Leaving the Home Turf: How Brands Can Use Webcare on Consumer-generated Platforms to Increase Positive Consumer Engagement

Abstract

The level of brand-related consumer engagement is considered to be a key determinant of successful social media activities. However, due to the commonly high levels of consumers who merely consume instead of being actively engaged, companies seek strategies to increase consumer engagement. Additionally, a large part of consumers’ engagement does not occur on platforms controlled by the brand, but on consumer-generated platforms. Based on social learning theory we propose webcare as a reaction to positive engagement to be an effective marketing tool for reinforcing observing consumers’ engagement intentions, especially on consumer-generated platforms. In an experimental online study we reveal that webcare can be used to increase engagement intentions on consumer-generated platforms, and that consumers’ surprise explains this reinforcing effect. Moreover, we show that in these consumer-dominated spaces, personal webcare is more effective in driving consumer engagement intentions than impersonal webcare, and that this effect is explained by consumers’ perceptions of a brand's conversational communication style. The results indicate that brand managers should leave their home turf and use webcare on consumer-generated social media platforms outside of their direct control.

Brand gender and consumer-based brand equity on Facebook: The mediating role of consumer-brand engagement and brand love

“…high levels of brand masculinity or brand femininity) should also positively influence consumer-brand interactions on Facebook. These interactions between consumers and brands, and also among consumers, are usually referred to as consumer engagement (Schamari & Schaeffers, 2015).…”

“…Even though the three-dimensional conceptualization of engagement is the most widely accepted, behavioral consumer engagement has appeared in several studies (e.g. Gummerus et al, 2012;Schamari & Schaeffers, 2015;van Doorn et al, 2010), particularly those on CBE in social media. Hence, consumer-brand interactions and consumer-to-consumer communications about the brand are considered critical indicators of CBE on Facebook (Gummerus et al, 2012;van Doorn et al, 2010).…”

‘We’ are more likely to endorse than ‘I’: the effects of self-construal and brand symbolism on consumers’ online brand endorsements

“…Many brands are keen on receiving endorsements from their consumers (Wallace, Buil, and De Chernatony 2012;Schamari and Schaefers 2015), in the hope of sidestepping shortcomings of traditional advertising techniques, such as avoidance and resistance (Fransen et al 2015;Kaikati and Kaikati 2004). Therefore, the question of why consumers would endorse brands online in the first place receives increasing attention from both industry and academic research.…”

Elektronik Ağızdan Ağıza İletişimin Pazarlama Literatüründeki Önemi

“…Ayrıca, firmaların yeni ürün geliştirirken (Decker ve Trusov, 2010) ve pazar yapısının tahmininde (Lee ve Bradlow, 2011;Netzer vd., 2012) online yorumlardan yararlandıkları görülmüştür. Bu sebeple firmaların, tüketicileri online yorum yazmaya teşvik için yeni yöntemler geliştirdikleri görülmektedir (Schamari ve Schaefers, 2015;Jensen, 2008;Balagué ve De Valck;De Vries vd., 2012).…”

“…E-AAİLT ile geleneksel AAİLT arasındaki tek fark internetin yer alması gibi görünse de bu farklılık AAİLT'in işleyiş sürecinde önemli bir etki yaratmıştır. Artık firmalar, AAİLT'deki gibi pasif bir rol oynamamakta, bu yorumların öneminin farkında olduğu için kişileri online yorum yazmaya teşvik etmekte (Schamari ve Schaefers, 2015;Balagué ve De Valck;De Vries vd., 2012) ve yazılan bu yorumları yöneterek yeni müşteriler kazanmayı ve müşteri kayıplarını önlemeyi amaçlamaktadırlar (Mayzlin, 2006;Xiong ve Bharadwaj, 2014;Van Laer ve De Ruyter, 2010). Bu iletişim türünün mesaj göndericilerini (kaynağını) herhangi bir ürün ya da hizmeti tüketip, bu ürün ya da hizmetten tatmin olan müşteriler (Gounaris vd., 2010;Hsu vd., 2013) ile yaşadıkları tatminsizliği bir an önce kitleler ile paylaşmak isteyen kişiler (De Matos vd., 2012;Gebauer vd., 2013;Lin vd., 2011;Parthasarathy ve Forlani, 2010;Presi vd., 2014) oluşturmaktayken; bu sürecin mesaj alıcılarını yazılan bu yorumlardan yararlanarak ürün ya da hizmetler ile ilgili bir karar vermeye çalışanlar (Gershoff vd., 2003;Häubl ve Trifts, 2000;Senecal vd., 2005) ve bu yorumlarla ürün, marka ya da hizmet seçen müşteriler (Gupta ve Harris, 2010;Kulkarni vd., 2012;Senecal ve Nantel, 2004) oluşturmaktadırlar.…”