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Social media technologies (SMTs), online brand communities, and social customer relationship management (SCRM) Capabilities play an indispensable role in the engagement and loyalty-building of university students to achieve a sustainable university reputation. This study provides pioneering input for higher education institutions (HEIs) by developing a new integrated SCRM model through self-congruity or self-congruence theory, which examines SMTs Use, online brand communities, SCRM Capabilities, customer engagement, customer loyalty, and university reputation. Using cross-sectional data from 400 students from Pakistani public universities, structure equation modeling applies to Smart PLS 3.2.7. Results indicate that all hypotheses have significant positive relationships, except SMTs use found insignificant with university reputation. Also, SCRM Capabilities mediate between SMTs use and university reputation, while customer engagement mediates between online brand communities and customer loyalty. This study indirectly supports public HEIs sustainability. Further, these findings contribute new knowledge to literature and theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital platforms develop and offer opportunities in the form of online brand communities (OBCs) to interact and engage customers with the brand, which might lead to brand loyalty over a while. The present study investigates how OBCs influence online customer engagement (OCE) and brand loyalty through a questionnaire survey of 488 social media users. Extant literature is reviewed to identify the unique characteristics (website satisfaction, usefulness, response time, and entertainment) of such digital platforms and examine their influences on OCE and brand loyalty. The moderating role of gender was also tested empirically. Results revealed that characteristics of OBC platforms primarily influence OCE; however, website satisfaction influences both OCE and brand loyalty. Moreover, OCE positively influences brand loyalty. These findings were similar for male and female customers, excluding website satisfaction, which was insignificant for females. The study concludes with crucial theoretical and managerial implications that will help develop the firms' strategies to encounter issues related to OBCs globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Customer engagement behavior is a key factor in promoting the sustainable growth of virtual brand communities. Despite the extensive research on the antecedents of customer engagement behaviors, the influence of intercustomer social support remains a neglected area in the context of virtual brand communities. Based on a total of 293 valid questionnaires collected via an online survey, a structural equation model and hierarchical regression analysis are used to examine the effects of intercustomer social support (informational/emotional support) on customer engagement behaviors (customer-oriented/community-oriented engagement behaviors) in virtual brand communities, as well as consider the mediating role of self-efficacy and the moderating role of interdependent self-construal in the above relationships. The empirical finding shows that informational/emotional support significantly affects customer-oriented and community-oriented engagement behaviors. Self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between informational/emotional support and customer-oriented/community-oriented engagement behaviors. Interdependent self-construal positively moderates the relationship between informational/emotional support and customer-oriented engagement behaviors and positively moderates the relationship between informational support and community-oriented engagement behaviors. This article provides a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships between intercustomer social support and customer engagement behaviors in the context of virtual brand communities, and improves the existing customer engagement behaviors management practices that are beneficial for the companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To better understand engagement behaviors in online hospitality brand communities, the purpose of this research was to understand hotel customers' online engagement behaviors, associated cocreated nontransactional values, and the underlying drivers. Netnography analysis and qualitative surveys along with multiorder categorization analysis were used. The netnography results indicate that hotel customer engagement behaviors cocreate five types of value. Importantly, these values accrue in different levels to not only the customer, but also to other customers and to the firm. Analyses of a subsequent qualitative survey data validated the four factors driving these engagement behaviors and, importantly, found that the motivational drivers vary by type of engagement. A conceptual framework of value cocreation via customer engagement is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social media platforms have become progressively vital in modern era as a means of interacting with consumers and as a means for marketers to focus on online social networks so as to foster loyalty of brands. Purpose of this study is to analyze the causal relationship among the characteristics of gamified customer benefits (epistemic benefits, social integrative benefits, personal integrative benefits and hedonic benefits), customer engagement and customer loyalty with respect to online brand communities on social media platforms. This study also analyzes the mediating role of customer engagement between gamified customer benefits and customer loyalty. Data is collected from 250 individuals and Smart PLS-4 is used to empirically test the hypothesis. Results reveals that epistemic benefits, social integrative benefits and hedonic benefits has positive and significant impact of customer engagement and customer loyalty while personal integrative benefits shows insignificant impact on customer engagement and loyalty. This study shows mediating role of customer engagement amid gamified customer benefits and customer loyalty. Thus, this study may help brand managers to better understand role of gamified customer benefits with customer engagement and customer loyalty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Adoption of solar PV is influenced by a number of socio-economic, technical and regulatory factors. • Solar PV companies, involved in interaction with consumers, dissemination and sales become an important actor in this regard. • Transforming customer interaction and engagement element of business models can play an important role in enhancing diffusion. • It can aid companies to broaden customer reach and improve the dissemination of information. • Likewise, it can help reduce transaction costs and efficiently utilise market insights and trends. Solar energy can play an important role in meeting global energy needs in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner. However, despite solar energy's accelerated growth in recent years, its level of diffusion is highly uneven when looked at on a global scale. The solar photovoltaic (PV) companies involved in the sales of PV systems are central to fostering diffusion. A company's ability to devise and deliver value offerings that match customers' needs is vital in encouraging the adoption of solar PV technology. The extent to which a company can address market needs and deliver value often depends on the business model it has adopted. The extant research has explored business models based on ownership structures, financing options, the effect of regulatory regimes and policies, industry practices, alliances, and business models for distributed generation and large-scale utility companies. However, the research to date, has mostly neglected the business models of solar companies involved in the sales and installation of solar PV. This qualitative study based on twenty semi-structured interviews contributes to the existing knowledge by exploring how sales and installation companies can enhance solar photovoltaic adoption by transforming customer interactions and engagement practices, which is a key element of a company's business model. Companies' ability to communicate value offerings and address consumer concerns is important in enhancing diffusion. The study highlights that transforming customer interaction and engagement practices can help companies broaden customer reach, improve the dissemination of information, reduce transaction costs and efficiently utilise market insights and trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this document is to analyze a trust brand model within the use of mobile wallets in Indonesia in 2020. 460 people were surveyed using the machine's formula. The result of this search shows that; Brand confidence has a positive effect on brand engagement, with a significant path coefficient of 0.338, with P values of 0.002

Aim/Purpose This study examines the kind of community value companies should provide when strengthening the relationship between customers and brands through the establishment of an online brand community, and how this kind of community value promotes customers' sense of community engagement and willingness to spread brand reputation. The paper also discusses how an enterprise's brand symbolism affects the relationship between community value and customers' engagement in online brand community. This study explored the important role of brand symbolism in the establishment of an online brand community. Background Many companies want to create online brand communities to strengthen their relationships with consumers as well as to provide better service and value to consumers, for example, Huawei's Huafen community (club.huawei.com), Apple's support community (support.apple.com/zh-cn), and Samsung's Galaxy community (samsungmembers.cn). However, these brand communities may have different interests and consumer engagement about the kind of community value to offer to their customers. Methodology This study uses data collection from questionnaire surveys to design a quantitative research method. An online questionnaire survey of mobile phone users in China was conducted to collect data on social value, cognitive value, brand symbolism, customer community engagement, and brand recommendation. The brands of mobile phone include Apple, Huawei, Samsung, OPPO, VIVO, MI, and Meizu. The researcher purchased a sample service of WJX, an online survey company (www.wjx.cn), and WJX company distributed the questionnaire to research participants. The WJX company randomly selected 240 subjects from their sample database and then sent the questionnaire link to research participants' mobile phones. Among the 240 research participants, the researcher excluded participants who lacked online brand community experience or had invalid data to qualify for data collection. After the researcher excluded partici pants who did not qualify for data collection, only 203 qualified questionnaire surveys advanced to the data collection and analysis phase, which was the questionnaire recovery rate of 84.58%. For the model analysis and hypotheses testing, the researcher used statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics and AMOS 21 and Smartpls3. Contribution This study deepens the body of literature knowledge by combining online brand community value and brand symbolic value to explore issues that companies should consider when establishing an online brand community for their products and services. This study confirms that brands with high symbolic value establish communities and strengthen social values in the online brand community rather than reducing brand symbolism. Online brand community involves a horizontal interaction (peer interaction) among peers, which can have an effect on the symbolic value of brand (social distance). Findings First, online brand community value (both cognitive and social value) has a positive impact on customer community engagement. Second, customer community engagement has a positive impact on customers' brand recommend intention. Third, the customer community engagement is a mediator between the online brand community value and the customer brand recommend intention. Most importantly, fourth, the symbolic value of the brand controls the relationship between community value and customer community engagement. For brands with high symbolic value, the community value should emphasize cognitive value rather than social value. For brands with a low symbolic value, the community provides cognitive or social value, which is not affected by the symbolism of the brand. Recommendations for Practitioners Practitioners can share best practices with the corporate sectors. Brand owners can work with researchers to explore the characteristics of their online brand communities. On this basis, brand owners and researchers can jointly build and manage online brand communities. Recommendation for Researchers Researchers can explore different perspectives and factors of brand symbolism that involve brand owners when establishing an online brand community to advance consumer engagement, community value, and brand symbolism. Impact on Society Online brand community is relevant for brand owners to establish brand symbolism, community value, and customer engagement. Readers of this paper can gain an understanding that cognitive and social values are two important drivers of individual participation in online brand communities. The discussion of these two factors can give readers and brand owners the perception to gain more understanding on social and behavior activities in online brand communities. Future Research Practitioners and researchers could follow-up in the future with a study to provide more understanding and updated research information from different perspectives of research samples and hypotheses on online brand community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Thriving brand communities are inseparable from engaged members and their word-of-mouth behavior. The purpose of this paper is to investigate which customer experience elevates customer engagement and consequent word-of-mouth intention in online brand communities, and how.Design/methodology/approach From the perspective of service ecosystem theory, a framework with several hypotheses was proposed. The model was verified with structural equation modeling based on questionnaire data collected from smartphone communities in China.Findings Empirical results indicate that customer experience promotes community engagement, and further enhances word-of-mouth intention. Furthermore, the mediating effect of community engagement in the relation between customer experience (social support and flow) and word-of-mouth intention has been verified.Practical implications This paper informs practitioners about the importance of experience co-creation with community members in brand and community promotion, and provides several implications to encourage more engaged customers with fostering pleasant customer experiences.Originality/value This study contributes to the theory of service ecosystem by empirical examination of its several propositions in a brand community context. The paper extends the present theory with the discussion of the mediation effect of community engagement in the continuing value co-creation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The utilization of online brand community (OBC) has attracted significant attention in academic and practical areas given the prevailing recognition of IT-enabled cooperation with customers. Conflicting results have been obtained despite the extensive research conducted on the motivations of customer participation in OBCs. These results overlook the possible impacts of the regulatory orientations adopted by customers in their goal pursuit process. According to regulatory fit theory, a match between regulatory-focused orientation and the means used to approach the goal can increase task engagement. Therefore, this study attempts to bridge this gap by integrating self-determination theory, regulatory focus theory, and regulatory fit theory with the application of IT to uncover the relationship among community motivation, regulatory focus, and customer participation. This approach aims to improve economic and social benefits to determine whether to reward or develop identification in different situations. The empirical results support most of our hypothesis. Regulatory fit (community reward, prevention focus, brand identification, and promotion focus) strengthens customer participation behavior, whereas nonfit (brand identification and prevention focus) relieves customer participation. The theoretical and practical implications for firms in emerging markets are also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In contemporary conditions many companies are striving to develop strong brands. This gives them opportunity to win the consumers trust, to differentiate themselves from competitors and to provide additional profit. Prerequisite for brand influence of the organization on market success are its basic functions, which are implemented in the process of the brand interaction with the consumers. Its communication strategy has an important role in this process. This article is dedicated to the analysis of this topic. In the paper is clarified the brand essence and its place in the market strategy of the business organization. It is pointed out that the brand contents are based on two components: on the process of formation of the symbol of the brand and on the system of consumer relations with the brand. In this connection the communication strategy is determined as brand leading component. The main principles, to which the strategy has to meet, are pointed out and its basic elements are examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated an antecedent and consequences of network centrality in a virtual brand community from the perspective of the motivation of social enhancement. The research model was proposed and tested using structural equation modeling. The results showed that the motivation of social enhancement can promote both degree and betweenness centrality. As the members' degree and betweenness centrality increase, the psychological ownership they feel toward the community becomes stronger, thereby increasing the likelihood that the members will engage in virtual brand community citizenship behavior. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]