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Purpose: Exerting a peculiar fascination on both managers and academics, Millennials can be distinguished from other cohorts by their intense exposure to the internet and heavy use of social media, which, in turn, affect their identity formation, brand engagement, loyalty and purchase behaviour. Yet, uncertainties regarding online engagement and the real benefits brands can reap from Millennials' avid use of social media remain. Therefore, by developing a holistic model of drivers and outcomes, this study aims to understand how Millennials engage with their most loved, self-expressive brands across social media platforms and its impact on loyalty-related intentions. Design/methodology/approach: Data was gathered using a self-administered survey, answered by 343 millennial generation social media users and based on self-selected self-expressive, loved brands. Considering brand loyalty as a key outcome, a holistic model was developed and tested using partial least squares-structural equation modelling, emphasizing not only the role of social media engagement but also including brand love, experience and identification as direct and indirect antecedents. Findings: Findings suggest a disconnection between online and offline brand relationships: though Millennials love and are very loyal to their favourite brands, they are not actively engaged in social media, which helps to explain the non-significant effect of engagement on brand loyalty. Moreover, together with brand identification, brand experience was found to play a major role in developing brand love, which, in turn, is positively related to engagement and loyalty. Originality/value: Theoretically, this study contributes to bridging a gap in the literature, as research on engagement, its drivers and outcomes is scant and there is no robust evidence about its impact on brand loyalty, particularly among Millennials. Moreover, research on disengaged consumers who exhibit limited willingness to engage is still scant. Managerially, this study provides insights for brand managers wishing to successfully engage and build relationships with Millennials and to identify key routes to Millennials' loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore attitudes of consumers who engage with brands through Facebook “likes”. It explores the extent to which these brands are self-expressive and examines the relationship between brand “liking” and brand outcomes. Brand outcomes include brand love and advocacy, where advocacy incorporates WOM and brand acceptance. Design/methodology/approach – Findings are presented from a survey of Facebook users who engage with a brand by “liking” it. Findings – Brands “liked” are expressive of the inner or social self. The study identifies a positive relationship between the self-expressive nature of brands “liked” and brand love. Consumers who engage with inner self-expressive brands are more likely to offer WOM for that brand. By contrast, consumers who engage with socially self-expressive brands are more likely to accept wrongdoing from a brand. Research limitations/implications – The research is exploratory and is limited to consumers who are engaged with a brand through “liking” it on the Facebook social network. Practical implications – The study offers suggestions for managers seeking to enhance brand engagement through Facebook “liking”, and to encourage positive brand outcomes (such as WOM) among consumers already engaged with a brand on Facebook. Originality/value – This paper provides new insights into consumer brand engagement evidenced through Facebook “liking”. It charts the relationship between “liked” self-expressive brands and brand love. Distinctions are drawn between brand outcomes among consumers who “like” for socially self-expressive reasons, and consumers who are brand engaged by “liking” to express their inner selves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of the present paper is to develop and validate a scale of romantic brand jealousy and to examine the role played by the brand love-jealousy framework on consumers' active engagement. Design/methodology/approach – In order to develop and validate the romantic brand jealousy scale the present study has employed Churchill's methodology. The study has used common factor analysis and structural equation modeling using LISREL 8.72. Findings – This research provides empirical evidence for a three-item romantic brand jealousy scale. The study results indicate that the romantic jealousy scale developed is valid and reliable. It also shows that in contrast to previous literature, wherein authors found that brand love would create customer engagement, the brand love-jealousy framework would act as a better mediator to create customer engagement and also to motivate the customer to purchase the brand. Research limitations/implications – This research was conducted in a specific country (India). It would be more robust if the scale developed by this study could be examined in the context of other countries. Practical implications – This study is expected to help managers to formulate a better marketing strategy to increase customer engagement using the proposed brand love-jealousy framework. Originality/value – This research adds value to the domain of consumer psychology research by proposing that brand jealousy needs to be created along with brand love in customer's mind to augment the level of active engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]