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Influencing COBRAs: The effects of brand equity on consumers' propensity to engage with brand-related content on social media This research examines whether perceptions of brand equity influence consumers' propensity to engage with brand-related content on social media. By combining two frameworks: consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) and consumers' online brand-related activities (COBRAs) we develop two conceptual models and empirically test their validity. Using survey data from respondents across a range of brands, we estimate conceptual models from both a macro-and a micro-relationship perspective. From the macrorelationship perspective, findings suggest that consumer-based brand equity positively drives consumers' behavioral engagement with brands on social media. From the micro-relationship perspective, findings indicate that brand associations influence the consumption and contribution of brand-related social media content, while brand loyalty additionally influences the creation of brand-related social media content. Finally, brand quality was found to negatively effect consumers' behavioral engagement: the lower the perceived quality, the more individuals consume and contribute brand-related content to social media.

This research investigates whether creating a brand experience during a sponsored event can add to the success of that sponsorship. It is posited that a direct brand experience might harvest its own intrinsic benefits by intensifying consumers' direct contact with the sponsoring brand. To examine this proposition we conducted a quasi-experimental field study. During a sponsored marathon event in April 2010 data were collected. One of the main sponsors of the event, a well known financial services company, created a brand experience in which all runners could participate. In this brand experience -the 'running support truck' -runners could engage in activities related to running, including chat sessions with fellow athletes, free massage, information about running and diets, and a free running shirt. The sponsor's brand name was present in all activities. Two weeks after the event, runners were invited, by email, to complete an online survey questioning them about the marathon and the sponsoring brand (i.e. top of mind awareness, brand recall and brand attitude). We compared the data of participants who ran the marathon and also engaged in the brand experience with those who solely ran the marathon. The results

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