This study seeks to address the mixed findings of prior studies regarding the effect of online brand community on customer value. Based on the regulatory focus theory, we hypothesize that participation in a brand community tend to increase both visit and purchase frequencies of customers with promotion-focus; on the contrary, the same would typically decrease visit and purchase frequencies of c...

Developed to address the challenges of the social web, this study aims to determine how consumers’ involvement in user-generated content (UGC) affects brand equity. The formation and testing of a conceptual model addresses a gap in the literature by exploring links between UGC, involvement and consumer-based brand equity. Based on previous research complemented by depth interviews with experts,...

This study examines how customer interactions in virtual brand community (VBC) affect perceived benefits and brand loyalty. We propose an integrated framework to conceptualize the relationships between VBC interactions, perceived benefits, participation and loyalty, with brand identity as moderating variable. Given the popularity of Apple’s products in China, Mcfans, a VBC frequented by Apple c...

Background. Through years of spectator interaction, historical moments, heroic performances, and the creation of traditions or rituals, these established teams are excellent examples of brand communities. For newly introduced teams, these elements are likely to be in short supply and many of them struggle to build a community around their sport team. Objectives. This study explored brand co...

Online brand communities, enabled by social media technology, are being utilized by companies to improve marketing and sales. However, little is known about how to encourage customer interactions in an online brand community and whether the interactions can affect purchase behavior. To address these research questions, we explore factors that influence the formation of social interactions in an...