Reducing consumer loneliness through brand communities

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of belonging to brand communities in improving consumer well-being and brand evaluations. Design/methodology/approach Two studies were conducted. Study 1 manipulates the framing of a brand to be either socially- or product-oriented and measures brand community joining intentions based on underlying levels of consumer loneliness and need to belong. Study 2 manipulates feelings of belongingness with a brand community and measures its impact on relatedness satisfaction, state loneliness and brand evaluations. Findings Study 1 finds that lonely consumers with a high need to belong are more likely to express intentions to join a brand community when it is socially-oriented. Study 2 finds that belonging to a brand community improves relatedness satisfaction which, in turn, reduces state loneliness and improves brand evaluations. Practical implications This research has significant implications for marketing practitioners who are looking to foster relationships among consumers in the form of brand communities, especially given the positive impact of these communities on consumer well-being. These findings suggest that marketers should create brand communities that foster a social (rather than product) focus to create a sense of belongingness with the brand and among its community members, and that doing so can improve relatedness satisfaction needs and reduce consumer loneliness. Originality/value This research contributes to the growing literature on consumer loneliness and is among the first to identify the positive psychological outcomes of socially-oriented brand communities on loneliness.

Rise of ‘Lonely’ Consumers in the Post-COVID-19 Era: A Synthesised Review on Psychological, Commercial and Social Implications

“…This cluster contains three key themes: marketplace relationships , mobility and disability issues , and consumer well-being . Being linked to the central theme of affiliation motivation, this cluster addresses lonely consumers’ compensatory attachment to marketplace relationships with salespersons, brand communities or online celebrities (e.g., parasocial and telepresence) [ 56 , 57 , 58 ]. A particular emphasis is placed on the well-being of the disadvantaged consumers or the elderly, who are vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation [ 59 , 60 ], especially given the current situation of COVID-19 [ 11 , 61 ].…”

“…Literature in this regard has shown that consumers develop meaningful relationships with the brands, consumption communities, service providers and in-store salespersons that buffer interpersonal insecurity and compensate consumers’ fundamental need for belongingness [ 1 , 57 , 59 ]. For example, Snyder and Newman [ 57 ] showed that consumers treat brand communities as a viable avenue for social connections. The traditional communities, which are geographically-bound, are in decline in the fragmented modern society, whereas the brand communities are fast-growing on social media, which create social relatedness and ease loneliness [ 1 ].…”

Examining Drivers of Brand Community Engagement: The Moderation of Product, Brand and Consumer Characteristics

“…They also propose that customer factors (e.g., customer expertise) play their roles in driving OBC engagement. For example, Snyder and Newman [37] indicated that loneliness motivates consumers' brand community participation. In light of their framework, we reviewed the literature on the antecedents of OBC engagement in Table 1.…”

“…Bagozzi and Dholakia [44] found that the identification of the group of consumers of a brand leads people to participate in the brand community. Within OBCs, consumers usually experience a great deal of meaningful social interaction and build close social relationship such as trust and intimacy [4,37,62]. Therefore, people usually tend to participate in OBCs for social purposes [37,41].…”

“…Within OBCs, consumers usually experience a great deal of meaningful social interaction and build close social relationship such as trust and intimacy [4,37,62]. Therefore, people usually tend to participate in OBCs for social purposes [37,41]. For example, consumers may find friends with similar interests.…”