Advancements in information technology have shaped the way customers and organisations interact with one another. Online brand communities (OBCs), especially have found their way into 21st century relationship marketing. While research embraces these OBCs for their cost-efficiency and ability for quicker and more intimate interactions, it has not thoroughly examined the procedure through which participation in such OBCs affects the major constructs of relationship marketing. Drawing from the commitment-trust theory and its central concepts of brand trust and brand commitment, this thesis utilizes this theory in a brand community and in an online context. Using probability sampling and a self-administered questionnaire, this study employs a deductive logic to investigate if higher levels of commitment and identification with an OBC translate to increased attachment, identification, trust and commitment toward the brand that the OBC supports. Furthermore, it demonstrates that this OBC-generated commitment is significant to brand managers since it enhances brand equity in terms of positive Word-Of-Mouth, customers' propensity to pay a price premium and oppositional brand loyalty. Similarly, this thesis underlines the importance of understanding the process through which an OBC member gradually develops strong emotional ties with the OBC, as a result of continuous interaction with other OBC members.

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The media play a major role in every part of American society by distributing content that has value to individuals, and a National Football League (NFL) sports fan club is no different. This study examines how members of a Kansas City Chiefs' fan club use media to stay connected to their team and socialize with fellow members. Social identification theory explains that when an individual comes together with one or more individuals with like-minded interests, they form social bonds. Their shared interests allow them to disseminate Chiefs' information through content gathered from media usage. To understand how the Chiefs' fans use media, the author conducted research at a Kansas City Chiefs' sports club at a local bar in a large Southeastern city in the United States. The researcher used observation, participation, and interviews to collect information on the media usage of fan club members. The results find that the majority of members logged on to KCStar.com and KCChiefs.com when they wanted to read about the team from sources that lived in the Kansas City Region. When the members wanted to follow the games live, one person listened to play-by-play on their cellular phone, while others followed Internet updates on sports Web sites, or watched the games on television with the other fan club members.