A Customer Value Theory Approach to the Engagement with a Brand : The Case of KakaoTalk Plus in Korea

Abstract

As an increasing number of people gained access to social network services (SNS), organizations started to use SNS as a channel for marketing and promotional purposes. The online advertising market has significant growth potential. Brand engagement is a key motive for online advertising, but how SNS users engage with brands, particularly in terms of the promotion of organizations, is poorly understood. This study uses customer value theory to examine brand engagement of users in terms of promoting companies in the context of Korean SNS marketing. This study identifies the antecedents of brand engagement based on customer value theory. Our findings show the significance of three factors of SNS marketing, namely, price discount, relationship support, and convenience, on brand engagement. We further show the consequences of brand engagement, namely, purchase decisions and word-of-mouth activities. These findings help advance customer value theory and offer practical insights into the use of information systems and marketing in the context of SNS.