Abstract

Keywords

۱٫ Introduction

۲٫ Theoretical background

۲٫۱٫ Brand communities

۲٫۲٫ Brand identification

۲٫۳٫ Private vs public loyalty

۳٫ Theoretical framework and hypothesis development

۴٫ Methods

۴٫۱٫ Research context

۴٫۲٫ Data collection approach

۴٫۳٫ Measures

۵٫ Analysis and results

۵٫۱٫ Hypothesis testing

۵٫۲٫ Additional analysis

۶٫ Discussion

۶٫۱٫ Limitations and future research avenues

۶٫۲٫ Conclusion

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Declaration of Competing Interest

References

Vitae

Abstract

This research examines the role that brand community plays in the relationship between brand identification and brand loyalty. A theoretical framework was developed and tested using an online survey in the brand community of a UK professional basketball team. Study results reveal that consumers’ brand community identification has a significant direct relationship on both public and private brand loyalty. It also shows that brand community identification fully mediates the relationship between brand identification and consumer behavior towards the brand, which is enacted both publicly and privately. The study adds to academic understanding of brand identification, brand community theory, and the importance of the differentiation of public and private brand loyalty, whilst providing guidance for branding practitioners.

۱٫ Introduction

Brand community research has enabled academics and practitioners to understand the complex networks that exist among admirers of specific brands (McAlexander et al., 2002, Muniz and O’Guinn, 2001). However, the downstream effect of brand communities, such as their potential to build consumer loyalty, remains unknown (Bhattacharya and Sen, 2003, Kuenzel and Vaux Halliday, 2008, Stokburger-Sauer et al., 2012, Tuškej et al., 2013). This has meant that practitioners are left with little understanding regarding the role of brand communities and the vast effect that they have upon the consumers’ overall relationship with the brand.

The lack of understanding of the power of brand communities has been further exacerbated during the global pandemic with the importance of community becoming even more prevalent in society (Stansfield et al., 2020). Throughout the pandemic, brands have looked to harness the power of community in their marketing communications (Sobande, 2020). Therefore, understandably, the extant research has called for a more nuanced understanding of brand community to be developed (Habibi et al., 2016). Our research aims to shed light on the mechanism under which (a) brand communities are developed, and (b) brand loyalty is strengthened. To achieve this, a theoretical framework is developed explaining how brand identification is the key driver of brand community development and that brand community identification, in turn, affects both private and public brand loyalty. The model is empirically tested in the brand community of a professional basketball team.