I am feeling so good! Motivations for interacting in online brand communities

PurposeThis paper focuses on customer engagement in online brand communities (OBCs). Drawing upon self-determination theory (SDT), the research proposes a conceptual model portraying the effect of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations on hedonic and utilitarian rewards, which the authors posit will affect subjective well-being (SWB) and brand advocacy.Design/methodology/approachData collected through a questionnaire completed by 367 members of OBC were employed to test the structural theory using partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe empirical results reveal that intrinsic motivations significantly and positively affect hedonic and utilitarian rewards, but the same does not apply to extrinsic motivations. The results also confirm that hedonic and utilitarian rewards are significantly related to brand advocacy and SWB, although with different strengths.Originality/valueThis study provides new insights to the emerging research on customer engagement in OBC, including its motivations and rewards for contributing to these communities, from an SDT perspective. In addition, this paper offers a novel approach, by introducing brand advocacy and SWB as consequences of customer engagement in OBCs.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Consumer Brand Advocacy: A Reflection in a Time of Crisis

Web 2.0 offers users the unprecedented possibility of taking part in an uninterrupted flow of global communication that encompasses a growing number of people within its network and connection points (Ferreira, 2002). Users/consumers find here a space governed by a logic of connectivity, openness, conversation, and participation. These dimensions are exponentially enhanced by the growing ubiquity of social networks, whose interactive and collaborative architecture has shifted power to user communities (Mollen & Wilson, 2010). This renewed communicational context creates several challenges for organizations, converted into brands whose value depends on the rankings that measure their reputation with the public, who have become avid consumers and producers of information (Kotler et al., 2017). Thus, the process of stakeholder empowerment and the consequent loss of control by companies over the dissemination and circulation of information that concerns them have reinforced the vital need for companies to build and maintain close relationships with their audiences, in which concern for the opinions, needs, and concerns of the latter is clear (Antunes & Rita, 2008). Therefore, communities are increasingly demanding of the perceived contribution of business to the sustained and sustainable development of society, “in the face of the worsening of a wide range of economic, social and environmental problems on a global scale, and the governments’ inability to address them” (Serpa & Fourneau, 2007, p. 97). That said, it is imperative for organizations to adopt an ethical and transparent conduct, which will enable them to gain customer confidence and support over the longer term (Pérez & Bosque, 2015). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies can be seen, then, as important drivers of the desired consumer loyalty to brand and further online advocacy.

Enhancing the Sneakers Shopping Experience through Virtual Fitting Using Augmented Reality

The fashion industry is undergoing a digital transformation due to the emergence of new shopping channels and external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined the relationship between virtual fitting (VF) experience satisfaction, brand advocacy, mobile purchase intention, and offline purchase intention from an omnichannel perspective to understand how VF based on augmented reality (AR) impacts the customer purchase journey. The study also investigated the moderating effect of a customer’s product involvement, which is a personal characteristic. The results reveal that high satisfaction with the VF experience had a positive effect only on mobile purchase intentions. Brand advocacy formed after the VF experience had a positive effect on both mobile and offline purchase intentions and showed a mediating effect in the relationship between VF experience satisfaction and purchase intention. The moderating effect of product involvement was also confirmed. Moreover, a significantly negative influence of VF experience satisfaction on offline purchase intention was detected for customers who were more involved in sneakers products. These results indicate that VF, which is used as a tool in shopping apps, can achieve customer satisfaction and drive mobile purchases, thus leading to offline purchases based on brand advocacy.

Evolutionary framework of hierarchy of effects models: exploring relevance in the shifting of customer path

Purpose The hierarchies of effects models have been perpetually updated across different time period. Ever since the evolution of the primary customer path indicated through the Attention, Interest, Desire, Action model in the 1900s, the hierarchical frameworks have witnessed a significant transformation in context to the present age of Web connectivity. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to understand the transformation in the hierarchy of effects models in the age of connectivity. Design/methodology/approach This paper is conceptual in nature and an attempt to provide an overall view of the shifting dimension in the customer path as indicated in the various hierarchies of effects models since evolution up to the age of digitalisation. Findings It is observed that in the age of connectivity customer loyalty is expressed in terms of brand advocacy rather than repurchase, and that the customer path has been redefined. This seems pertinent because of the swift exchange of information that occurs among the online customer communities. Originality/value This paper identifies a need to provide a contemporary outlook to the customer path in the age of internet connectivity.

Developing brand advocacy through brand activities on Facebook

Purpose This paper aims to investigate how brands’ social media activities (credible content delivery, co-creation and responsiveness) impact brand advocacy. The paper also examines the influence of brand advocacy on purchase intentions of brand advocates and the moderating effect of the amount of time spent on Facebook on the relationship between brand advocacy and purchase intentions. Finally, the moderating effect of brand type (goods vs services) on the relationship between brands’ activities and brand advocacy is explored. Design/methodology/approach US adults who use Facebook as their primary social media platform participated in a survey via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The three brand activities are positively related to users’ advocacy of brands toward other users. Brand advocacy also positively influences purchase intentions of brand advocates. The amount of time spent on Facebook moderates the relationship between brand advocacy and purchase intentions. The brand type moderates the relationship between co-creation and brand advocacy. Originality/value This study differs from the existing research, which has typically used a user-oriented perspective (e.g. impact of user motivations) to explain brand advocacy and has not considered the outcome of brand advocacy on the brand advocates’ purchase intentions.

Online brand advocacy and brand loyalty: a reciprocal relationship?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of the online brand advocacy (OBA) and brand loyalty relationship through a social identity theory lens.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was used to obtain the needed data and the relationships of interest were examined using a partial least squares structural equation modelling approach.FindingsBrand loyalty and consumer-brand identification were found to be predictors of OBA, while OBA impacted on purchase intent. In addition, a strong reciprocal relationship was found between OBA and brand loyalty, which has not been reported in prior studies.Research limitations/implicationsThis study highlighted OBA's complexity. It suggested OBA is not only an outcome of a consumer-brand relationship but also that OBA plays a key role in the development of such relationships. A consumer's identification with a brand fosters brand loyalty and purchase intent through the giving of OBA.Practical implicationsThe more consumers vocalise their brand relationships through OBA, the more they strengthen their relationship with brands. The inclusion of OBA management in brand and marketing strategies should enable organisations to foster opportunities for online consumer-brand interactions that strengthen consumer-brand relationships.Originality/valueFirst, unlike previous studies that have used makeshift scales to measure OBA, the authors used a recently developed OBA scale. Second, the important reciprocal relationship between OBA and brand loyalty, which has significant implications, has not been reported in prior research.