مشارکت مصرف کننده در جوامع برند آنلاین Consumer engagement in online brand communities: a solicitation of congruity theory

1. Introduction In recent years emerging technologies, including social networking sites, have become increasingly important in consumers’ lives and have affected their communication with products, brands and firms (Baumӧl et al., 2016; Cheung et al., 2015; Hassan and Casaló Ariño, 2016; Sasser et al., 2014). As consumers are becoming increasingly proficient using social networking sites, firms are attempting to engage them through online brand communities (OBCs). An online brand community is defined as “a specialized, non-geographically bound community based on a structured set of social relations among admirers of a brand” (Muniz and O’Guinn, 2001, p. 412). In the last decade, OBCs have grown briskly, with around 50 per cent of the leading 100 global brands having created their own OBCs (Manchanda et al., 2015; Bowden et al., 2017). Specifically, OBCs provide platforms for customers to share their experiences with, and feelings towards, particular brands (Cheung and Lee, 2012; Islam et al., 2017; Hollebeek et al., 2017). Typically, OBCs allow brands to post brand-related messages, generate brand-related content, develop a significant number of followers, develop or maintain customer relationships, and offer enhanced customer/brand interaction within real-time (Ashley and Tuten, 2015; Lipsman et al., 2012; López et al., 2017). Recent studies reveal that both large brands (70%), as well as small businesses (80%), tend to use social media to improve their business performance (Social Media Today, 2014; Hollebeek and Solem, 2017). To illustrate, in 2014 88% of surveyed customers affirmed that they follow online reviews to make purchase decisions, and consider these to be reliable (BrightLocal, 2014). Moreover, OBCs create value by building or maintaining consumer/brand relationships, expediting the development of customer-generated content, and enhancing the online purchase experience (Islam and Rahman, 2016b; Schivinski et al., 2016). Given OBCs reported beneficial outcomes, including enhanced brand trust, positive word-of-mouth, purchase intentions, and loyalty, academics and organizations have shown a staggering interest in OBCs and the ways in which customers engage on these platforms (Kelley and Alden, 2016; Zhou et al., 2014; Naidoo and Hollebeek, 2016).