Brand cocreation and immersion: the link between sense of brand community and attitude toward a brand

Abstract

PurposeThe current study aims to develop a comprehensive model of cocreation and immersion/engagement for café brands as well as their antecedent and consequences in a café brand context. Inherently involving highly socially involving consumption settings, cafés are particularly conducive to brand cocreation.Design/methodology/approachThe current study tested a model of these relationships by analyzing data from customers of a local café and those of a global café, Starbucks, situated in the same town, Karakoy, in Istanbul, Turkey. Data from 241 respondents were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the model of the study.FindingsResults show that sense of brand community is a powerful predictor of cocreation and brand immersion, which are also important antecedents of attitude toward a brand including, cognitive, affective and conative dimensions. Results also revealed slight differences between the local and global brands in terms of brand cocreation's influence on brand trust and loyalty.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is conducted with a limited number of customers of two cafés in a city in Turkey. Future research with the customers from other locations of these cafés, especially the multinational customers of the international café brand is needed to retest the model for its validity.Practical implicationsThe significant differences between ratings of local and global café brands are positive news for local and traditional cafés that are losing considerable market share to their global competitors. Strategic cocreation implementations can be used to instill special and robust relationships with consumers.Originality/valueThe study provides evidence that in highly socially dynamic brand contexts, such as café brands, brand community is a critical predictor of cocreation and brand immersion, which then affect attitude toward a brand with cognitive, affective and conative dimensions, reflected in brand trust, brand love, satisfaction with the brand, brand commitment and brand loyalty.

Customer brand co-creation on social media: a systematic review

“…In the context of social media, previous studies used the social identity theory to explain that when customers identify with a brand, they are more likely to engage in in-role behaviors, including co-creation processes (Molinillo et al, 2020;Foroudi et al, 2020;Acikgoz and Tasci, 2021).…”

“…Moreover, consumers who dedicate resources to CBC on social media are likely to engage with the brand (Harrigan et al, 2021), which increases the strength of the relationship between consumers and the brand. As a result, various constructs related to brand relationship strength are widely employed as consequences of CBC in the social media context, for example, customer brand engagement Harrigan et al, 2021); brand involvement (Shulga et al, 2021;Sanz-Blas et al, 2019); brand attachment (Sanz-Blas et al, 2019); and brand trust (Acikgoz and Tasci, 2021).…”

Value co-creation and destination brand equity: understanding the role of social commerce information sharing

“…Branding in a destination context is unique and complex given the nature of the tourism (Acikgoz and Tasci, 2022). Consequently, destination marketers must carefully think about the marketing strategies that a destination can employ to strengthen its brand equity.…”

“…This makes it a strategic intangible asset that should be effectively managed, improved, and optimised (Gonz alez- Mansilla et al, 2019). This is because it provides added value and experiences through value co-creation (Acikgoz and Tasci, 2022). Therefore, understanding how destination managers could leverage social commerce platforms in developing marketing communication strategies aimed at promoting attractive destination brands is imperative.…”

COVID-19-based threat vs coping appraisal: effect of psychological risk on customer engagement and behavioral intentions

“…To put it differently, during the pandemic, consumer behavior is likely to display unique dynamics (by revealing high perceived risk; Itani and Hollebeek, 2021;Chua et al, 2020), thus challenging some of the insights obtained into literature in normal market conditions and warrants more examination. Thus, it is important to explore perceived risks and SMI's role in CBE, cocreation and behavioral intention during (vs pre-) pandemic (Acikgoz and Tasci, 2022;Bremser et al, 2021). Scholars have also investigated CBE mediator relationship (Hollebeek et al, 2014;Leckie et al, 2021).…”