Purpose
Marketing researchers have usually studied consumers’ attachment to brands from an emotional bonding perspective. However, the purpose of this study is to show that attachment to objects is not only limited to bonding. Thus, the authors conceptualised the attachment theory from two perspectives: bonding-based and identity-based attachment. In addition, the study further seeks to identify the elements of each component and examine how these elements drive customer engagement on a brand’s Facebook page while assessing some consumer-related outcomes of customer engagement on Facebook.
Design/methodology/approach
Using an online survey, the authors examined antecedents of customer engagement on Facebook and the outcomes of engagement behaviours among 649 respondents. Structural equation modelling was used in analysing the data.
Findings
The results of the study show that consumers’ attachment to a brand drives them to engage the brand on the brand’s Facebook page. The results also show that the consumer engagement of brands on Facebook results in positive user-generated contents and consumer involvement.
Practical implications
Managerially, the attachment theory provides value for marketers in terms of evaluating customer–brand relationships and how such a relationship can yield positive results.
Originality/value
This study expands how the attachment theory has been conceptualised and applied in the marketing literature. The study shows that consumer attachment to brands is identity-based in addition to being bonding-based.
The study sought to investigate Ghanaian bank customers' ranked preference for corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and determine which initiative has the greatest effect on their attitudes and behaviour toward banks. A sample of 384 retail bank customers was employed in the study. The study applied a one-way MANOVA and two univariate ANOVAs. The study found that customers have the highest preference for corporate philanthropy initiatives, followed by customercentric and community volunteering initiatives. Additionally, the overall effects of CSR initiatives on customers' attitude and behavioural intentions toward bank brands are found to be significant. More specifically, the study found, using a Scheffé post-hoc test, that corporate philanthropy initiatives have the greatest effect on both attitude and behavioural intentions towards bank brands. Based on the findings, the study recommends that corporate philanthropy initiatives are the best type of CSR initiative that retail banks should apply to enhance customers' attitudes and behaviour towards their brands in Ghana.
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