Leveraging virtual brand community engagement and consumer brand identification as a bounce-back brand recovery strategy: Role of brand endorsers

Brand community engagement in the virtual environment during a brand crisis has gained attention from firms and marketing scholars due to innovative technologies. However, there is limited empirical insight into its antecedents consequences. This study, grounded signaling social identity theories, introduces relationship between endorser credibility, engagement, consumer identification as pro-active recovery strategy. It also examines impact of on love forgiveness. The data were collected online automobile members. results show that celebrity endorsers' trustworthiness, attractiveness, expertise can be used communication signals expedite process engagement. Consumers who strongly identify with engage are more likely develop an emotional bond forgive it following crisis. Interestingly, study finds relationships credibility attractiveness identification, trustworthiness nonlinear.