Co-constructing loyalty in an era of digital music fandom

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to answer the following question: How can a discursive approach to how music fans construct loyalty in a digital context contribute to a theoretical understanding of brand loyalty? Design/methodology/approach Drawing on insights from theories of brand loyalty and fandom, this interpretive inquiry makes use of data from an online forum dedicated to the rock music band, U2, and interviews with forum members. A combination of online ethnography and discourse analysis are used. Findings The analysis shows that music fans mobilise particular discursive resources in constructing loyalty in the digital context, specifically length of time spent as a fan, obsession and the opposition of obligation and choice. These discursive resources reflect a grounded account of an experientially rooted brand loyalty that extends beyond attitudinal and behavioural loyalty and which is particularly salient in music consumption. Research limitations/implications This is a single case study, but as a rich and vibrant online community, it provides fruitful insights into the discursive construction of loyalty. The processes of negotiation, accommodation and conflict, engaged in through online discourse, are important in laying bare the preferences, value systems and meanings that frame the experiences of loyal consumers. Practical implications This socially constructed view of loyalty facilitates a more sensitive and nuanced application of brand loyalty, with implications for segmentation and targeting activities. It provides a possible basis through which precise insights can be gained into the meanings and practices of loyal fans and consumers. Originality/value Examining loyalty through the lens of online music fandom enables a discursive understanding of consumers’ experience of brand loyalty. It shows how online engagement with other consumers of a brand facilitates a deep engagement with the notion of loyalty.

Hang with Me—Exploring Fandom, Brandom, and the Experiences and Motivations for Value Co-Creation in a Music Fan Community

“…Fans' deep and positive emotional experiences (Baym, 2018;Duffett, 2013) and broad knowledge of their object of interest are often expressed in everyday and social situations as a consistent, loyal and often religious-like allegiance (Löbert, 2012;Obiegbu et al, 2019). At the centre of fandom is the ability to transform personal feelings into social interactions (Jenkins, 2006).…”

“…Previous research on brand communities, consumer fandom and value co-creation has largely focused on studying what fans do (their practices, behaviours and contributions; see Obiegbu et al, 2019;Sorensen & Dennan, 2017;Cook & Everist, 2001) for the sake of the brand. This kind of search for an understanding of fans' motivations and loyalties often lacks the fans' own perspective.…”

Resisting to Game of Thrones: a fannish agonism

“…With the advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), participatory cultures and fandoms have migrated to virtual environment (Guschwan, 2012;Obiegbu, Larsen, Ellis & O'Reilly, 2019). This can be seen mainly in the forms of social organization, since fandoms represent arranges demarcated by an intense cultural production (Fuschillo, 2016;Lanier Jr, Rader & Fowler III, 2015).…”

The critical music fan: the role of criticality in collective constructions of brand loyalty

“…However, these approaches are limited in their ability to provide an understanding of consumers' lived experience of brand loyalty. As argued by Obiegbu et al (2019), an experientially driven brand loyalty, characterised by intense brand engagement, socialization and centrality in identity, highlights the active role of the consumer in constructing and negotiating what loyalty means in any given context. This is particularly relevant in the context of experientially-rich cultural products (e.g.…”

“…It is no surprise therefore, that at the first signs of what would ultimately evolve into the internet, fans began using the new medium to build infrastructures and platforms for their fandom, thus pushing practices that had previously remained hidden, such as social interactions and material productivity, into visible and accessible spaces (Baym, 2018;Pearson, 2010)). The digital platform has consequently provided space within which loyal consumers and fans can co-construct and negotiate marketplace meanings, including what it means to be a loyal fan (Obiegbu et al (2019). This study explores how the act of expressing criticism against a music brand fits with the identity and practices associated with being a loyal fan of that brand.…”