Psychological Research in Management

Psychological Research in Management

Investigating the effect of the characteristics online brand community on brand ‎loyalty through the fans’ engagement: case of of Persepolis Club fans

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Mohsen Akbari 1
parviz Ahmadi 2
mohadese momeni 3
mohammad hataminezhad 4
1 ‎1.‎ Associate Professor, Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, ‎Rasht, Iran‎
2 Associate Professor, Faculty of Management and Economics, Tarbiat Modares University
3 Master of International Business, North Strategy Non-Profit University
4 PhD student in Business Policy, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan
Abstract
Today, the concept of a brand online community is tied to social media. Social media is an ideal environment for creating brand communities. The online brand community, using these emerging media, enables virtual interaction of fans and engagement, which will also have a significant impact on building brand loyalty. In terms of the purpose of the research is descriptive, in terms of research strategies, descriptive-analytical and correlational and in terms of data collection methods is a questionnaire. The present study was conducted among the users of the social network of Persepolis Sports Club. A total of 411 people participated in this study with the available techniques and the standard questionnaire was provided to them after confirmation of validity and reliability and after completion, for statistical analysis, LISREL software 8.58 and SPSS 20 were used The results show that the four characteristics of the online community of the brand "system quality, information quality, virtual interaction and reward" have a positive effect on people's engagement. Mediator variable analysis showed; The characteristics of the online brand community affect the brand loyalty through engagement. The managers of Persepolis Sports Club should increase the engagement of their fans by promoting the characteristics of the online brand community and create dialogue and bargaining in their online brand communities. In this way, it can make fans loyal to its brand.
Keywords
Brand loyalty
fans’ engagement
online brand community
characteristics of online brand community

  1.  

    1. ابراهیمی پور، طاهره؛ امیر نژاد، سعید؛ حسینی، سید عماد و کلاشی، مازیار (1395). ارتباط بین هویت برند با وفاداری طرفداران تیم‌های فوتبال استقلال و پرسپولیس (مطالعه موردی استان مازندران)،فصلنامه علمی - پژوهشی پژوهش­های کاربردی در مدیریت ورزشی، دوره 5، شماره 2،77-86.
    2. امین سماک، فرناز (1396)، تأثیر جوامع برندی مبتنی بر رسانه‌های اجتماعی بر عناصر جامعه و اعتماد و وفاداری به برند (مطالعه موردی: برند ورزشی برند آدیداس). پایان‌نامه کارشناسی ارشد دانشگاه پیام نور واحد رشت.
    3. جابری، اکبر، سلطان حسینی، محمد، نادریان جهرمی، مسعود و خزائی پول، جواد (1393). ارائۀ مدلی برای توسعۀ وفاداری به برند تیم‌های لیگ برتر فوتبال ایران با روش مدل‌سازی معادلات ساختاری. نشریه مدیریت ورزشی، دوره 6، شماره 3، 475-492.
    4. حسینی، میرزا حسن و امینیان، مقداد (1394). نقش فناوری شبکه اجتماعی آنلاین بر مشارکت مشتری. نشریه پژوهش و فناوری، شماره 1، 67-84.
    5. خدادادی، محمد رسول؛ فراهانی، ابوالفضل؛ قاسمی، حمید و هنری، حبیب (1396). مطالعه عوامل مؤثر بر وفاداری نگرشی و رفتاری به ارزش ویژه برند مبتنی بر هوادار (FBBE) در باشگاه‌های لیگ برتر فوتبال ایران. نشریه مدیریت ورزشی، دوره 9، شماره 3،373-387.
    6. دشتی، مهدی؛ صنایعی، علی و رضایی دولت‌آبادی، حسین (1396). طراحی الگوی عوامل تأثیرگذار بر مشارکت مشتریان در تجارت اجتماعی با رویکردی بر مدل محرک-موجود زنده- پاسخ. فصلنامه علمی- پژوهشی تحقیقات بازاریابی نوین، دوره 7، شماره 2،17-42.
    • سیفی سلمی، طاهره؛ بنار، نوشین و هنری، حبیب (1398). ارائه مدل رفتار تعاملی اعضای جوامع برند مبتنی بر رسانه‌های اجتماعی (مطالعه موردی: هواداران باشگاه‌های حرفه‌ای فوتبال). مطالعات مدیریت ورزشی، دوره 11، شماره 55، 189-208.
    1. سجادی، سیدنصرالله؛ خبیری، محمد و علیزاده گلریزی، ابوالفضل (1392). عوامل مؤثر بر وفاداری هواداران به برند تیم‌های پرطرفدار لیگ حرفه‌ای فوتبال ایران، نشریه مطالعات مدیریت ورزشی، شماره 18،81-100.
    2. سلطان حسینی، محمد؛ نصر اصفهانی، داود؛ جوانی، وجیهه و سلیمی، مهدی (1390). تعیین سهم نسبی وفاداری به برند از تداعی برند در بین هواداران لیگ برتر فوتبال ایران، نشریه علمی پژوهشی مدیریت ورزشی دانشگاه تهران، شماره 9، 107-87.
    3. قاسمیان صاحبی، علی؛ مشبکی اصفهانی، اصغر و خداداد حسینی ، سید حمید (1397). بررسی وفاداری به برند، از طریق عجین شدن مشتری در جوامع برند آنلاین (موردمطالعه: کاربران اینستاگرام).مدیریت برند، دوره 5، شماره 1،13-34.
    4. محرم زاده، مهردادغ و اکبری، روناک (1392). ارتباط بین ابعاد وفاداری مشتریان و تقویت برند ملی در لیگ‌های حرفه‌ای فوتبال و والیبال ایران .فصلنامه علمی - پژوهشی پژوهش­های کاربردی در مدیریت ورزشی،دوره1، شماره4، 71-78.
    5. مرادی، امین (1399). ارزیابی تأثیر عوامل مؤثر بر وفاداری برند؛ مطالعه موردی: تلفن همراه برند سامسونگ. پژوهش در هنر و علوم انسانی، دوره 5، شماره6، 69-80.
    6. موسوی، سید علیرضا و کناره فرد، مریم (1393). تأثیر رسانه‌های اجتماعی بر شاخصه‌های جامعه برندی، شیوه‌های ارزش‌آفرینی، اعتماد و وفاداری به برند (مطالعه موردی مقایسه گوشی موبایل اَپل (آیفون) و سامسونگ (گلکسی)). مدیریت بازاریابی، سال9، شماره 25، 25-50.
    7. Ahn, T. Ryu, S. Han, I. (2007). The impact of Web quality and playfulness on user acceptance of online retailing. Manage. 44 (3), pp. 263–275.
    8. Akar, E. & Topçu, B. (2011). An examination of the factors influencing consumers’ attitudes toward social media marketing. Journal of Internet Commerce, 10(1), pp. 35-67.
    9. Algesheimer, R. Borle, S. Dholakia, U. M. & Singh, S. S. (2010). The impact of customer community participation on customer behaviors: An empirical investigation. Marketing Science, 29(4), pp. 756-69.
    10. Barreda, A.A. Bilgihan, A. Nusair, K. Okumus, F. (2015). Generating brand awareness in online social networks. Comput. Behav. 50 (1), pp. 600–609.
    11. Benson, C. Hedren, M. (2013). "Online Brand Communities - a Route to Brand Loyalty.Journal of International Marketing Program, 180 ECTS, pp. 36-37.
    12. Braun, C. Batt, V. Bruhn, M. Hadwich, K. (2016). Differentiating customer engaging behavior by targeted benefits–an empirical study. Consum. Marketing, 33 (7), pp.528–538.
    13. Calefato, F. Lanubile, F. Novielli, N. (2015). The role of social media in affective trust building in customer–supplier relationships. Electron. Commerce Res. 15 (4), pp.453–482.
    14. Chan, T. K. H. Zheng, X. Cheung, C. & Lee, Z. W. Y. (2014). Antecedents and consequences of customer engagement in online brand communities. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 285-97.
    15. Dessart, L. Veloutsou, C. Thomas, A. (2015). Consumer engagement in online brand communities: a social media perspective. Prod. Brand Manage. 24 (1), pp.28–42.
    16. Di Pietro, L. Di Virgilio, F. Pantano, E. (2012). Social network for the choice of tourist destination: attitude and behavioral intention. Hospitality Tourism Technol. 3 (1), pp.60–76.
    17. Donovan, R. J. & Rositer, J. R. (1982). Store atmosphere: An environmental psychology approach. Journal of Retailing, 58(1), pp.34–57.
    18. Filo, K. Lock, D. & Karg, A. (2015). Sport and social media research: A review. Sport Management Review, 18(2), 166-81.
    19. K. &Funk, D.C. (2008). Exploring the role of brand trust in the relationship between brand associations and brand loyalty in sport and fitness. International Journal Sport Management and Marketing, 3, pp. 39-54.
    20. Fournier, S. Solomon, M. R. & Englis, B. G. (2008). When brands resonate. Handbook of brand and experience management, pp.35-57.‏
    21. Fuller, G. 2010. Refining virtual co-creation from a consumer perspective. California Manage. 52 (2), pp. 98–122.
    22. Funk, D. James J. (2004). The fan attitude network (FAN) model: Exploring attitude formation and change among sport consumer”. Sport Management Review, 7(6), pp. 1-26.
    23. Ghasemaghaei, M. Hassanein, K. (2015). Online information quality and consumer satisfaction: the moderating roles of contextual factors-A meta-analysis. Manage. 52 (8), pp. 965–998.
    24. Gladden, JM. Funk, D.C. (2001). “Understanding brand loyalty in professional sport: Examining the link between brand associations and brand loyalty”. International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, 3(2), pp. 67-94.
    25. Gorla, N. Somers, T.M. Wong, B. (2010). Organizational impact of system quality, information quality, and service quality. J. Strategic. Inf. Syst. 19 (3), pp. 207–228.
    26. Habibi, M. R. Laroche, M. & Richard, M. O. (2014). Brand communities based in social media: How unique are they? Evidence from two exemplary brand communities. International Journal of Information Management, 34(2), pp. 123–132.
    27. Habibi, M. R. Laroche, M. & Richard, M. O. (2016). Testing an extended model of consumer behavior in the context of social media-based brand communities. Computers in Human Behavior, 62, pp. 292-302.
    28. Hajli, N. Shanmugam, M. Papagiannidis, S. Zahay, D. & Richard, M. O. (2017). Branding co-creation with members of online brand communities. Journal of Business Research, 70(1), pp. 136–144.
    29. Hammedi, W. Kandampully, J. Zhang, T. T. & Bouquiaux, L. (2015). Online customer engagement: Creating social environments through brand community constellations. Journal of service management, 26(5), pp. 777-806.
    30. Ho, C.I. Lee, P.C. (2015). Are blogs still effective to maintain customer relationships? An empirical study on the travel industry. Hospitality Tourism Technol. 6 (1), pp. 5–25.
    31. Islam, J. U. & Rahman, Z. (2016). Linking customer engagement to trust and word-of-mouth on Facebook brand communities: An empirical study. Journal of Internet Commerce, 15(1), pp. 40-58.
    32. Jang, H. Olfman, L. Ko, I. Koh, J. & Kim, K. (2008). The influence of on-line brand community characteristics on community commitment and brand loyalty. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 12(3), pp. 57-80.‏
    33. Javani, Vajihe. SoltanHossein, Mohammad. Rahnama, Nader. and NasrEsfahani, Davood .(2012). Study of effective factors of fans’ brand loyalty in Iranian professional football leagu”. Journal of Physical Education and Sports Management, 3(1), pp. 8-13.
    34. Jeremy, J. Sierra a. Vishag, Badrinarayanan. & Taute, H. (2016). Explaining behavior in brand communities: A sequential model of attachment, tribalism, and self-esteem. Computers in Human Behavior, 55(2), pp. 626–632.
    35. Kamboj, S. Sarmah, B. Gupta, S. & Dwivedi, Y. (2018). Examining branding co-creation in brand communities on social media: Applying the paradigm of Stimulus-Organism-Response. International Journal of Information Management, 39, pp. 169-185.‏
    36. Kandampully, J. Zhang, T. & Bilgihan, A. (2015). “Customer loyalty: a review and future directions with a special focus on the hospitality industry”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 27(3), pp. 379-414.
    37. Kaur, H. Paruthi, M. Islam, J. & Hollebeek, L. D. (2020). The role of brand community identification and reward on consumer brand engagement and brand loyalty in virtual brand communities. Telematics and Informatics, 46, pp. 101-321.‏
    38. Kaynak, E. Salman, G. & Tatoglu, E. (2008). An integrative framework linking brand associations and brand loyalty in professional sports. Journal of Brand Management, 15, pp. 336-357.
    39. Kim Min, G. Hyunjoo, Y, Anna, S.M. (2018). “The Impact of Customer Loyalty and Restaurant Sanitation Grades on Revisit”, Intention and the Importance of Narrative Information, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, (3), pp. 275-284.
    40. Ko, E. Kim, E. Y. & Lee, E. K. (2009). Modeling consumer adoption of mobile shopping for fashion products in Korea. Psychology & marketing, 26(7), pp. 669-687.
    41. Ladhari, R. Souiden, N. & Ladhari, I. (2011). Determinants of loyalty and recommendation: The role of perceived service quality, emotional satisfaction and image. Journal of Financial Services Marketing, 16(2), pp. 111-124.‏
    42. Laroche, M. Habibi, M.R. Richard, M. (2013). "To be or not to be in social media: How brand loyalty is affected by social media? Journal of International Information Management, 33, pp: 76-82.
    43. Lee, M.R. Yen, D.C. & Hsiao, C.Y. (2014). Understanding the perceived community value of Facebook users. Computers in Human Behavior, 35(5), pp. 350-358.
    44. Liao, J. & Wang, L. (2009). Face as a mediator of the relationship between material value and brand consciousness. Psychology & Marketing, 26(11), pp. 987-1001.‏
    45. Liu, Y. Li, Y. Zhang, H. & Huang, W. W. (2017). Gender differences in information quality of virtual communities: A study from an expectation-perception perspective. Personality and individual differences, 104, pp. 224-229.
    46. Loureiro, S. & Ribeiro, L. (2011). The effect of atmosphere on emotions and online shopping intention: Age differentiation. Australian and New Zealand marketing academy conference.
    47. McCarthy, J. Rowley, J. Jane Ashworth, C. & Pioch, E. (2014). Managing brand presence through social media: The case of UK football clubs. Internet Research, 24(2), 181-204.
    48. Mollen, A. & Wilson, H. (2010). Engagement, telepresence and interactivity in online consumer experience: Reconciling scholastic and managerial perspectives. Journal of Business Research, 63(9), pp. 919–925.
    49. Muniz, A. M. & O'guinn, T. C. (2001). Brand community. Journal of consumer research, 27(4), 412-432.‏
    50. Newman, A. Sheikh, A.Z. (2012). Organizational rewards and employee commitment: a Chinese study. J. Manage. Psychol. 27(1), pp. 71–89.
    51. Papagiannidis, Hajli, Nick & Shanmugam, Mohana & Savvas & Zahay, Debra & Richard, Marie-Odile, (2017). Branding co-creation with members of online brand communities, Journal of Business Research, 70, pp. 136-144.
    52. Popp, B. & Woratschek, H. (2016). Introducing branded communities in sport for building strong brand relations in social media. Sport Management Review, 19(2), pp. 183-97.
    53. Revilla-Camacho, M. Á. Vega-Vázquez, M. & Cossío-Silva, F. J. (2015). Customer participation and citizenship behavior effects on turnover intention. Journal of business research, 68(7), pp. 1607-1611.‏
    54. Rohm, A. Kaltcheva, V.D. Milne, G.R. (2013). A mixed-method approach to examining brand-consumer interactions driven by social media. J. Res. Interact. Marketing, 7(4), pp. 295–311.
    55. Rose, S. Clark, M. Samouel, P. & Hair, N. (2012). Online customer experience in e-retailing: an empirical model of antecedents and outcomes. Journal of Retailing, 88(2), pp. 308–322.
    56. Schau, H. J. Muñiz, A. M. Jr. & Arnould, E. J. (2009). How brand community practices create value. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), pp. 30–51.
    57. Shin, J.I. Chung, K.H. Oh, J.S. Lee, C.W. (2013). The effect of site quality on repurchase intention in internet shopping through mediating variables: the case of university students in South Korea.Int.Inf.Manage, 33(3), pp. 453–463.
    58. Simon, F. & Tossan, V. (2018). Does brand-consumer social sharing matter? A relational framework of customer engagement to brand-hosted social media. Journal of Business Research, 85, pp. 175-184.‏
    59. Sutton, W. McDonald, M. Milne, G. Cimperman, J. (1997). “Creating and fostering for identification in professional sports”. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 6(1), pp.15-22.
    60. Ul Islam, J. & Rahman, Z. (2017). The impact of online brand community characteristics on customer engagement. Telematics and Informatics, 34(4), pp. 96-109.‏
    61. Wirtz, J. den Ambtman, A. Bloemer, J. Horváth, C. Ramaseshan, B. van de Klundert, J. Gurhan Canli, Z. Kandampully, J. (2013). Managing brands and customer engagement in online brand communities. Serv. Manage. 24 (3), pp. 223–244.
    62. Yoshida, M. Gordon, B. Nakazawa, M. & Biscaia, R. (2014). Conceptualization and measurement of fan engagement: Empirical evidence from a professional sport context. Journal of Sport Management, 28(4), pp. 399-417.
    63. Yusof, J. M. Manan, H. A. Karim, N. A. & Kassim, N. A. M. (2015). Customer's Loyalty effects of CSR Initiatives. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 170, pp. 109-119.‏
    64. Zha, X. Yang, H. Yan, Y. Liu, K. & Huang, C. (2018). Exploring the effect of social media information quality, source credibility and reputation on informational fit-to-task: Moderating role of focused immersion. Computers in Human Behavior, 79, pp. 227-237.‏
    65. Zhang, Q. Vonderembse, M. A. and Lim, J. S. (2011). Manufacturing flexibility: defining and analyzing relationships among aompetence, aapacity, and austomer aatisfaction. Journal of Operational Management, 21, pp. 173-191.
    66. Zhao, H. (2019). Information Quality or Entities’ Interactivity? Understanding the Determinants of Social Network-Based Brand Community Participation. Future Internet, 11(4), pp. 87.‏
    67. Zheng, X. Cheung, C. M. Lee, M. K. & Liang, L. (2015). Building brand loyalty through user engagement in online brand communities in social networking sites. Information Technology & People.‏
    68. Zheng, Y. Zhao, K. & Stylianou, A. (2013). The impacts of information quality and system quality on users' continuance intention in information-exchange virtual communities: An empirical investigation. Decision Support Systems, 56, pp. 513-524.
    69. Zhu, D.H. Chang, Y.P. Luo, J.J. (2016). Understanding the influence of C2C communication on purchase decision in online communities from a perspective of information adoption model. Telematics Inform. 33 (1), pp. 8–16.