Cultural Differences in Online Community Motivations: Exploring Korean Automobile Online Brand Communities (KAOBCs) and American Automobile Online Brand Communities (AAOBCs)

To gain a better understanding of online brand communities, this study has examined why people joined in online brand communities and whether there were some differences in the motivations of Internet users based on different cultures. Open-ended questions were asked to the community members from both South Korean Automobile Online Brand Communities (KAOBC) and American Automobile Online Brand Communities (AAOBC) in the first stage and then generated and utilized an online survey for the study. The study found that KAOBC members tended to have a stronger social network, business, and communication motivations than AAOBC members. As a primary motivation, information seeking is the strongest motivation for members of both KAOBC and AAOBC. They had a similar level of information motivation.     

Leveraging Online Communities to Support the Brand and Develop the Community

While numerous organizations and consumers utilize interactive online marketing activities (e.g., creating discussion forums, having brainstorming sessions, and running surveys) to interact with the brand and fellow brand users, there is little research that addresses how important it is to offer community members activities based on their motivations to participate in the community. This research is an important first step at examining the degree to which marketers need to match marketing activities in online communities with community member motivations to affect brand and community outcomes. Using a longitudinal study of 256 members from 9 marketing research online communities in 3 different industries, this research finds that online communities can be used to positively influence a broad range of brand assessments, brand-supportive behaviors, and community-supportive behaviors. Furthermore, leveraging marketing activities in online communities is more complex than previously thought.     

在线品牌社群社会资本对消费者品牌幸福感的影响机制研究

文章从社会资本的视角，探讨在线品牌社群对消费者品牌幸福感的影响机制。基于680份有效问卷，运用偏最小二乘法对假设进行检验。研究结果表明：在线品牌社群社会资本会通过促进社群幸福感（社群主观幸福感、社群心理幸福感和社群社会幸福感）进而促进品牌幸福感；在社群幸福感内部，社群社会幸福感会促进社群心理幸福感，而二者都会促进社群主观幸福感；在线品牌社群访问频率在社群主观幸福感与品牌幸福感之间起到正向调节作用。研究结论丰富了在线品牌社群和品牌幸福感理论，且对品牌建设实践具有指导价值。     

An Explorative Study of Korean Consumer Participation in Virtual Brand Communities in Social Network Sites

ABSTRACT

The importance of virtual brand communities in social network sites has received increasing attention from both academia and industry. In surveying a sample of 333 virtual brand community members in Korean social network sites, the current study provides a baseline understanding of the antecedents and consequences of virtual brand communities. The findings here suggest that members of brand communities have six primary social and psychological motives for engaging in virtual community activities: interpersonal utility, brand loyalty, entertainment seeking, information seeking, incentive seeking, and convenience seeking. Our findings also indicate that members of consumer versus marketer-generated brand communities show both similarities and differences in terms of the extent of community participation and the levels of community commitment, satisfaction, and future intention. Our findings provide useful managerial implications for marketers who want to tap into the huge communication potential of this new marketing communication tool and medium, as they offer insight into the proactive role of consumers in today's marketplace.     

Creating Online Brand Personality: The Role of Personal Difference

This study explores the concept of online brand personality, creation of online brand personality, and the role of personal difference in terms of advertising effectiveness – memory and attitude. The primary research question is whether individual's matching personality to online brand creates different responses toward online brand in terms of advertising effectiveness, such as memory, attitude and behavior. The results found that: first, website structure is an important factor on subjects' attitude toward the website; second, individual's personality is an important moderator on the effects of website structure; and third, individual's personality and brand personality have a significant interaction effect on attitude and behavioral intention.     

在线品牌社群成员参与程度对其社群认同的影响——产品类型和品牌熟悉度的调节

文章根据互动和非互动划分社群成员参与程度的高低，通过两个实验探究了在不同产品类型和品牌熟悉度的情境下，在线品牌社群成员参与程度对其社群认同的影响差异。研究发现：对于搜索品，社群参与程度较低时，其社群认同更强；对于体验品，社群参与程度较高时，其社群认同更强。另外，对于低熟悉度品牌，产品类型的调节作用仍然存在。但对于高熟悉度品牌，无论是搜索品还是体验品，社群参与程度较高时，其社群认同更强。最后，文章为企业在线品牌社群管理提出了营销建议。     

Beyond Adoption Intention: Online Communities and Member Motivation to Contribute Longitudinally

As online communities become increasingly relevant to business, it is critical to understand how to support contributors' motivation to contribute content longitudinally. In this article, we draw on existing literature on motivation and technology characteristics to conceptualize a model of longitudinal content contribution. We view longitudinal content contribution as a recursive process of interaction between contributors, other participants, and the IT artifacts of online communities. Our study has several important theoretical contributions: first, our study argues that different types of motivation exist and we need to understand how to support contributors' autonomous motivation; second, our study adds the time dimension to content contribution; third, our study clarifies the path from content contribution to motivation; forth, our study helps explain why some rewards can be detrimental to contributors' motivation. Future studies are needed to extend our model and test the propositions from our model.     

The Role of Brand Orientation in Church Participation: An Empirical Examination

Although a large amount of research has been undertaken into the application of marketing techniques in church organizations, few studies have provided empirical evidence on the effects of brand orientation on church participation. This empirical study sought to contribute to the body of literature via a survey of 344 church attendees of a particular church denomination in Australia. The conceptual model hypothesizes brand orientation as performing direct and indirect effects on church participation through perceived benefits as the mediating variables. A person's perception of the extent to which a church engages in brand-oriented activities and behavior is significantly related with his or her perception of the benefits associated with church activities, which then leads to a higher level of church participation. The results reveal that brand orientation is significantly related with perceived benefits and church participation.     

网络负面谣言与品牌崇拜：品牌口碑与沟通技巧的作用

文章对网络负面谣言与消费者品牌崇拜的关系，以及品牌口碑与沟通技巧在以上关系中所起的中介与调节作用进行了实证研究。研究以广州地区211家品牌服饰企业的品牌管理者为实证研究对象，通过对问卷调查数据进行层级回归分析发现：(1)网络负面谣言不但会直接负向影响消费者对企业的品牌崇拜，而且还会通过负向影响企业的品牌口碑，继而对消费者品牌崇拜产生负面影响，品牌口碑在网络负面谣言与消费者品牌崇拜关系中起部分中介作用；(2)沟通技巧程度强的企业品牌更能抵制网络负面谣言的影响，相对于低沟通技巧的企业，高沟通技巧企业的消费者较少因为网络负面谣言而降低其对原有消费品牌的崇拜。     

在线品牌社群对企业双元创新的影响路径——资源、组织与领导的三维组态分析

在线品牌社群是企业创新的重要外部协同主体,其创新协同路径有待深入揭示。文章基于双元创新角度,运用QCA研究方法,通过294份有效问卷数据,研究了在线品牌社群的资源特质、组织结构、领导角色的组态效应对企业探索式和利用式双元创新的影响路径。研究发现：(1)在线品牌社群的自组织结构是探索式创新与利用式创新共有的必要条件;(2)探索式创新通过领导资源型和组织领导型两条等效影响路径发生作用;(3)利用式创新通过资源组织型与资源领导型两条等效影响路径发生作用。研究结论有助于拓展企业外部创新来源,从在线品牌社群的角度为两类创新范式找到差异化的影响路径,为社群运营提供策略支持。     

网络零售商与传统零售商自有品牌战略及成长路径比较研究

近年来,我国网络零售取得惊人的发展;与此同时,网络零售商也成为自有品牌战略实施的生力军。由于经营模式、资源条件等方面的不同,网络零售商的自有品牌战略实践与超市、百货等传统零售商存在一定的差异,体现在自有品牌目标市场选择、市场定位、商品组合设计、商品开发、宣传推广等方面。网络零售商选择的自有品牌成长路径大都属于产品研发能力主导型,自有品牌市场定位以高性价比和时尚创新为主,商品组合具有“宽而深”或“窄而深”特点。     

从汽车行业发展看多品牌战略

品牌战略是现代企业市场营销的核心,而多品牌战略作为品牌战略的重要内容在企业的发展中备受推崇。多品牌战略相对于单一品牌战略而言有更大的优势,且更能够满足企业现在和未来的发展需要。然后从汽车行业的发展来探讨成功地运用多品牌战略应注意的问题。     

The Effects of Credible Online Reviews on Brand Equity Dimensions and Its Consequence on Consumer Behavior

Consumers are using social media platform to gain and share knowledge on brands. In the virtual environment, consumers are exposed to various online reviews on brands that leave an impression of brands on the minds of the consumers. The present study combines Yale attitude change model and attribution theory to examine the effects of credible online reviews on brand equity dimensions. The present study views, through the lens of Yale attitude change model, the various factors that affect credibility evaluation of online reviews. Further, attribution theory is used as the theoretical backbone to analyze the effects of credible online reviews on brand equity dimensions and finally on purchase intention. This study uses structural equations modeling (SEM) to investigate the impact of online credible reviews on customer based brand equity (CBBE) dimensions and its consequence on consumer behavior (purchase intention). Results indicate that source and review quality are the most important factors that affect consumer's credibility evaluation of a review. Online credible reviews have more significant impact on brand awareness, perceived value and organizational associations and thus leads to consumer's purchase intention in the context of consumer electronic products in India.     

汽车企业自主品牌营销

企业未来生存之势,反映了企业内外环境潜在的变化规律。如果企业能够敏锐地捕捉到这种变化之势,并能乘势而上有所作为,就能主宰企业未来生存命运。但是,潜在的变化之势往往不易被察觉,它是一种细微的慢性的有规律的事态发展,自主品牌作为中国汽车工业发展的重大战略问题,引起了营销界的关注,重视核心产品质量、打造整体品牌以及建立科学、高效的营销网络的激活这3个措施是中国汽车企业自主品牌营销的关键。     

电商化转型零售商的品牌权益提升机制与路径研究——基于双渠道品牌形象驱动的视角

网络零售强烈冲击下的国内传统零售业面临行业生存危机,电商化转型已经成为行业的必然发展趋势。文章通过界定电商化转型零售商及其品牌形象、品牌权益的概念,提出其“实体-网络”双渠道品牌形象结构的概念模型,并进一步构建其“双渠道品牌形象——品牌权益”驱动机制模型,以结构方程结合信度分析、效度分析等方法进行了实证分析。研究发现：电商化转型零售商的实体品牌形象各维度变量对网络品牌形象的对应维度变量都具有非常强的直接积极影响（即支撑效应）,价值维度、价格维度、供应维度的支撑效应由强至弱;实体品牌形象各维度变量对品牌权益产生明显的总积极影响（即提升效应）,价格维度、价值维度、供应维度的提升效应由强至弱,但供应维度无直接影响;网络性品牌形象各维度变量对品牌权益产生明显的直接积极影响（即提升效应）,供应维度、价格维度、价值维度的提升效应由强至弱。     

人格特征对在线品牌社群信息分享意愿的影响研究——规范激励和结构保障的调节作用

以往关于尽责性和神经质人格特征对人们分享意愿影响的研究并未达成一致的结论。文章通过两个实验探讨尽责性和神经质对在线品牌社群信息分享意愿产生的影响，并且引入两个社群技术因素（规范激励与结构保障），进一步探讨它们对上述影响的调节作用。结果发现尽责性正向影响信息分享意愿，而神经质负向影响信息分享意愿。此外，在线品牌社群提供规范激励时，相较于低尽责性，高尽责性成员的信息分享意愿会显著提高。而在线品牌社群提供结构保障时，相较于低神经质，高神经质成员的信息分享意愿会显著提高。研究结论能够帮助企业管理者更好地了解消费者在线品牌社群信息分享意愿的差异，以便针对性地对社群进行设计，促进社群成员有更多的信息分享行为。     

略论网络社区营销的实施策略

网络社区的蓬勃发展推动了网络社区营销的深入开展。网络社区营销活动具有精准性、互动性、成长性、软性营销的特点。企业可以借助网络社区开展市场调查,传播促销信息,实施活动营销,塑造品牌形象。网络社区营销还可以帮助企业强化危机管控,管理公共关系。     

Does Size Matter? An Examination of Small and Large Web-Based Brand Communities

We investigate the causal relationship between brand community identification, brand affect, community loyalty, brand loyalty, brand evangelism, and community evangelism, developing a structural equation model set within the context of online brand communities for newly hybridized roses. The analysis considers size as a moderator for the relationships between constructs, comparing small and large web-based brand communities. Findings highlight that small communities operate differently from larger ones with regard to numerous aspects, and possess specific strengths and weaknesses. Members of small communities develop higher community loyalty; brand loyalty in small community stems more from community loyalty than from brand affect; small communities engage in word of mouth for the community more than in word of mouth for the brand. Managerial implications are addressed.     

品牌体验对品牌忠诚的影响:品牌社区的中介作用

文章以"动感地带"为测试品牌,在构建品牌体验、品牌社区和品牌忠诚三者之间概念模型的基础上,应用多元回归分析,实证研究了品牌体验、品牌社区对品牌忠诚的影响.研究发现:品牌体验对品牌社区具有显著的正向效应;品牌体验和品牌社区对品牌忠诚均具有明显的正向影响;品牌社区是品牌体验作用于品牌忠诚的中介变量,品牌体验更多的是通过品牌社影响品牌忠诚.这些研究结论为品牌忠诚影响因素的进一步研究提供了理论基础,对于企业创新品牌忠诚培育模式和策略也具有指导意义.