۱- Introduction

۲- Background

۳- Research method

۴- Findings

۵- Discussion and conclusions

۶- Directions for future research

References

Abstract

Given the growing role of brands as relationship partners and relationship facilitators and the pre-eminence of the online environment for consumers, this article contributes to the understanding of virtual brand-centric relationships by presenting the first bibliometric mapping analysis of the academic research into the topic from its conception until 2018. Using keyword co-occurrence, it examines 585 records and identifies the most productive countries, journals, influential authors and papers, and research clusters. With 96% of the published records appearing between 2010 and 2018, this analysis revealed that the field is emergent. The research primarily originates from authors based in the USA, China and the UK. It also is highly fragmented, with papers being published in information management and marketing/branding journals, with cross-citations lacking. In addition, its foundations rest on a small number of works published in a handful of journals by just a few academics. The analysis also identified three main clusters of keywords: (a) identity, feelings and relationship outcomes; (b) relational elements; and (c) relationship facilitation. This bibliometric analysis brings insights together from different research streams, adds to the categorization of the literature on the topic, and provides promising future research directions in terms of research areas and strategies.

Introduction

In the last two decades the literature has increasingly recognised that brands have moved from being transactional tools to human-like engagement entities, that consumers experience, interact with and cocreate via multiple channels (Veloutsou and Guzmán, 2017). The existence of strong brand-centric relationships is a clear indication of brand strength (Fournier and Alvarez, 2013; Alvarez and Fournier, 2016), and that brands aspire to become relationship builders. In principle, consumers form two different types of brand-centric relationships – individual and collective (Veloutsou, 2009). Consumer brand relationships, or brand relationships, are individual brand-centric relationships which occur when consumers act as independent entities, and relate to brands and develop links primarily of emotional or even functional natures with brands (Fournier, 1998; Veloutsou, 2007). Collective brand-centric relationships are relationships that members/affiliates of brand-focused groups, such as brand communities and brand tribes, develop as individuals with other group members, other individuals associated with the group, or as a collective with the brand (Muñiz and O’Guinn, 2001; Cova and Pace, 2006). Consumer-brand relationships and group brand-enabled relationships were identified as fields of interest in the literature at about the same time (Fournier, 1998; Muñiz and O’Guinn, 2001; McAlexander et al., 2002), and they have since attracted much academic interest. There is evidence that the two types of brand-centric relationships are interrelated (Zhou et al., 2012; Brodie et al., 2013; Black and Veloutsou, 2017), and that brand-centric collectives help consumers share, enjoy and express themselves (Cova and Pace, 2006; Wallace et al., 2014), and fuel (Veloutsou and Moutinho, 2009; Palazon et al., 2019; Coelho et al., 2019) their individual passion for the brand. Brand-enabled relationships can be rooted in the offer and functional brand characteristics, but there is increasing evidence that the personification of brands is a more solid relationship enabler (Alvarez and Fournier, 2016; Fernandes and Moreira, 2019). Brands have become relationship builders that enhance the overall consumer hedonic and functional brand experience through brand interactions (Merrilees, 2016), or, at least, enrich the affective and intellectual dimensions of brand experience (Trudeau and Shobeiri, 2016).