Research on Information Dissemination Model in WeChat-Based Brand Community

Abstract

The recent emergence of WeChat-based brand communities in China is regarded as an effective channel for user-centric service marketing. However, Brand-related information dissemination and acceptance are the main hindering force in their sustainability. Despite the growing popularity of these brand communities, there has been only limited research modeling the brand-related information dissemination rule and process. The present study examines the factors affecting brand-related information dissemination and models the process of brand-related information dissemination in WeChat-based brand communities. Based on the characteristics of WeChat, this paper presents a modified information dissemination model. It quantifies the brand information dissemination process through MATLAB simulation and gets the law of information propagation. The influence of user acceptance threshold and social motivation in information dissemination is examined. The study findings suggest that the user acceptance threshold and relative motivation have obvious positive effects on the width and the speed of brand information dissemination. The findings have implications for organizations intending to use WeChat-based brand communities to practice user-centric service marketing.