The Role of Online Brand Community Engagement on the Consumer–Brand Relationship

Francisco J. Martínez-López, Rocío Aguilar-Illescas, Sebastián Molinillo, Rafael Anaya-Sánchez, J. Andres Coca-Stefaniak and Irene Esteban-Millat
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Francisco J. Martínez-López: Business School, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain
Rocío Aguilar-Illescas: Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Malaga, 29013 Malaga, Spain
Sebastián Molinillo: Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Malaga, 29013 Malaga, Spain
Rafael Anaya-Sánchez: Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Malaga, 29013 Malaga, Spain
J. Andres Coca-Stefaniak: Faculty of Business, University of Greenwich, London SE10 9LS, UK
Irene Esteban-Millat: Department of Marketing, Open University of Catalonia, 08018 Barcelona, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of online brand community (OBC) engagement on strategic aspects for the brand supporting the community. A total of 628 valid responses were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. The authors tested the proposed model using structural equation modeling. The results show that OBC engagement directly favors participation in the community, willingness to co-create with the brand, and positive sord-of-mouth (WOM); it also has an indirect positive influence on brand loyalty. At the same time, OBC engagement is directly influenced by OBC identification and, through this, indirectly influenced by brand identification. Likewise, brand trust directly influences brand co-creation, loyalty, and positive WOM. However, OBC participation has been shown to have no significant effect on brand co-creation and positive WOM.

Keywords: online brand community; engagement; participation; co-creation; positive WOM (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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