An investigation into consumer brand engagement : scale refinement, drivers and outcomes

Abstract

In the past decade, consumer-brand engagement (CBE) has received much research attention among marketing academics and practitioners owing to its strategic imperative to modern firms. However, despite this focus, CBE continues to fragment in terms of its conceptualisation, dimensionality, measurements, drivers and outcomes. The literature reveals differences in the conceptualisation of CBE, with different perspectives used to describe the concept. This has resulted in the development of different scales to measure CBE. Most of these scales were developed in the service context and their generalisability to other contexts is limited. Despite this limitation, there is a growing trend among marketing scholars to adapt the service context orientated CBE scales to product contexts. This poses a challenge as product and service contexts differ on tangible and intangible attributes that influence consumers’ decision-making. Therefore, this study considered it reasonable to develop two CBE scales specifically for the product- and service-brand contexts respectively, to avoid the over-generalisation of service-context CBE scales to other contexts. Despite the growth of CBE research over the years, there are still limited empirical studies focusing on the relational drivers and brand outcomes in service and product brand contexts. Most of the previous studies explored only customer-based factors as drivers of CBE and did not incorporate firm-initiated factors. The literature further shows inconsistencies about the brand outcomes of CBE, with different marketing constructs suggested as possible brand outcomes; however, there has been scant attempts to explore some of these constructs empirically. The primary purpose of the study was to investigate CBE’s conceptualisation, measurement, drivers, and outcomes in the product- and service-brand contexts. For investigation, smartphone brands were used to represent product brand context and social media brands embodied the service brand context. The different conceptualisations and theoretical fundamentals of CBE were explored. The study developed and validated two CBE scales specifically for product- and service-brand contexts through a scale refinement process. The effect of brand trust, self-expressive brand, and brand interactivity on CBE in product- and service-brand contexts was investigated. Furthermore, the mediating effect of brand satisfaction on the effects of brand trust, self-expressive brand, and brand interactivity on CBE was examined. The drivers and outcomes of CBE in product- and service-brand contexts were explored and the mediating role of CBE was assessed. To address the primary purpose and objectives of the study, this study was conducted in two phases. The first phase focused on the scale refinement process and the second phase explored the different relationships between CBE and other marketing constructs. Data were collected by reputable market research firms who hosted and distributed online self-completion surveys to independent adult samples of smartphone and social media users in South Africa. Using the convenience sampling method the samples were drawn from consumer panels. In the first phase, the sample sizes comprised of 420 and 428 usable responses for smartphone and social media contexts respectively. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) using principal axis factoring (PAF) with Promax rotation were used to extract the dimensions of CBE in both contexts. In the second phase for scale validation and exploring the different relationships between CBE and other marketing constructs, the sample size consisted of 503 and 491 usable responses for smartphone and social media contexts respectively. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were used to confirm the measurement models developed through EFA and structural equation modelling (SEM) was conducted to examine the hypothesised relationships in the study. The results of the first article reveal two validated CBE scales specifically for the product-and service-brand contexts. The scale refinement process resulted in a 29-item scale in the smartphone context that has two dimensions – affection and reasoned behaviour – and a 20-item scale in the social media context that has four dimensions – affection, identification, absorption, and social connection. The two refined scales demonstrated good psychometric properties. In the second article, that examined the effects of brand trust, self-expressive brand and brand interactivity on CBE, it was found in the smartphone brand context that brand trust, self-expressive brand, and brand interactivity have different effects on the CBE dimensions (affection and reasoned behaviour). Specifically, the results show that brand trust positively influences CBE affection, with self-expressive brand and brand interactivity positively influencing CBE reasoned behaviour. In the social media brand context, the results show that only self-expressive brand positively influences CBE as a second-order construct (reflective of four dimensions: affection, identification, absorption and social connection). In addition, the study found that brand satisfaction plays a mediating role on the effects of brand trust, self-expressive brand, and brand interactivity on CBE in both brand contexts. The third article reveals different results as it incorporates both the relational drivers and brand outcomes of CBE. The findings of this study show that, in the smartphone context, brand trust and brand interactivity positively influence both dimensions of CBE (affection and reasoned behaviour), while self-expressive brand had different effects on the CBE dimensions (affection and reasoned behaviour). In the social media context, brand trust, self-expressive brand, and brand interactivity were all found to positively influence CBE as a second-order construct (reflective of four dimensions). The findings also reveal that, in both brand contexts, CBE positively influences brand evangelism and consumer-based brand equity. That is, the CBE dimensions of affection and reasoned behaviour in smartphone context and the CBE dimensions of affection, absorption, identification and social connection (represented as a second-order construct) in social media context all positively influence brand evangelism and consumer-based brand equity. This research was theoretically underpinned in service-dominant logic (S-D logic) which is centred on the narrative of value co-creation through service exchanges and resource integration by various actors in service systems including the consumer and the brand. An S-D logic informed CBE was conceptualised in this study as a consumer’s psychological state and behavioural manifestations that occur through the process of value co-creation, involving resource integration and service exchanges in consumer–brand interactive service systems. This study makes scholarly and managerial contributions. The theoretical fit between CBE and S-D logic is explained, thus expanding the development of CBE/S-D logic theoretical research. The scholarly knowledge of CBE is advanced through bringing together the fragmented conceptualisations and designing an S-D logic-informed definition that includes both the psychological and the behavioural perspectives. This study responds to the over-generalisation of service context CBE scales in other contexts by developing and validating two CBE scales specifically for the product-and service-brand contexts. In addition, this study highlights consumer-brand value co-creation relationship by providing empirical evidence that drivers of CBE should comprise of consumer-based (brand trust and self-expressive brand) and firm-initiated factors (brand interactivity). This study expands the existing knowledge of CBE by developing and empirically testing an S-D logic-informed holistic model showing CBE’s key drivers such as brand trust, self-expressive brand and brand interactivity, and the brand outcomes of brand evangelism and consumer-based brand equity in both brand contexts. This model advances consumer-brand relationship research in product-and service-brand contexts. The research highlights the importance and central role played by CBE beyond purchase in promoting positive brand outcomes for firms. Finally, this study provides managers with tools to measure CBE in product-and-service contexts and advances insights on the drivers and outcomes of CBE that will assist in the development of holistic customer relationship management (CRM) strategies. Despite the scholarly and managerial contributions, the study had some limitations. A non-probability convenience sampling method was used in the study, which suggest that the study’s results are not generalisable across the whole population. The study was cross-sectional in nature, which means that the results only captured a snapshot of consumers’ perceptions at a specific point in time. Future research on CBE could use longitudinal research to capture consumers’ changing perceptions and behaviour over time.