The emergence and impact of consumer brand empowerment in online social networks: A proposed ontology

Abstract

This article presents a proposed model introducing consumer brand empowerment and discussing its antecedents and outcomes. Consumer brand empowerment reflects the perceived empowerment resulting from the consumer's influence over the brand-related attitudes and behaviors of other consumers in an online social network. The antecedents in the proposed ontology focus on the sharing of brand information in online social networks and how it promotes a sense of consumer empowerment by enabling a consumer to influence the brand attitudes of other consumers. The online social network participation factors studied include reach and how its impact is moderated by variety, depth and frequency of brandrelated information sharing in social networks. The outcomes resulting from consumer brand empowerment relate to the desired cognitive, affective and behavioral brand experiences sought by an empowered consumer. The article discusses the implications of the research relative to both marketing researchers and managers interested in understanding brand management within the emerging social network landscape.

Industrial Heritage 2.0: Internet Presence and Development of the Electronic Commerce of Industrial Tourism

“…Given the intangible nature of tourist services and the widespread use of social networks, personal recommendations become a highly influential factor when making a purchasing decision [11,50]. Moreover, with the Internet, the recommendations through the web 2.0 known as electronic word of mouth (eWOM) are becoming more important because these recommendations influence other customers [51][52][53]. It is therefore vitally important for companies and tourist destinations to include on their websites applications that foster feedback with the customer and in which the tourist plays an active role [30].…”

YouTube Vloggers as Brand Influencers on Consumer Purchase Behaviour

“…Vloggers may be regarded as celebrities by their viewers/subscribers and thus their endorsements are considered as credible sources in generating positive eWOM regarding particular products and services (Spry et al, 2011;Boyd et al, 2014;Dwivedi et al, 2014). A two-way interpersonal relationship of vloggers with viewers is possible through the comments section, which acts to build credibility and trustworthiness.…”

Journal of Brand Management – Year end review 2016

“…The potential to allow and encourage customers or community members to engage in a relationship with a brand via digital channels and technologies is not a new phenomenon (see Moore and Andradi, 1996;Foster et al, 2011;Lim and Melewar, 2011;Yan, 2011;Wallace et al, 2012;Boyd et al, 2014;De Vries and Carlson, 2014). Yet, despite at least two decades of the World Wide Web and more than a decade of growth in the use of social media, building or managing a brand remains something of a vexing challenge in the digital realm as highlighted by Holt (2016), with many organisations struggling to find a branding model that fits well.…”