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My identity is my membership: A longitudinal explanation of online brand community members’ behavioral characteristics

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Abstract

Brands play an increasingly important role in consumers’ purchasing decisions in today's post-modern era. Researchers have noticed the formation of a new type of human community – online brand community, where similar interests and experiences bring brand users into a social group, and where community members share product information, knowledge, experience and identity. Brand community helps to identify the perceived social image of consumers, and consumers also use an online brand community to gain the identity recognized by their peers. This article develops a longitudinal framework to describe and explain online brand community members’ brand attachment and their distinctive behaviors. Managerial implications are provided for brand managers in how to properly utilize online brand community to increase and maintain brand equity. To maintain competitive advantage in the post-modern marketplace, companies must invest in their online brand communities, with the objective of developing a positive brand identity through trust and input from the community members.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Business, Ohio University, Copeland Hall 638, Athens, 45701, Ohio, USA

    Yong J Wang, Osama J Butt & Jie Wei

Authors
  1. Yong J Wang
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  2. Osama J Butt
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  3. Jie Wei
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Correspondence to Yong J Wang.

Additional information

1holds a PhD from the University of Texas-Pan American and is an assistant professor of Marketing in the College of Business at Ohio University, USA. His research interests in consumer research include consumer superstition, outshopping behavior, consumer frugality and goal-directed shopping behavior. His works have been published in journals such as Journal of Retailing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Psychology and Marketing and European Journal of Marketing.

2holds an MBA from West Texas A&M University and is an assistant professor in the Department of Management Sciences at National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. He has extensive research and teaching experience at international level. He has published research on women's contribution in economic development, branding, services marketing and inter-organizational relationships. He has also served as reviewer for international conferences and editorial board member of reputable journals.

3holds an MBA from the University of Hong Kong and is a PhD candidate in marketing at the National University of Singapore. Her research interest is consumer psychology and decision making. She has published in Journal of Retailing, European Journal of Marketing, Review of Business Research and International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, among other journals.

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Wang, Y., Butt, O. & Wei, J. My identity is my membership: A longitudinal explanation of online brand community members’ behavioral characteristics. J Brand Manag 19, 45–56 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2011.28

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2011.28

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