Literature on consumer engagement is growing significantly, yet there is limited empirical research on its drivers and outcomes. This study examines the key drivers and outcomes of consumer brand ...engagement (CBE) in the context of Australian mobile phone service providers. The results reveal that consumer involvement, consumer participation and self-expressive brand have differing effects on the CBE dimensions (cognitive processing, affection and activation) and brand loyalty. Specifically, involvement, participation and self-expressive brand are all found to positively impact cognitive processing. Also, involvement and self-expressive brand positively influence affection. While, a positive relationship is established between involvement and activation, self-expressive brand emerges as a negative driver of activation. Further, the results show that affection and activation positively influence brand loyalty. Surprisingly, cognitive processing negatively impacts brand loyalty, whilst involvement (unlike participation and self-expressive brand) has a positive direct effect on brand loyalty. Managerial and academic implications, as well as areas for future research are discussed.
Purpose
The ever-growing popularity of social media platforms is evidence of consumers engaging emotionally with these brands. Given the prominence of social media in society, the purpose of this ...paper is to understand social media platforms from a “brand” perspective through examining the effect of consumers’ emotional attachment on social media consumer-based brand equity (CBBE).
Design/methodology/approach
This paper develops a model that outlines how emotional brand attachment with social media explains social media CBBE via shaping consumer perceptions of brand credibility and consumer satisfaction. An online survey of 340 Australian social media consumers provided data for empirical testing. The inclusion of multiple context-relevant covariates and use of a method-variance-adjusted data matrix, as well as an examination of an alternative model, adds robustness to the results.
Findings
The findings of this paper support the conceptual model, and the authors identify strong relationships between the focal variables. A phantom model analysis explicates specific indirect effects of emotional brand attachment on CBBE. The authors also find support for a fully mediated effect of emotional brand attachment on social media brand equity. Further, they broaden the nomological network of emotional brand attachment, outlining key outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
This paper offers a conceptual mechanism (a chain-of-effects) of how consumer emotional brand attachment with social media brands translates into social media CBBE. It also finds that a brand’s credibility as well as its ability to perform against consumer expectations (i.e. satisfaction) are equally effective in translating emotional brand attachment into social media CBBE.
Practical implications
Social media brands are constantly challenged by rapid change and ongoing criticism over such issues as data privacy. The implications from this paper suggest that managers should make investments in creating (reinforcing) emotional connections with social media consumers, as this will favorably impact CBBE by way of a relational mechanism, that is, via enhancing credibility and consumer satisfaction.
Social implications
Lately, social media in general has suffered from a crisis of trust in society. The enhanced credibility of social media brands resulting from consumers’ emotional attachments will potentially serve to enhance its acceptance as a credible form of media in society.
Originality/value
Social media platforms are often examined as brand-building platforms. This paper adopts a different perspective, examining social media platforms as brands per se and the effects of emotional attachments that consumers develop towards these. This paper offers valuable insights into how consumers’ emotional attachments drive vital brand judgments such as credibility and satisfaction, ultimately culminating into social media CBBE.
This special issue of the Journal of Consumer Behaviour aims to contribute to the knowledge of the drivers of environmentally sustainable behaviour and the characteristics of green consumers. It ...consists of eight papers that represent a range of topics related to consumer behaviour and environmental sustainability. The special issue has several implications. First, environmentally sustainable behaviour is influenced by multiple motives and determinants, which include internal, social, situational and demographic factors. Second, the impact of such factors tends to vary across national and consumer context. Third, integrative and comprehensive models including mediators and/or moderators could be used to better understand the mechanism through which the various factors affect pro‐environmental behaviour. Fourth, green marketing initiatives (e.g., sustainable products, green advertising) could be used to promote consumer's pro‐environmental beliefs and behaviours. Finally, interventions aimed at influencing habit and promoting environmentally sustainable behaviour should be tailored to different target groups such as those with different personality dispositions, environmental concerns and levels of engagement in environmental practices at home.
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of perceived value and innovativeness (service concept newness and relative advantage) in promoting customer brand engagement behaviors ...(CBEBs) and brand loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
The conceptual model was empirically tested using nationwide survey data from 430 customers of Uber in Australia. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The results of this study show that collecting brand information is positively influenced by perceived value, service concept newness and relative advantage. Participating in brand marketing activities is positively influenced by service concept newness and relative advantage. Interacting with others is positively influenced by perceived value and service concept newness. Subsequently, brand loyalty is positively influenced by participating in brand marketing activities and interacting with others. The direct impacts of perceived value and relative advantage on brand loyalty are also established.
Research limitations/implications
This study only collected data from Uber customers. Another limitation of this study is the use of cross-sectional data.
Practical implications
To promote brand loyalty, service innovation needs to have both the right characteristics (i.e. perceived value, service concept newness and relative advantage) and practices that foster customer brand engagement behaviors.
Originality/value
Although service-dominant logic (SDL) is a theoretical lens used by research in the areas of service innovation and customer engagement, empirical studies that integrate the two areas remain limited. The findings of this study suggest a new mechanism in which service innovation can increase loyalty through increased CBEBs.
Very few studies have investigated place image (PI) and place attachment (PA) from the perspective of the residents. Accordingly, this study aims to evaluate the effect of PI and PA on residents' ...perceived value of tourism development (PVTD) and their support for tourism development (STD). A sample of 390 residents of Isfahan, Iran completed a survey questionnaire. Data were analysed by the structural equation model technique using Smart PLS. Results indicated that PI influenced PA, the value of tourism development and STD. It is also shown that PA affected the PVTD and support of further tourism development. The mediation role of PVTD in the relationship of both PA and PI with the STD has been confirmed. Findings from this survey can help researchers and authorities to better recognize some of the driving factors including residents' PI, PA and PVTD that influence resident STD. Finally, implications and recommendations for the development of tourism in Isfahan city are provided.
With a lack of a comprehensive understanding of travel motivation toward a food destination, this study aims to identify internal motives of potential food tourists and their preferred destination ...attributes by adopting the push-pull framework. A survey was conducted via online networks of 'foodies' yielding 335 valid responses. Results of exploratory factor analyses and measurement model evaluations indicated three push factors: taste of food, socialization and cultural experiences; and three pull factors: core food-tourism appeals, traditional food appeals and local destination appeals. The results contribute to our understanding of food travel motivation from both a tourist and a destination perspective. Practical managerial implications for Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) are also provided.
This study aims to investigate the impact of desired self-identity, green perceived value and altruistic values on brand loyalty towards green brands (i.e., electric and hybrid cars) and the ...mediating role of customer engagement behavior on these relationships. Further, this study proposes that greenwashing perception, which can be defined as consumers perceiving organizations to be dishonest about their environmental claims, moderates the indirect effect of desired self-identity, green perceived value and altruistic values on brand loyalty via customer engagement behavior. Data were collected from a nationwide online survey of 170 customers who have purchased and used electric and hybrid cars. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using Smart-PLS and PROCESS were employed to test the hypotheses. This study’s findings indicate that desired self-identity, green perceived value and altruistic values positively influence consumer engagement behavior with the focal green car brands. Further, the mediating effect of customer engagement behavior on brand loyalty was generally found. Additionally, greenwashing perception was found to moderate the indirect effect of desired self-identity and altruistic values on brand loyalty via customer engagement behavior. The indirect effect of desired self-identity and altruistic values on brand loyalty via consumer engagement behavior was stronger at lower levels of greenwashing perception than at higher levels. This study offers key managerial implications on how green brands can promote customer engagement behavior and brand loyalty.
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of entrepreneurial passion and in doing so explores the relationship between harmonious and obsessive passion (OP) and resilience. A pathway ...between passion and entrepreneurial success (ES) that is mediated by sustained entrepreneurial commitment (SEC) and resilience is tested.
Design/methodology/approach
An online questionnaire survey was completed by (n=215) Australian entrepreneurs. Results were based on structural equation modelling analysis.
Findings
Harmonious passion contributes directly and indirectly to perceptions of ES through resilience; OP contributes to SEC which contributes to success through resilience.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations stem from the survey methodology used. Implications for incorporating harmonious and OP into training to ensure well developed entrepreneurs are raised.
Originality/value
This study is one of the few studies to test the theoretical constructs of passion and resilience in the entrepreneurship context, and seemingly the first to do so on an Australian sample of entrepreneurs. This research finds that both types of passion are important to individual level resilience and ultimately to ES. An OP for one’s venture is an important contributor to persisting with the venture.
Ride-sourcing services are increasingly popular since they were first introduced in the last decade. Particularly in developing countries where public transport systems have received less investment, ...ride-sourcing services are considered to be an informal form of public transport and have become an indispensable part of the transport systems. This study aims to construct and validate an integrated framework to explore the direct and indirect relationships between four constructs (perceived service quality, perceived safety, involvement and satisfaction) and passengers’ loyalty in the context of ride-sourcing services. By using data from a survey conducted in Vietnam from November to December 2018, partial least squares-structural equation modelling was applied to analyse the conceptualised model. The findings show that perceived service quality, involvement and satisfaction are found to be good predictors of passengers’ loyalty to ride-sourcing services while the direct relationship between perceived safety and loyalty has not been confirmed. However, involvement is found to fully mediate the causal link from perceived safety to loyalty. The research results should help ride-sourcing firms increase their financial performance and assist authorities to develop policies and regulations for ensuring passengers’ safety.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of celebrity endorser credibility on consumer self-brand connection and endorsed brand equity. A conceptual model is developed, ...positioning consumer self-brand connections as a partial mediator of the effect of endorser credibility on endorsed brand equity.
Design/methodology/approach
– A cross-sectional survey of 382 consumers of sports drinks in the USA was conducted to estimate the conceptual model. Stimuli, devised on the basis of a pre-test, involved celebrity–brand pairings in the context of the US non-aseptic sports drinks industry. Structural equation modeling is used as the analytic tool.
Findings
– The research model is empirically supported. Celebrity endorsements impact endorsed brand equity via two pathways. First, a direct effect of endorser credibility on endorsed brand equity was observed, which is positively moderated by the degree of consumer-perceived endorser–brand congruence. Second, self-brand connection partly mediates the effect of endorser credibility on endorsed brand equity, supporting an indirect mechanism of brand equity enhancement.
Practical implications
– Managers can now consider using celebrities as tools to develop meaningful self-concept-related connections with consumers. Additionally, the results of this study support for the use of celebrity endorsers as direct brand equity-enhancing tools.
Originality/value
– This study is among pioneering investigations that examine the self-concept repercussions of celebrity endorsements, suggesting that celebrity endorsers possess the ability to engage with consumers at the self-concept level, in turn, impacting endorsed brand equity. Additionally, this paper examines the direct and indirect mechanisms by which celebrities influence consumer-based brand equity of the endorsed brand.
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