Background: In recent years, the emergence of the internet and social networks have allowed consumers to interact and communicate quickly, this means that online social media-based brand communities are an important part of the market. However, does the engagement and activity on social media-based brand communities affect the consumers’ attitude and repetitive purchase?. That is what this research set out to find out. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explain how Social Media Brand Community affects consumers’ attitudes and repurchase behavior based on their activity. Methodology: For this research, a quantitative method was conducted. The research was explanatory, and a cross-sectional research design was used. Afterward, a questionnaire was developed and shared via internet platforms to collect the data needed for this study. Findings: It can be seen that both Activity and Engagement within Social Media brand communities have a statistically significant relationship with Consumers’ attitudes. However, it could also be seen that neither Activity or Engagement have a statistically significant relationship with Repetitive Purchase. Conclusion: Two of the null hypotheses were rejected and two failed to be rejected. To conclude, the results showed that activity and engagement had an effect on attitude but it did not have an effect on repetitive purchases.

No description available.

While innovation has been a critical tool for the success of hospitality businesses, there has been little research concerning how hospitality service innovation is created. Focusing on knowledge development for service innovation, this dissertation examines hospitality open innovation processes by highlighting the critical role of customers as important external stakeholders for knowledge creation. More specifically, this research examines how hospitality brand community members engage in brand activities that co-create non-transactional knowledge value for open innovation. To achieve the research purpose, the dissertation consists of four independent studies. The design of the four studies followed a theory development process focusing on bibliometric analysis (Study 1), exploratory analysis (Study 2), empirical analysis (Study 3), and experimental analysis (Study 4). Study 1 conducted bibliometric co-citation analysis to examine the foundation and evolution of the service innovation research in both hospitality and tourism and service management literature. Study 2 examined how hospitality (hotel) customers engage in an online brand community and what types of value are co-created from their engagement behaviors. Study 3 empirically developed a multi-dimensional measure of customer engagement behaviors for co-creating non-transactional value. Lastly, Study 4 examined how hospitality online brand community members participate in open innovation behaviors as a result of customer empowerment and social recognition. Study 1 identified critical research opportunities for future hospitality and tourism research in terms of innovation creation, diffusion, and evaluation. Most importantly, open innovation via customer engagement was identified as a critical topic to understand hospitality innovation creation. In Study 2, customer engagement behaviors, motivations, and value co-creation were qualitatively analyzed in the context of an online hotel brand community. Using mixed-methods, including netnography analysis and qualitative written interviews, a conceptual framework of value co-creation via customer engagement was developed. Based on this framework, Study 3 developed a scale consisting of 15 items measuring customer engagement behaviors in terms of influential-experience value, C-to-B innovation value, relational value, and citizenship value. Lastly, Study 4 found a causal process that customer empowerment makes a positive impact on the intention of open innovation engagement and the creativity of ideas by mediating intrinsic motivation. / Doctor of Philosophy / While innovation has been a critical tool for the success of hospitality businesses, there has been little research concerning how hospitality service innovation is created. Focusing on knowledge development for service innovation, this dissertation examines hospitality open innovation processes by highlighting the critical role of customers as important external stakeholders for knowledge creation. More specifically, this research examines how hospitality brand community members engage in brand activities that co-create non-transactional knowledge value for open innovation. To achieve the research purpose, the dissertation consists of four independent studies. The design of the four studies followed a theory development process focusing on bibliometric critical literature review analysis (Study 1), exploratory analysis (Study 2), empirical analysis (Study 3), and experimental analysis (Study 4). Specifically, Study 1 critically analyzed service innovation academic studies published in the last decade in both hospitality and tourism and service management journals to get insights into future research directions. Study 2 analyzed how hospitality (hotel) customers engage in online brand community activities in terms of the benefits of the behaviors and the motivations for the engagement behaviors. Study 3 developed a practical tool to measure customer engagement behaviors. Lastly, Study 4 investigated how hospitality online brand community members participate in idea sharing behaviors in terms of customer empowerment and social recognition. Study 1 identified critical research opportunities for future hospitality and tourism research in terms of innovation creation, diffusion, and evaluation. Most importantly, open innovation via customer engagement was identified as a critical topic to understand hospitality innovation creation. Focusing on the open innovation, Study 2 analyzed hospitality customers' various engagement activities and contents created from the activities in an online hotel brand community. A conceptual framework of value co-creation via customer engagement behaviors was developed. Based on this framework, Study 3 developed a scale consisting of 15 items measuring customer engagement behaviors in terms of influential-experience value, C-to-B innovation value, relational value, and citizenship value. Lastly, Study 4 found that customers are likely to share their service ideas with hospitality practitioners when they enjoy doing so with the belief that their ideas can affect brand management decisions.

<p>Abstract</p><p>Title: Cheap Monday – A qualitative study of the consumers’ opinions of the brand (Cheap Monday – En kvalitativ studie av konsumenternas åsikter om märket)</p><p>Number of pages: 38 (40 including enclosures)</p><p>Author: Oskar Norlander</p><p>Tutor: Göran Svensson</p><p>Course: Media and Communication Studies C</p><p>Period: Autumn 2007</p><p>University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University</p><p>Purpose/Aim: The purpose of this essay is to examine from the customers’ perspective how the Swedish jeans-brand Cheap Monday in just three years time could become such a prominent brand on the Swedish market. An additional purpose is to examine whether there is some kind of brand community connected to the brand or not.</p><p>Material/Method: The main method used in this essay has been qualitative interviews with ten consumers of the brand. The answers from these interviews has then been analysed using two different theories, Keller’s Customer Based Brand Equity and Muniz and O’Guinnn’s Brand Community.</p><p>Main results: The main results of this essay is that Cheap Monday is a brand that has become successful due to people’s perception of who the users of the brand are. The consumers has already from the start gotten a good impression of the brand, since they’ve seen people who they liked, and people who they thought were cool and well dressed wearing Cheap Monday clothing. This is linked to the fact that Cheap Monday costs so much less than their competitors, since the “cool people” that use Cheap Monday clothing makes the low price acceptable and a good thing from the customers perspective, instead of it being a indicator that the brand is unfashionable and no good. It has also been proved that there is somewhat of a brand community connected to the brand, even though the respondents in this essay did not feel connected to this community. On the other hand, almost all of the respondents did think that other people who wear Cheap Monday in some way felt some kind of connection to each other, and most of them a reed on that the brand on its own more or less has originated a new style.</p><p>Keywords: Cheap Monday, CM, Brand Equity, Brand Community, consumer, associations, Keller, Muniz, O’Guinn</p>

Abstract Title: Cheap Monday – A qualitative study of the consumers’ opinions of the brand (Cheap Monday – En kvalitativ studie av konsumenternas åsikter om märket) Number of pages: 38 (40 including enclosures) Author: Oskar Norlander Tutor: Göran Svensson Course: Media and Communication Studies C Period: Autumn 2007 University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University Purpose/Aim: The purpose of this essay is to examine from the customers’ perspective how the Swedish jeans-brand Cheap Monday in just three years time could become such a prominent brand on the Swedish market. An additional purpose is to examine whether there is some kind of brand community connected to the brand or not. Material/Method: The main method used in this essay has been qualitative interviews with ten consumers of the brand. The answers from these interviews has then been analysed using two different theories, Keller’s Customer Based Brand Equity and Muniz and O’Guinnn’s Brand Community. Main results: The main results of this essay is that Cheap Monday is a brand that has become successful due to people’s perception of who the users of the brand are. The consumers has already from the start gotten a good impression of the brand, since they’ve seen people who they liked, and people who they thought were cool and well dressed wearing Cheap Monday clothing. This is linked to the fact that Cheap Monday costs so much less than their competitors, since the “cool people” that use Cheap Monday clothing makes the low price acceptable and a good thing from the customers perspective, instead of it being a indicator that the brand is unfashionable and no good. It has also been proved that there is somewhat of a brand community connected to the brand, even though the respondents in this essay did not feel connected to this community. On the other hand, almost all of the respondents did think that other people who wear Cheap Monday in some way felt some kind of connection to each other, and most of them a reed on that the brand on its own more or less has originated a new style. Keywords: Cheap Monday, CM, Brand Equity, Brand Community, consumer, associations, Keller, Muniz, O’Guinn

Studies of human relationships in anthropology, religion, community studies and psychology have determined that willingness to sacrifice plays an important role in reinforcing and strengthening social bonds. It is remarkable that given the increasing prominence of the relationship marketing paradigm, marketers have spent little time investigating willingness to sacrifice as a potential variable of interest. This dissertation extends relationship marketing theory by defining, developing and testing the willingness to sacrifice construct in the context of brand communities. It not only establishes a role for willingness to sacrifice in the nomological network of relationship marketing, but also develops a typology of sacrifices members make in brand communities. Results from two experiments and a field study of two brand communities suggest there are significant relationships between willingness to sacrifice and established constructs in relationship marketing research, such as identification, satisfaction with peers, and norms of reciprocity. Moreover, these findings indicate that willingness to sacrifice is positively associated with beneficial marketing outcomes such as word of mouth, purchase intentions and brand community longevity. By integrating literature from personal psychology, sociology anthropology–all of which discuss sacrifice in terms of how it can benefit and strengthen relationships– this research challenges the conventional marketing assumption that sacrifice is merely “the price one pays.” Taken together, these studies enrich our understanding of willingness to sacrifice in a marketing context, and more specifically, identify a process through which it contributes to brand community success and related marketing outcomes. / Thesis (Ph.D, Management) -- Queen's University, 2014-04-09 10:41:22.156

Studien undersöker olika dimensioner av det omdiskuterade begreppet kundengagemang i ett online brand community på Facebook, i förhållande till tidigare konsumtion och köpintention “offline”. Webbaserade enkäter användes som metod för att undersöka vilka dimensioner av kundengagemang som förekommer i det studerade online brand communityt på Livrustkammarens Facebooksida. Vidare användes en korrelationsanalys för att se om det fanns ett samband mellan de olika dimensionerna av kundengagemang i förhållande till tidigare konsumtion samt köpintention. Slutligen användes logistisk regressionsanalys för att se om någon av engagemangsdimensionerna kunde vara en predikator för tidigare konsumtion respektive köpintention. Resultatet av korrelationsanalysen visade på ett positivt, statistiskt signifikant samband mellan kognitivt engagemang gentemot varumärket i förhållande till tidigare konsumtion. Ett positivt och statistiskt signifikant samband förelåg också mellan alla engagemangsdimensioner i förhållande till köpintention. Regressionsanalyserna visade på endast ett statistiskt signifikant resultat, där kognitivt engagemang gentemot varumärket var en predikator för tidigare konsumtion. Troligtvis berodde avsaknaden av statistiskt signifikanta resultat i regressionsanalyserna på multikollinearitet (korrelation) mellan de oberoende variablerna. Denna korrelation gör det också svårt att undersöka alla tre dimensionerna av engagemang samtidigt i en kvantitativ studie. Framtida forskning kan därför använda sig av en kvalitativ metod, exempelvis netnografi, för att studera de antecedents som lämnats utanför studiens ramar. Resultatet visar också på vikten av att praktiker värdesätter det kognitiva engagemanget gentemot varumärket istället för endast det beteendemässiga, då detta var den enda predikatorn som framkom i förhållande till tidigare konsumtion. Resultatet tyder också på att engagemang i sociala medier har en betydelse för köpintention, då ett samband återfanns mellan alla former av engagemang i communityt ”online” och en intention att besöka museet ”offline”.

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2016-06-06T20:05:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Edna de Souza Machado.pdf: 1327243 bytes, checksum: 7c82d441ec8cc32bdcc377b918bff284 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-06T20:05:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Edna de Souza Machado.pdf: 1327243 bytes, checksum: 7c82d441ec8cc32bdcc377b918bff284 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-25 / This research, inserted into the marketing area, aims to investigate the influence of self-expanded (ARON et al., 1991) on consumer behavior in the Harley-Davidson brand community, an American brand of motorcycles, worldwide famous, whose owners get together, motivated by the brand for several purposes (SOLOMON, 2011). The problem raised by this research is to understand how is the influence of self-expanded on consumer behavior in the Harley-Davidson brand community. Thus, the rationale for this study lies in the approach taken by the light of the Theory of Planned Behavior (AJZEN, 1985) that consumers are influenced or motivated to participate in collective meetings, taking as a starting point the context in which they live, which is provided by the Harley-Davidson brand and they suffer behavioral changes due to the relationships that establish the self-expanded (ARON et. al., 1991) In addition, the brand has consumers that come together and are formed in a strong community setting out mutual commitments which share the same social identity. (BAGGOZI & DHOLAKIA, 2006; ATKIN, 2007; UNDEWOOD, BOND & BAER, 2001). The relevance of this study points to the fact that brand communities represent the key role study for the area of Marketing in Brazil because they offer conditions for us to investigate and understand, in depth, issues related to consumer behavior, understanding of the influence and the kind of culture that the Brazilian consumer receives in regard to Brand equity (ATKIN, 2007; YOO & DONTHU, 2001; AAKER 1998). The corpus of the research included a survey with 193 participants of brand communities. The methodological approach used was quantitative using the SmartPLS for data analysis. The results show that intergroup relations, with respect to attitudes, wishes and positive emotions are feelings shared and that enhance the desire to participate in the activities of this brand community, which culminates with the expansion of the participant's self Harley-Davidson community for belonging, involvement, social identity and behavior with the brand. / Esta pesquisa, inserida na linha de marketing, tem por objetivo investigar a influência do self-expandido (ARON et al., 1991) sobre o comportamento do consumidor na comunidade de marca Harley-Davidson, marca americana de motocicletas, cujos proprietários se reúnem, motivados pela marca, para finalidades diversas (SOLOMON, 2011). O problema levantado foi compreender como ocorre a influência do self-expandido sobre o comportamento do consumidor na comunidade de marca Harley-Davidson. A relevância deste estudo se dá pelo fato de que as comunidades de marca representam papel fundamental de estudo para a área de Marketing no Brasil, pois oferecem condições para se investigar e compreender, com mais profundidade, aspectos relacionados ao comportamento do consumidor, a compreensão sobre a influência e o tipo de cultura que o consumidor brasileiro recebe no que se refere à brand equity (ATKIN, 2007; YOO & DONTHU, 2001; AAKER, 1998). O corpus da pesquisa contou com uma survey com 193 participantes de comunidades de marca. A abordagem metodológica utilizada foi quantitativa com a utilização do SmartPLS para análise dos dados. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que as relações intergrupais, no que tange às atitudes, desejos e emoções positivas, são sentimentos compartilhados e que ampliam o desejo em participar das atividades dessa comunidade de marca, o que culmina com a expansão do self do participante da comunidade Harley-Davidson, pelo pertencimento, envolvimento, identidade social e comportamento com a marca.

Customer engagement is a relatively new topic in research and due to its importance, it has recently received a lot of attention in both academia and practice. Although the attention, it still lacks knowledge regarding its components and driving factors. While previous research solely has included high involvement product categories, the purpose of this study was to shed light on low involvement product categories, by examining the driving factors of customer engagement within low involvement product categories. A qualitative method was chosen by implementing an inductive approach, and conducting eight in-depth unstructured interviews, with sensitizing concepts as a theoretical background. The reason for the method of choice in this thesis was based on the argument that the authors wanted to contribute new insights into the research field. The findings indicated seven prominent themes that were interpreted as driving factors of customer engagement within low involvement product categories, namely, marketing communication, brand traits, brand activations, brand ambassadors, brand values, brand-self connection, and fellowship. Since the purposive sample only focused on customers, the brand perspective was excluded.

品牌，對現今的行銷及組織經營而言早已成為相當重要的課題，因為它不僅是一個圖像或名稱，而是讓組織與商品得以在眾多的競爭者間脫穎而出的策略；而品牌必須要不斷的擴大顧客對於品牌的終生貢獻價值，即顧客權益（customer equity）的擴張，因此當忠誠度能夠幫助顧客權益的擴張時，組織如何建立忠誠度即成為廣受關注的議題，而能幫助忠誠度發展的「品牌社群」便漸漸吸引許多學者的研究。 本研究以McAlexander、Schouten與Koenign（2002）三位學者提出的「品牌社群關係模型（brand community relationship model）」為基礎，希冀以品牌社群成員的觀點研究「品牌社群經營」、「品牌社群關係」與「品牌忠誠度」間關係，並進一步探討品牌的「理性傾向」對於上述「品牌社群經營」、「品牌社群關係」以及「品牌忠誠度」關係的影響。 本研究以多個不同品牌的品牌家族為研究對象，透過Swatch、Samsung以及Sony三個品牌家族的經營者進行深入訪談後，以Swatch、Seiko、Samsung三個不同品牌的品牌家族為問卷調查對象，經由一系列的量化分析後得出以下研究結論： 一、品牌社群關係與品牌忠誠度 品牌社群內的社群成員與品牌的關係好壞對品牌忠誠度是有正向驅動關係；而透過比較不同品牌社群的品牌社群關係構面對品牌忠誠度的作用，發現不同品牌會呈現不同的強弱影響關係。 二、品牌社群經營與品牌社群關係 社群成員在品牌社群中，對於「人際相關的社群活動（communal community program）」的參與較能幫助成員與品牌的關係，而「實質利益相關的社群活動（non-communal community program）」的經營與品牌社群關係的好壞並無顯著的關係，因此品牌社群若能提供社群成員良好的「人際互動經驗」較能明顯幫助品牌社群關係的建立。 三、社群成員對品牌的理性傾向與品牌社群經營 理性傾向將會降低品牌社群成員對於人際相關活動的參與情形，連帶的降低社群活動期望的正向差距，因此消費者對品牌的態度越理性，對於品牌社群的經營就有較不利的影響。 四、品牌理性傾向與品牌忠誠度 雖然「理性傾向」對於品牌社群的經營有不利的效果，不過在研究中發現到當品牌給社群成員越多理性的資訊時，社群成員會藉由增強對經營公司的好感以幫助品牌忠誠度的建立。 / Brand has become an important issue to marketing and organization management nowadays, for it is not only a logo or a name but a strategy that distinguishes an organization and its products from numerous competitors. A brand must continuously expand its customers’ lifetime contribution value, namely the increase of customer equity. Therefore, when loyalty helps increase customer equity, how an organization establish loyalty becomes a critical issue, while “brand community” that assists developing loyalty gradually arise many scholars interest in research. The research adopts “brand community relationship model” by McAlexander, Schouten and Koenign (2002), attempting to study relationship among “brand community management”, “brand community relationship” and “brand loyalty” via perspective of brand community members, and further discussing influence of brand “rational inclination” on the aforementioned “brand community management”, “brand community relationship” and “brand loyalty”. The research uses multiple-brand family as research subject, conducting in-depth interview with managers of three brand families of Swatch, Samsung and Sony, and choosing brand families of Swatch, Seiko and Samsung as questionnaire targets. The following conclusions are derived after a series of quantitative analysis: 1. Brand community relationship and brand loyalty Relationship between members of brand community and brand has positive correlation to brand loyalty. By comparing different brand community’s effect of brand community relationship dimension on brand loyalty, the research found different brands generate different level of influence relationship. 2. Brand community management and brand community relationship Participation in “communal community program” by members of brand community reinforces relationship between members and brand, yet no significant relationship is found between management of “non-communal community program” and brand community relationship. Thus, it is more obvious in establishing brand community relationship if brand community provide members with satisfactory “interrelationship experience” 3. Community members’ rational inclination toward brand and brand community management Rational inclination will reduce brand community members’ participation in interrelationship activities, which reduces positive gap in social activity anticipation. Hence, the more rational attitude consumers hold toward a brand, the less favorable effect it has on management of brand community. 4. Brand rational inclination and brand loyalty Although “rational inclination” has less favorable effects on management of brand community, the research found that when more rational information is provided to community members, they will enhance establishment of brand loyalty by increasing goodwill toward the company.