopt the dimensions recommended in this paper to help better understand areas for improvement. It is common today for consumers to buy travel products online instead of going through a travel agent. Considering the importance of reciprocity in formulating consumer satisfaction and loyalty in the virtual environment, companies should monitor reciprocal behavior on the virtual community. With advancement in technologies, consumer behaviors have changed and more consumers prefer social interactions in the virtual world. Companies can analyze posts in the virtual environment to assess reciprocity and may design a mechanism to foster reciprocal behaviors. By leveraging reciprocity, firms can better connect satisfaction with loyalty. More than 70 per cent of executives surveyed by McKinsey (2012) said that they regularly generate value through their Web communities. In addition, to pay attention to consumer to consumer reciprocity in the virtual world, companies should listen to what customers say in their online community, as this attention is an indication of reciprocity between consumers and companies. The ideas and opinions expressed in the online community tell the company customers’ perception of the value of its products and customers’ needs. Such attention to the voices in the online community will help companies to better tailor products/services to meet customers’ needs. Furthermore, the voices expressed in the virtual community are also effective in developing and maintaining new internet marketing opportunities such as email marketing, giveaways, search engine optimization, pay per click and shopping comparison marketing. Companies interested in retaining and attracting customers should leverage their established virtual communities and pay close attention to online posts and evaluate members’ satisfaction. Such effort will provide tangible benefits. As shown in Ye et al.’s study, traveler reviews produce a significant impact on online sales (Ye et al., 2011), with a 10 per cent increase in traveler review ratings, boosting online bookings by more than 5 per cent. This finding suggests that businesses should link online user-generated reviews to business performance in tourism. Finding incentives for users to share might be one way to improve interactivity and further create stickiness on the part of the website. Originality/value This paper is one of the first studies to address the need to move beyond linear models of e-loyalty and to additionally examine potential curvilinear and interactive effects. This study also identifies key variables such as reciprocity and satisfaction as determinants of e-loyalty in the Chinese online travel and tourism industry.

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.

An experimental study of the effect of packaging colour on children's evaluation of packaging and attitude towards the brand

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nora Bezaz ◽  
Mathieu Kacha
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Food Product ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Point Of Sale ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
Healthy Diets ◽  
Marketing Tool ◽  
Age Features ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Additional Product

PurposeThis article aims to determine how packaging colour (hue, saturation and brightness) for a healthy food product might influence children's evaluation of the packaging and their attitude towards the brand.Design/methodology/approachAn experiment involving 157 children (7–12 years of age) features a within-subject, factorial design. The product selected for this experiment is an unknown brand of orange juice.FindingsEach colour dimension on packaging exerts an impact on children's evaluation of the packaging and attitude towards the brand. Therefore, the colour featured on packaging can be an effective lever for action to ensure and enhance children's healthy diets.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research should investigate these effects across additional product categories, brands and colours.Practical implicationsPackaging is an important marketing tool that influences children's evaluation of the packaging and attitude towards the brand, especially at the point of sale. To understand and exploit these packaging colour effects appropriately for healthy products, it is crucial to understand the effects of various packaging colour dimensions.Originality/valueLittle prior research has addressed the effects of packaging on children's responses, especially by accounting for multiple colour dimensions. Nor has extant research identified how packaging colour dimensions can affect children's evaluation and brand attitude. Especially in consideration of the growing problem of childhood obesity, it is important to give marketers effective ways to promote healthy products.

scholarly journals Who says waiting is boring? How consumer narratives within online communities help reduce stress while waiting

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-424
Author(s):  
Mahmud Hassan ◽  
Rumman Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Communities ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Service Sector ◽  
Brand Community ◽  
Emotional Pain ◽  
Waiting Period ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Waiting Periods ◽  
To Receive

Purpose Waiting is associated with pain and stress that leads to frustration. However, consumer narratives may help cope with the stress associated with such waiting. This study aims to understand consumer waiting behaviours within online communities. Design/methodology/approach Data was gathered following a netnographic approach from a Facebook brand community (FBC) by downloading and archiving the threads related to members’ waiting behaviours. This resulted in 91 pages of data, with 438 individual comments and 179 distinct threads. Findings The data revealed that members of the sampled FBC exercised waiting behaviour. The authors confirm that waiting for a product is associated with both negative outcomes (frustration, boredom, etc.), but positive ones (create stronger ties with the brand and fellow members, etc.). Members of the FBC exhibited reduced consumer anxiety and stress during the waiting period. Research limitations/implications This study found 13 waiting behaviours within the FBC and supports the idea that new value-creating behaviours are noticed within the context of FBCs. Originality/value This study focuses on waiting within a goods-based context (waiting to be served has been examined predominantly within the service sector). The study explored the behaviours of consumers who use social media to complain about extended waiting periods to receive the product along with other consumer reactions to these waiting crowds to reduce the emotional pain associated with such delays.

Factors affecting spin-off creation

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa Caiazza
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Theoretical Approach ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Multilevel Perspective ◽  
Main Factors

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to present a theoretical approach and an empirical analysis of factors affecting the spin-off creation, as although research on spin-off has increasingly received attention in recent years, few studies have focused on the main factors of the spin-off creation. Design/methodology/approach – Considering the exploratory nature of our research objectives, the Université Libre de Bruxelles cases were chosen to evidence macro-, meso- and microfactors that affect the university's ability to create a spin-off. Findings – Many factors that affect the spin-off creation were evidenced. Originality/value – A multilevel perspective for the spin-off analysis was offered.

Networking as a marketing tool in small companies: a random and informal approach

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mário Franco
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Small Companies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Opportunities ◽  
Marketing Activities ◽  
Marketing Tool ◽  
Exploratory Case Studies ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Informal Approach

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the particularities of marketing in small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), to try to understand how networking can influence the marketing activities implemented in this firm segment. Design/methodology/approach For this purpose, the author decided on a qualitative approach and performed exploratory case studies of four SMEs in Portugal. Findings The results obtained show that the owners/managers of the SMEs studied here recognize the importance of marketing and networking, but have not yet implemented them in a structured way. In these SMEs, marketing is informal and reactive to market opportunities. Practical implications This study contributes to showing the importance of marketing in SMEs, providing more information and evidence about marketing in this firm sector, as well as about the owner/manager’s influence on the use of networking in marketing activities. Originality/value In spite of the opportunities associated with networking in SMEs, there is only limited empirical evidence of its importance in marketing activities. This holds particularly for the realm of SMEs.

Director workloads, attendance and firm performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Gray ◽  
John Nowland
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Archival Data ◽  
Attendance Rates ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Inside Directors

Purpose This paper examines whether increased director workloads are benefiting firms or are causing directors to become too busy, resulting in lower director attendance and weaker firm performance. Design/methodology/approach This paper conducts empirical analysis of the relationships between meeting frequency, director attendance rates and firm performance using archival data from Australia. Findings Attendance rates for both outside and inside directors decrease as they are required to attend more meetings. The benefits firms obtain from holding additional meetings are significantly eroded by lower director attendance. Originality/value This study brings together the literatures on meeting frequency, director busyness and firm performance to show that increased director workloads are only beneficial to firms if directors do not become too busy to fulfill their obligations to shareholders.

Crafting a legacy: investigating the retired athlete brand image

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 390-406
Author(s):  
Olzhas Taniyev ◽  
Brian S. Gordon
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Brand Image ◽  
Consumer Loyalty ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Promotion

Purpose The purpose of this paper exploratory study is to decipher sport consumer associations and sentiments connected to the brand image of retired athletes. Design/methodology/approach In total, 14 sport consumers, who demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of throwback branding tactics and expertise in athlete brand promotion, participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Findings The findings indicate there are three prevalent themes across the present data (i.e. epoch epitome, athlete-team connection and off-the-field persona). Originality/value While the proliferation of throwback merchandise and affinity for brands of retired athletes is evident, the internalization of associations related to retired athletes has escaped empirical investigation. Numerous questions concerning how specific facets of a retired athlete’s image (e.g. athletic skills or life off the field) activate nostalgic feelings, drive consumer loyalty and establish market permanence remain unanswered. The current study contributes to the understanding of the brand image of the retired athlete and the existing literature concerning athlete branding.

Examining brand communities among children and adolescents: an exploratory study

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Ann Flurry ◽  
Krist R. Swimberghe ◽  
Janna M. Parker
Keyword(s):  
Community Involvement ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Brand Community ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Membership ◽  
Brand Communities ◽  
Online Panel

Purpose – Online communities designed to appeal to children are on the rise. The success of this marketplace phenomenon indicates that adolescents are likely candidates for brand community membership; however, the literature has yet to examine this trend. This research aims to address this gap and establish the likely existence of brand community involvement among adolescents. It further seeks to explore the characteristics which may differentiate children who are more likely to become involved in brand communities and examine what impact their involvement may have on adolescents' psychological well-being. Design/methodology/approach – A national online panel was employed to collect survey data from respondents aged 7-18 and their parents. Findings – The results support the existence of a high brand community involvement segment among adolescents. Adolescents high in brand community involvement are found to display noteworthy differences in attitudes, values, and marketplace behaviors. Several interesting avenues of future research are proposed. Originality/value – To the authors' knowledge this is the first study attempting to measure differences between adolescents who measure high and low in brand community involvement. Of particular interest are the results indicating that adolescents involved in brand communities may have important distinguishing attitudes and values and exhibit noteworthy differences in their marketplace behavior.

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