Brand Fan Research Articles

Perceived identity threat and brand advocacy responses to different types of brand-related attacks

PurposeUsers frequently target rival brands through direct criticism or indirect customer insults, yet the impact of such attacks on brand advocacy remains unexplored. The purpose of this study is to classify online attacks into brand-targeted attacks and consumer-targeted attacks and further investigate their differential impacts on brand advocacy and the underlying mechanism and a boundary condition of those impacts.Design/methodology/approachThree experimental studies using different types of brands (electronics, universities and sports footwear) are conducted to examine the effects of brand-related attack targets on brand advocacy.FindingsThis research shows that consumer-targeted attacks trigger higher brand advocacy through increasing perceived identity threat than brand-targeted attacks. Moreover, the effect of consumer-targeted attacks (versus brand-targeted attacks) on brand advocacy is mediated by perceived identity threat and mitigated when consumers’ identification with the attacked brand is strong.Practical implicationsThe study’s findings yield practical applications for marketers and brand managers, assisting them in understanding consumers’ reactions to brand attacks. This study serves as a reference for firms to consider leveraging the association between brand identification and brand-related attack targets and uniting with loyal brand fans to manage online brand conflicts.Originality/valueThe present study extends prior literature on customer-brand relationships in the context of online attacks. Through investigating the impacts of brand-targeted and consumer-targeted attacks on brand advocacy, this research offers theoretical insights into consumers’ responses to online attacks with different targets.

Unleashing the role of e-word of mouth on purchase intention in select Facebook fan pages of smart phone users.

This study aims to examine the impact of e-WOM on customer purchase intentions in Facebook fan pages using theories of trust, value co-creation and brand attitude. The present research has set out to explore this emerging domain of study and has thus developed & tested propositions which attempt to establish a relationship between e-WOM and customer's purchase intentions. A deeper understanding of this possible association is obtained by studying the mediating roles of Trust, Value Co-Creation, Brand Image and Brand Attitude. The context for exploring this phenomenon is chosen to be the fan pages of smartphone brands on Facebook. The study involved conducting a sample survey of 490 respondents, comprising of both male and female, who belong to 5 smartphone brands Facebook fan pages-Samsung, Moto G, Lenovo, MI and ASUS are considered for the study. Out of which sample of 100 each has been targeted individually. The findings suggested that e-WOM significantly predicts the purchase intentions of the customers of a specific product and considerable impacted on the purchase decision. The findings of the study also reveal that customer 's trust beliefs, perceived value co-creation, brand image and brand attitude partially mediate in between relationships of e-WOM and purchase intention. The actual presence of different types of consumer electronics brands on the social media, more prominently, the smartphones, which undoubtedly are the most ubiquitous product of this segment. In fact, this indicates that presence on social media is a well- thought organizational strategy developed by companies to gain partial control over the customer 's decision- making process by establishing a close connect with the customers for a long period. This consequence will significantly impact the decision-making process of marketers or practitioners in relation to their marketing tactics. This research also indicates that marketers could devise more effective methods for distributing marketing content through social networking sites, while corporations can cultivate favorable electronic word-of-mouth for their products or services. Through the implementation of social media marketing strategies, companies can increase their sales volume and generate higher revenue. The study examined the role of trust, virtual community participation, and desire to purchase as mediators on smartphone brand fan sites on Facebook. It was observed that these factors had a partial influence on customer purchase intention.

Research on the influence of digital human avatar characteristics on brand fans effect

PurposeThis study aims to provide supplements to the research on digital human avatar (DHA) and suggestions for brands to use DHA appropriately to build brand fans effect.Design/methodology/approachOn the basis of integrating Avatar theory and Stimulus-organism-response theory, this study obtains data from 733 Chinese respondents aged 18–25 and uses regression analysis and bootstrap analysis to verify the relationships among the variables: DHA characteristics (form realism, behavioral realism and brand alignment) as the independent variables, brand fans effect as the dependent variable, consumer positive emotion as the mediating variable and product type (experience vs search) as the moderating variable.FindingsThe results show that DHA characteristics positively influence brand fans effect and consumer positive emotion, consumer positive emotion positively influences brand fans effect and consumer positive emotion plays a mediating role. Meanwhile, for experience products, the impact of DHA’s form realism and behavioral realism on consumer positive emotion is higher than that of brand alignment; for search products, the impact of DHA’s brand alignment on consumer positive emotion is higher than that of form realism and behavioral realism.Originality/valueThis study enriches and expands the empirical research perspectives and conclusions in the DHA field, improves its research framework and provides suggestions for brands to appropriately use DHA to build brand fans effect.

Saved by a brand: An odyssey of personal deliverance

It remains hard to understand the process whereby people claim to have been saved by a brand. How can a commercial entity take on religious meanings like salvation? Our research addresses this mystery by diving deep into the lives of individual brand fans. We describe their journey of salvation by a brand in detail, from the key moment of brand revelation, when the brand appears as savior, to the ways in which the brand delivers them from their sufferings. For these fans, the brand becomes a companion that helps them significantly improve their existence. Our findings demonstrate that the religious dimension of brands is not limited to brand communities and their rituals. This dimension also emerges through the efforts of individual consumers who create their own brand religions and find salvation in the process. Religions do not have a monopoly on salvation; brands can be saviors too.

How does language intensity of brand fan word-of-mouth (WOM) affect customers' willingness to adopt WOM? An empirical study based on psychological resistance theory

PurposeManaging the growing word-of-mouth (WOM) of brand fans has become a new challenge for companies in the fan economy era. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of language intensity of brand fan WOM on customers' willingness to adopt WOM based on psychological resistance theory and to reveal the underlying mechanism of this process.Design/methodology/approachA research model was developed to test the proposed hypotheses. Two experiments were conducted on an online platform using data from 708 participants. The independent samples t-test and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data.FindingsThe results show that, in the context of WOM among brand fans, high-intensity language leads to a lower willingness to adopt than low-intensity language and threats to freedom mediate this effect. Moreover, the restoration postscript moderates the effect of language intensity on threats to freedom and customers' willingness to adopt WOM.Originality/valueUnlike previous studies that focused on electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) language content, this paper focuses on language intensity to reveal the psychological process of customers' willingness to adopt brand fan WOM. The findings not only enrich the research related to the language effect in eWOM, but also deepen the understanding of the influence effect on brand fan WOM, providing effective guidance for brands to manage fan WOM.

The effect of interactivity of brands’ marketing activities on Facebook fan pages on continuous participation intentions: An S–O-R framework study

Social media platforms have become crucial in helping brands build their marketing activities. We investigate the effect of interactivity of brands' marketing activities on Facebook fan pages on continuous participation (i.e., commenting and sharing) intentions. The S–O-R (stimulus-organism-response) framework is used to examine consumers' psychological states (perceived brand fan page experience and attachment) and subsequent behavioral responses (continuous participation intentions) after being stimulated (social media marketing activity interactivity). Using an online questionnaire, this study surveyed the top 15 brands' Facebook fan page users worldwide. We obtained 216 valid responses and used partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to analyze the data. Results show that the more interactive a brand's marketing activities are on its Facebook fan page, the higher the perceived experience. In addition, perceived experience positively affects brand fan page attachment. Perceived experience and brand fan page attachment positively affect continuous participation intentions. Perceived experience partially mediated the relationship between interactivity and continuous participation intentions. Brand fan page attachment also partially mediated the relationship between perceived experience and continuous participation intentions.

Walk in Someone Else’s Shoes: Fan Group Behavior and Rivalry in Sport and Athletic Footwear Brands

AbstractThe current study investigated how sport fans and those of popular athletic footwear brands Nike and Adidas perceived and behaved toward their favorite and relevant rival brands. First, sport fans were compared with fans of athletic footwear brands to determine if differences were present in their favorite and rival brand perceptions. Sport fans reported higher identity toward their favorite brand, and more derogation toward a rival team than fans of the Nike and Adidas athletic footwear brands. Analysis also revealed that identifying as a fan ofbothsport and athletic footwear was associated with more positive attitudes directed at the favored footwear brand, while fans of Nike and Adidas did not differ in how they viewed their favorite and rival athletic footwear brands. Discussion and implications for researchers and marketing professionals is included, along with avenues for future research.

Communication Strategies Used in Corporate Facebook Pages and Motivations of Consumers for Following These Pages

Abstract The new communication tool of our current era is certainly Facebook because it is the most commonly used social network application in the world. Therefore, consumers perceive businesses which are not a member of Facebook as a business which cannot keep up with the new era and thus they want their favourite brands to be on Facebook. However, for businesses to be on Facebook is not just about opening a profile page. Businesses need to create a brand community that they get into interaction with their stakeholders in order to gain dynamism and mobility to their Facebook brand fan pages. Therefore, businesses need a variety of effective corporate communication strategies that they can apply on their Facebook pages. The corporate communication strategy that a business employs on Facebook should be compatible with the goals and purposes that a business wants to reach. A business which use a certain corporate communication strategy on Facebook will determine the contents that it will share on Facebook in line with this strategy and will create the desired perception on its target audience. On the other hand, a business which doesn’t apply a particular corporate communication strategy on Facebook probably doesn’t know which goals that it wants to reach. Therefore, businesses which share random contents on their Facebook pages try to continue their Facebook pages by trial and error. However, because of this situation, they cannot get the desired effectiveness, appeal and efficiency from their Facebook pages in the long term. Furthermore, stakeholders need some level of motivation in order to follow businesses on Facebook. If a business knows what the motives of usage are, it can shape its Facebook messages in the right direction. This way, more followers will gather around the brand community of the business on Facebook.

The Role of Content Strategy in Social Media on Brand Post’s Popularity: A Case of Higher Education Institutions in Turkey

Abstract The highly competitive higher education market has turned to branding as a solution for dealing with today’s global challenges. One important tool of a sustainable brand strategy involves forming brand fan pages and attracting followers on social networking web sites. Implementing effective content strategy on brands’ fan pages can help to form and foster relationships with the target group. Thus the aim of this study is to understand the role that content strategy in social networking web sites plays in determining the popularity of brand posts’ created by leading higher education institutions in Turkey. Results indicate that the top ten higher education institutions in Turkey most commonly made posts representing the Text + image + link content type. The majority of posts to community members were created by the institutions themselves, involved university news and were primarily made on weekdays between noon and 18:00. Additionally, MANOVA analyses were conducted to investigate the role of various elements of content strategy on brand posts’ popularity. Results indicate that content type, content agility, content context, posting type, and posting day significantly impact the number of likes, shares and comments, which are indicators of brand posts’ popularity.

Fanning the flames: Transmitting negative word of mouth of rival brands

Brands’ negative word of mouth (NWOM) generated by their unsatisfied consumers is increasingly transmitted by fans of competing brands. Although extant research has examined the generation of NWOM because of consumers’ negative consumption experience, little is known about the role of fans of rival brands in spreading NWOM of a focal brand and how the focal brand can mitigate this rival NWOM transmission. This research aims to investigate why fans who highly identify with rival brands are willing to transmit the focal brands’ NWOM and how the focal brand can mitigate the NWOM transmission. Through four studies comprising two surveys and two experiments, this article shows that consumers’ identification with rival brands leads to the NWOM transmission of focal brands, and that schadenfreude mediates the effect. Furthermore, NWOM transmission can be attenuated when the focal brand has responded to the original NWOM in an empathic way. This study enriches the word-of-mouth literature and offers important managerial implications.

The Last Breakfast with Aunt Jemima and Its Impact on Trademark Theory

The generally-accepted law and economics theory of trademarks fails to explain why a brand owner would ever walk away from a trademark that generates financially lucrative returns. In 2020, that is exactly what happened again and again as brand owners pledged to abandon racially explicit marks in the weeks following George Floyd’s murder. As citizens became more attuned to the experiences of those depicted in racial marks, the owners of Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, the Cleveland Indians, the Redskins, the Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum and others announced these brands’ days were numbered. By evoking racist stereotypes, they became a moral liability. They could not be authentically unifying if they promoted values inconsistent with contemporary notions of equality and anti-racism. This Article situates the adoption of racially explicit brands in a historic context and explores the reactions of the targeted communities. It then explains why multiple legal challenges to these federal trademark registrations failed. The traditional law and economics paradigm used to justify and explain trademark law does not account for strategic trademark decisions driven by values and expressive community connections. While law and economics captures the essential message a symbol must communicate to function as a mark, it neglects to explain why some marks fail or, in spite of spectacular success, may be abandoned. When a theory cannot account for what is happening in practice, it is time to reach for new tools to help explain the significant role trademarks play in reflecting and leading cultural dynamics. 
 The consumer investment framework is ideally suited to fill this theoretical gap. It accounts for expressive and value driven decision making. It embraces the many ways we engage with marks apart from the point of purchase. In addition to purchasing trademarked products, people invest trademarks with time, meaning, and money. Open dialogue between brand managers, influencers, and fans facilitates connections through shared values. By accounting for brand meaning, communities, and values, the consumer investment theory provides a better framework for understanding the abandonment of racist imagery in a way that traditional law and economics cannot. Where law and economics fails to function as an explanatory paradigm, the consumer investment model provides a theoretical framework for understanding how trademarks function if they are to succeed and what qualities make them resilient enough to remain resonant in a constantly changing cultural environment.

Examining ePWOM-purchase intention link in Facebook brand fan pages: Trust beliefs, value co-creation and brand image as mediators

This study integrates the theory of reasoned action, value co-creation theory and attribution theory to investigate electronic positive word-of-mouth (ePWOM) and consumer's purchase intention link in the presence of trust beliefs, value co-creation, and brand image as mediators in the context of brand fan pages of smartphones on the social networking site, Facebook. Results indicate a positive association between ePWOM and consumer's purchase intention with trust beliefs, value co-creation, hedonic brand image and functional brand image partially mediating this relationship. Furthermore, the results supported the serial mediation model where ePWOM influenced purchase intentions through trust beliefs and value co-creation in a sequential manner.

Mediating role of hedonic and utilitarian brand attitude between eWOM and purchase intentions: a context of brand fan pages in Facebook

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to adopt stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) theory to reveal the impact of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) on buying intentions of young consumers in the presence of hedonic brand attitude (HBA) and utilitarian brand attitude (UBA) as mediators, among smartphone customers in the context of brand fan pages in Facebook.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a single cross-sectional design to survey a sample of 326 young online customers present in leading smartphone brand fan pages on Facebook in India. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data and replies were recorded on a Likert scale (five-point). The data was subjected to structural equation modelling for model and hypotheses testing.FindingseWOM has a significantly positive influence on the buying intentions of the young. Both HBA and UBA partially mediate the influence of eWOM on buying intentions.Research limitations/implicationsThe study examines only the personal-oriented functions of attitude and does not investigate the role of social dimensions of attitudes. Its scope is confined to smartphones in the consumer electronics segment and only Facebook among social networking sites.Practical implicationsA theoretical contribution to eWOM literature is made by studying it under the lens of S-O-R theory and functional theory of attitudes. Measurement of two different dimensions of attitude, i.e. hedonic and utilitarian, may facilitate managers to comprehend the source of variance in consumers’ decision-making behaviour in the online context.Originality/valueThe only study to explore brand attitude as a mediator in its multi-dimensional form, in the context of social eWOM.

Brand loyalty in online brand communities in Malaysia: A Uses and Gratifications perspective

This study examines the online communities’ gratifications of social media usage and to understand how their perceived values within an online brand page environment can affect brand loyalty. In addition to the content-oriented and relationship-oriented aspects of uses and gratifications of online brand communities, this study also includes economic value to the existing model considering online promotions and rewards may encourage consumer brand engagement and subsequently lead to brand loyalty. The data collected via snowball sampling method consisted of the responses of 150 respondents who are in one or more online brand communities of different brands in Malaysia. The result shows that functional value and hedonic value are the most important motivators to drive brand loyalty in online brand communities. The result implies that the brand loyalty in online brand communities in Malaysia depends on the functionality and pleasant sensations experienced from the brand fan page. The result suggests that brand page should deliver informative, rich and customised information contents to fulfil the satisfaction of online communities. This study provides insight on social media users’ perceived values that drive their satisfaction and loyalty towards the brand via the fan page, which in turn helps brand marketing practitioners in Malaysia to understand on how these perceived values may influence the brand loyalty of online communities, particularly from the perspective of the Uses and Gratifications theory.

Exploring Drivers and Outcomes of Lurking Engagement and Posting Engagement in Social Media-Based Brand Communities:

Social media-based brand communities (SMBBC) offer valuable opportunities for brands to build customer engagement (CE). Hitherto brands lack the knowledge of the forms of engagement in SMBBC that drive brand loyalty, effectiveness of investment in SMBBC, and the expected returns on the investment. Hence, the main objective of the study is to determine the drivers of CE in SMBBC, identify how they relate to two forms of engagement behaviors: lurking and posting, and their influence on resulting brand loyalty. PLS-SEM analysis of 229 fans of brands on Facebook established that significant differences exist between the drivers for lurking and posting engagement by hedonic and utilitarian brands type. Lurking engagement emerged as a significant and a stronger type of engagement behavior for brand loyalty than posting engagement. The study furnishes valuable insights on lurking and posting engagement and the variation in these engagement forms by hedonic and utilitarian brands in SMBBC.

Understanding customer brand engagement in user-initiated online brand communities: antecedents and consequences

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of customer brand engagement (CBE) by proposing and empirically testing a model of antecedents and consequences of CBE for user-initiated online brand communities (OBCs).Design/methodology/approachThe model is tested using a sample of 584 participants in two relevant OBCs created and managed by brand fans. Specifically, data were collected from two communities in the photography products category: Nikonistas and Canonistas.FindingsThe results indicate that community and brand identification positively and significantly influence CBE. Furthermore, the supporting role of OBCs’ moderators facilitates CBE and moderates the influence of community identification on CBE. Regarding the outcomes of CBE, the results show that higher levels of engagement are positively, directly and significantly associated with favorable intentions towards the brand and the community. These effects are then mediated by brand affective commitment.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has been conducted in two Spanish OBCs of two specific high-involvement products category: it is cross-sectional and focuses on a limited number of antecedents and consequences.Practical implicationsEvidence from this research supports and emphasizes the potential that these platforms have for brand management such that firms’ resources could be best allocated on those elements that lead to superior CBE.Originality/valueThe study endorses the role of CBE in fostering brand and community-related favorable outcomes in the context of user-initiated OBCs. It shed lights on the potential that these online platforms have for brands and on the role that brand management should play in digital contexts that are outside the direct control of the company.

The Value of Brand Fans during a Crisis: Exploring the Roles of Response Strategy, Source, and Brand Identification

Using a two (crisis response strategy: diminish vs. rebuild) × three (source: brand organization vs. brand executive vs. brand fan) experimental design, this study examines how brand fans (i.e., consumers who identify with a brand) can be prompted to protect a brand’s reputation during crises and how the selection of a crisis spokesperson can influence consumers’ evaluations of the crisis communication. Being buffers for their preferred brands, brand fans are more likely to accept their brand’s crisis response and engage in positive electronic word-of-mouth on social media. Brand fans are more likely to evaluate other brand fan’s social media accounts as a credible crisis communication source, whereas those who are not brand fans are more likely to evaluate brand and/or brand executives as credible. Findings provide theoretical applications in paracrisis literature pertaining to social media but also practical implications for brand managers to strategically utilize brand fans in crisis communication.

Investigating the Moderating Effects of Social Wellbeing on the Relationship between Brand Identity and Fan Loyalty amongst Soccer Fans in America

This study builds on Funk and James (2001) and Bauer et al.'s (2008) attempts at modeling the relationship between brand identity and fan loyalty by examining the relationship in the context of fans of professional soccer in the United States. Social wellbeing is introduced into the model, answering the question "What are the moderating effects of social wellbeing on the relationship between brand identity and fan loyalty amongst fans of MLS?". A multiple regression analysis was done to verify the conceptual pathway delineated by Bauer et al. The results showed that the model accounted for 40.6% of the variance (R2 = .406) and the model encompassing both non-product and product related attributes did significantly predict fan loyalty, F (2,26) = 9.341, p = .000. Additionally, non-product related attributes contributed significantly to the modelB (B = .034, p = .475) while product attributes did not. Implications of the results are discussed.

Self-construal on brand fan pages: the mediating effect of para-social interaction and consumer engagement on brand loyalty

Social media is a powerful tool for brands to entice and retain customers. However, research on how para-social interaction (PSI) through social media leads to brand loyalty is lacking. To bridge this gap, this study examines the sequential mediating roles of PSI and consumer engagement as well as the moderating effect of self-construal in building brand loyalty on Facebook brand fan pages. Using 497 responses from survey participants, we find that consumers with high interdependent self-construal, regardless of their levels of perceived interactivity and openness, have high PSI, consumer engagement, and brand loyalty. Moreover, the positive effects of interdependent self-construal on brand loyalty are mediated sequentially by PSI and consumer engagement. However, for those with high independent self-construal, both high perceived interactivity and high openness have positive effects on para-social interaction, consumer engagement, and brand loyalty. Moreover, the positive effects of perceived interactivity and openness on brand loyalty confirm the sequential mediating roles of PSI and consumer engagement. These findings would help brands streamline their operations to optimize brand loyalty.

The relationship between brand associations and fan behaviours for football teams

The intense competition in the sports sector has caused changes in the sports marketing perception of team management. Club managements aim to develop brand relationships, strengthen fan loyalty and manage fan behaviors to establish an emotional bond between club brands and fans for gaining competitive advantage. In this context, the current study aimed to assess the relationships between brand relationships, fan loyalty, and fan behavior in football teams. The survey sample is 503 (293 male, 210 female) respondents. Data were collected from Besiktas Gymnastics Club, Fenerbahce Sports Club, and Galatasaray Sports Club team supporters by face-to-face survey method. The structural equation model was used in the research hypothesis testing. The findings identified no statistically significant effect of the attributes and benefits, defined as team brand associations facets, on fan behaviors. Brand associations had a significant influence on the attitudinal and behavioral loyalty of supporters. Besides, behavioral loyalty was an important determinant of fan behaviors. The results indicated that approximately 68% of the variance of attitudinal loyalty could be explained by the attributes and benefits of brand associations’ facets (R2=.677). Furthermore, facets of the brand associations accounted for approximately 66% of behavioral loyalty variance (R2=.659). Both brand associations (attributes and benefits) and fan loyalty (attitudinal and behavior loyalty) facets explained approximately 32% of the variance in fan behavior (R2=.317). Consequently, it is important to create strong and competitive brand associations in football teams, independent of sporting achievement, create positive fan behaviors, and support these behaviors. The research results could be useful for sports managers/marketers and theorists to explain and interpret fan behaviors.