Rise and fall of interactions with brand communities

Abstract

PurposeThis paper investigates the impact of consumer relationships with brand communities on behavioral interactions on Instagram. The objective is to identify different types and stages of relationships between consumers and brand communities on Instagram using social penetration theory and explain the behavioral interactions of consumers resulting from these relationships across different stages.Design/methodology/approachA mixed method strategy was employed combining a qualitative multi-case study and an online survey. Eight individuals following restaurant and apparel brands on Instagram participated in the first study and 202 samples participated in the online survey.FindingsFifteen different types of relationships were identified between consumers and brand communities on Instagram and were classified into five stages ranging from orientation to de-penetration. The results reveal that behavioral interactions (i.e. consuming and participating) rise across the first four stages of brand community relationship development and fall down at the fifth stage.Originality/valueThis paper introduces new relationship types and stages and brings together different pieces of extant literature to explain the rising and falling of behavioral interactions resulting from consumer relationships with brand communities on Instagram.

Relationship between Utility, Entertainment, Socialization and Satisfaction to Brand Attitude and Purchase Intention in Instagram in Indonesia

“…This finding is also different from research result that the utility of Instagram, which includes perceived originality and perceived uniqueness influences the opinions of opinion leaders; then they will affect the satisfaction of their followers (Casalo, Flavián and Ibáñez-Sánchez, 2017). But if a user is satisfied with an Instagram account, it is expected that consumers feels more willing to follow that account in the future and consumer can feel a strong deep relationship with brand community (Moghaddam and Esfidani, 2020). And in Instagram, socialization is a important things for users.…”

“…In recent years, many companies have changed the way they introduce and sell their products; technological factors are one of the main causes of this important transformation (Olenski, 2018;Roubaud, 2018;Ratchford, 2020). Internet-based information and communication technologies enable online platforms to facilitate interaction and communication between consumers and businesses, creating brand communities (Moghaddam and Esfidani, 2020). As a consequence of this, the smartphone industry is growing rapidly, and social media platforms have become the main tool for many companies to introduce their products and brands; Instagram, a social media platform that is very popular today, has shifted to become not just a place for social interaction, but has become a marketing instrument that continues to grow, along with the continuous addition of new features to Instagram for business use.…”

“…Most companies are using Instagram to enjoy the advantages of building brand communities on this platform. However, the majority of brand community members are passive rather than active (Moghaddam and Esfidani, 2020). But in Saudi Arabia, Instagram has been used to promote brands through the role of influencers using opinion leadership.…”