TY - JOUR
T1 - Antecedents and consequences of customer engagement on Facebook
T2 - An attachment theory perspective
AU - Hinson, Robert
AU - Boateng, Henry
AU - Renner, Anne
AU - Kosiba, John Paul Basewe
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited.
PY - 2019/6/6
Y1 - 2019/6/6
N2 - Purpose: Marketing researchers have usually studied consumers’ attachment to brands from an emotional bonding perspective. However, the purpose of this study is to show that attachment to objects is not only limited to bonding. Thus, the authors conceptualised the attachment theory from two perspectives: bonding-based and identity-based attachment. In addition, the study further seeks to identify the elements of each component and examine how these elements drive customer engagement on a brand’s Facebook page while assessing some consumer-related outcomes of customer engagement on Facebook. Design/methodology/approach: Using an online survey, the authors examined antecedents of customer engagement on Facebook and the outcomes of engagement behaviours among 649 respondents. Structural equation modelling was used in analysing the data. Findings: The results of the study show that consumers’ attachment to a brand drives them to engage the brand on the brand’s Facebook page. The results also show that the consumer engagement of brands on Facebook results in positive user-generated contents and consumer involvement. Practical implications: Managerially, the attachment theory provides value for marketers in terms of evaluating customer–brand relationships and how such a relationship can yield positive results. Originality/value: This study expands how the attachment theory has been conceptualised and applied in the marketing literature. The study shows that consumer attachment to brands is identity-based in addition to being bonding-based.
AB - Purpose: Marketing researchers have usually studied consumers’ attachment to brands from an emotional bonding perspective. However, the purpose of this study is to show that attachment to objects is not only limited to bonding. Thus, the authors conceptualised the attachment theory from two perspectives: bonding-based and identity-based attachment. In addition, the study further seeks to identify the elements of each component and examine how these elements drive customer engagement on a brand’s Facebook page while assessing some consumer-related outcomes of customer engagement on Facebook. Design/methodology/approach: Using an online survey, the authors examined antecedents of customer engagement on Facebook and the outcomes of engagement behaviours among 649 respondents. Structural equation modelling was used in analysing the data. Findings: The results of the study show that consumers’ attachment to a brand drives them to engage the brand on the brand’s Facebook page. The results also show that the consumer engagement of brands on Facebook results in positive user-generated contents and consumer involvement. Practical implications: Managerially, the attachment theory provides value for marketers in terms of evaluating customer–brand relationships and how such a relationship can yield positive results. Originality/value: This study expands how the attachment theory has been conceptualised and applied in the marketing literature. The study shows that consumer attachment to brands is identity-based in addition to being bonding-based.
KW - Brand
KW - Facebook
KW - Social media advertising
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85062502443&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1108/JRIM-04-2018-0059
DO - 10.1108/JRIM-04-2018-0059
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85062502443
SN - 2040-7122
VL - 13
SP - 204
EP - 226
JO - Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing
JF - Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing
IS - 2
ER -