The impact of external social and internal personal forces on consumers’ brand community engagement on Facebook

Abstract

Purpose Consumer engagement has been designated as an approach to describing online interactions that more comprehensively reflects the nature of consumers’ interactive relationships in online brand communities. This paper aims to explore consumers’ brand community engagement in the context of Facebook brand pages. This research puts forth the hypothesis that consumers’ brand community engagement on Facebook is dependent upon two overarching themes: external social forces and internal personal forces. Design/methodology/approach Based on social impact theory, social identity theory and social exchange theory, a conceptual research model is developed and empirically tested through structural equation modelling using cross-sectional data of 460 Facebook brand fans. Findings The empirical results suggest that internal personal forces primarily positively influence brand community engagement, while external social forces can even impact consumers’ brand community engagement negatively. Research limitations/implications Future research should test and validate the proposed model for specific categories and brands. Practical implications This paper offers help to online brand marketers to trigger meaningful engagement of consumers in a brand community on Facebook. Originality/value This paper examines the consumer engagement construct from a behavioural perspective in a defined social media context and highlights the peculiarities of online brand communities on Facebook that distinguish them from traditional brand communities. The research uses a strong theoretical foundation to develop a model that investigates the prevalent variables that influence consumers’ brand community engagement on Facebook.

The evolution of brand management thinking over the last 25 years as recorded in the Journal of Product and Brand Management

“…To satisfy various personal and social needs (Palazon et al, 2015;Ruane and Wallace, 2015;Simon et al, 2016), or to express their feelings towards a brand (Kaufmann et al, 2016) consumers decide to belong to brand related groups. Consumers develop bonds, a sense of community, and a social structure with other people who consume a same brand (Taute and Sierra, 2014).…”

“…Consumers develop bonds, a sense of community, and a social structure with other people who consume a same brand (Taute and Sierra, 2014). Although brand related consumer groups, or brand communities, have existed for a long time, the wide use of the internet and social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest facilitate the process of consumers finding likeminded individuals that support the brands they like (Dessart et al, 2015;Simon et al, 2016;Tafesse, 2016). In sum, research shows that, individually or collectively, consumers are using brands to define their individual and social selves.…”

New challenges in brand management

“…Markets have become more global, brands have become diffused across borders and cultures (Frank and Watchravesringkan, 2016) and the technological advances have enhanced the cultural borrowing and the interaction of interested parties across the globe. The wide use of the internet and social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest facilitates the process of consumers finding likeminded individuals that support the brands they like without any constrain of geographic boundaries (Dessart et al, 2015;Simon et al, 2016;Tafesse, 2016). Technology has played an important role in how consumers experience brands, as research in internet and social media context has proven (Dessart et al, 2015;Vernuccio et al, 2015).…”

Drivers and outcomes of branded mobile app usage intention

“…Simon, C., Brexendorf, T. O., and Fassnacht, M. (2016), "The impact of external social and internal personal forces on consumers' brand community engagement on Facebook," Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 25 No.…”