Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Management and Accounting, Faculty of Humanities, University of Zanjan, Zanjan, Iran

2 Economic Sciences Institute / Allameh Tabatabaei University / Tehran / Iran

3 PhD student, Business Administration, University Of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of brand interaction through social media on brand loyalty through brand equity. The research is a descriptive research of the correlational type in terms of practical purpose and based on the method. The statistical population of this research includes the customers of three Iranian brands, My, Cinere and Callista. The size of the population is considered unlimited and the G-POWER tool was used to determine the sample size and the statistical sample size was calculated to be 199 people. A simple random sampling method was chosen for data collection and the data collection required in this research was done using a localized standard questionnaire. In order to confirm content validity, CVI and CVR and expert panel were used. In order to determine the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, combined reliability and homogeneous reliability were used. Because the data do not follow normal modeling; Therefore, structural equation model and partial least squares method and PLS software were used for hypothesis testing and path analysis. The results of this study showed that customer interaction with the brand through social media can have a positive effect on brand loyalty. Also, brand equity was a positive mediating factor in the relationship between brand interaction and brand loyalty. Among the three cognitive, emotional and behavioral paths, the behavioral path with a path coefficient of 0.630 is the best path in influencing customer interaction with the brand on brand loyalty.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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  5. Aljuhmani, H. Y., Elrehail, H., Bayram, P., & Samarah, T. (2023). Linking social media marketing efforts with customer brand engagement in driving brand loyalty. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics35(7), 1719-1738. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-08-2021-0627
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  11. De Villiers, R. (2015). Consumer brand enmeshment: Typography and complexity modeling of consumer brand engagement and brand loyalty enactments. Journal of Business Research68(9), 1953-1963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.01.005
  12. Dehdashti Shahrokh, Z., Mohammadian Mahmoudi Tabar, M., Keimasi, M., & Sajedifar, A. A. (2019). Developing a Model for Customer Brand Engagement on Social Media. Business Intelligence Management Studies8(29), 113-142. https://doi.org/10.22054/ims.2019.10378 [In Persian]
  13. Diallo, M. F., Moulins, J. L., & Roux, E. (2021). Unpacking brand loyalty in retailing: a three-dimensional approach to customer–brand relationships. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management49(2), 204-222. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-03-2020-0115
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  21. Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Pieper, T. M., & Ringle, C. M. (2012). The use of partial least squares structural equation modeling in strategic management research: a review of past practices and recommendations for future applications. Long range planning45(5-6), 320-340.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2012.09.008
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  24. Islam, J. U., Hollebeek, L. D., Rahman, Z., Khan, I., & Rasool, A. (2019). Customer engagement in the service context: An empirical investigation of the construct, its antecedents and consequences. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services50, 277-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.05.018
  25. Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of marketing57(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299305700101
  26. Khan, R. U., Salamzadeh, Y., Iqbal, Q., & Yang, S. (2022). The impact of customer relationship management and company reputation on customer loyalty: The mediating role of customer satisfaction. Journal of Relationship Marketing21(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332667.2020.1840904
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  30. Leckie, C., Nyadzayo, M. W., & Johnson, L. W. (2016). Antecedents of consumer brand engagement and brand loyalty. Journal of Marketing Management32(5-6), 558-578. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2015.1131735
  31. Moulins, J., & Roux, E. (2010). Communicating brand in order to refashion the customer-brand relationship. Journal of Marketing Trends1(3), 25-33.
  32. Norouzi, H., Khoddami, S., & jalali, S. S. (2023). Investigating the mediating role of brand equity in the impact of social media marketing activities on customer response (Case study: Dorsa luxury brand). Quarterly Journal of Brand Management10(2), 47-74 [In Persian]
  33. Ou, J., Wong, I. A., Prentice, C., & Liu, M. T. (2020). Customer engagement and its outcomes: the cross-level effect of service environment and brand equity. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research44(2), 377-402. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348019897360
  34. Park, Y. N., & Gong, T. (2023). Curvilinear relationship between customer engagement and responses to service failures. The Service Industries Journal, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2022.2164273
  35. Parris, D. L., & Guzmán, F. (2023). Evolving brand boundaries and expectations: looking back on brand equity, brand loyalty, and brand image research to move forward. Journal of Product & Brand Management32(2), 191-234. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-06-2021-3528
  36. Rather, R. A. (2018). Investigating the impact of customer brand identification on hospitality brand loyalty: A social identity perspective. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management27(5), 487-513. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2018.1404539
  37. Schivinski, B., & Dabrowski, D. (2015). The impact of brand communication on brand equity through Facebook. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-02-2014-0007
  38. Schmidt, S., & Eisend, M. (2015). Advertising repetition: A meta-analysis on effective frequency in advertising. Journal of Advertising44(4), 415-428. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2015.1018460
  39. So, K. K. F., King, C., & Sparks, B. (2014). Customer engagement with tourism brands: Scale development and validation. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research38(3), 304-329. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348012451456
  40. So, K. K. F., King, C., Sparks, B. A., & Wang, Y. (2016). The role of customer engagement in building consumer loyalty to tourism brands. Journal of Travel Research55(1), 64-78. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287514541008
  41. Taghiabadi, M., Taghiabadi, M., & Taghiabadi, H. (2023). The Role of Social Media in Customer Engagement with Iranian Brands in the Beauty and Cosmetic Industry. Business Intelligence Management Studies11(42), 71-102. https://doi.org/10.22054/ims.2023.15515 [In Persian]
  42. Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. R. (2017). Social media marketing. Sage. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972262918766148
  43. VanMeter, R., Syrdal, H. A., Powell-Mantel, S., Grisaffe, D. B., & Nesson, E. T. (2018). Don't just “Like” me, promote me: How attachment and attitude influence brand related behaviors on social media. Journal of Interactive Marketing43, 83-97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2018.03.003

Aaker, J. (1991). The negative attraction effect? A study of the attraction effect under judgment and choice. ACR North American Advances.

Abtin, A., & Pouramiri, M. (2016). The impact of relationship marketing on customer loyalty enhancement (Case study: Kerman Iran insurance company). Marketing and Branding Research, 3, 41-49. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3340444

Algharabat, R., Rana, N. P., Alalwan, A. A., Baabdullah, A., & Gupta, A. (2020). Investigating the antecedents of customer brand engagement and consumer-based brand equity in social media. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101767. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.01.016

Ali, F., & Muqadas, S. (2015). The impact of brand equity on brand loyalty: The mediating role of customer satisfaction. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (PJCSS), 9(3), 890-915.

Aljuhmani, H. Y., Elrehail, H., Bayram, P., & Samarah, T. (2023). Linking social media marketing efforts with customer brand engagement in driving brand loyalty. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 35(7), 1719-1738. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-08-2021-0627

Aziz, M. A., & Ahmed, M. A. (2023). Consumer Brand Identification and Purchase Intentions: The Mediating Role of Customer Brand Engagement. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business Venturing, 3(1).  https://doi.org/10.56536/jebv.v3i1.38

Bozzo, C., Merunka, D., & Moulins, J. L. (2006). Peu de consommateurs fidèles habitent au paradis. Actes du Congrès Marketing Trends, Janvier, Venise, CD-Rom.

Choedon, T., & Lee, Y. C. (2020). The effect of social media marketing activities on purchase intention with brand equity and social brand engagement: Empirical evidence from Korean cosmetic firms. Knowledge Management Research, 21(3), 141-160. https://doi.org/10.15813/kmr.2020.21.3.008

Cohen-Tannoudji, C., Dupont-Roc, J., & Grynberg, G. (1998). Atom-photon interactions: basic processes and applications. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1119/1.17212

Davari, A. & Rezazadeh, A. (2012). Structural equation modeling with PLS software. Jihad Daneshgahi Publishing Organization. [In Persian]

De Villiers, R. (2015). Consumer brand enmeshment: Typography and complexity modeling of consumer brand engagement and brand loyalty enactments. Journal of Business Research, 68(9), 1953-1963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.01.005

Dehdashti Shahrokh, Z., Mohammadian Mahmoudi Tabar, M., Keimasi, M., & Sajedifar, A. A. (2019). Developing a Model for Customer Brand Engagement on Social Media. Business Intelligence Management Studies, 8(29), 113-142. https://doi.org/10.22054/ims.2019.10378 [In Persian]

Diallo, M. F., Moulins, J. L., & Roux, E. (2021). Unpacking brand loyalty in retailing: a three-dimensional approach to customer–brand relationships. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 49(2), 204-222. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-03-2020-0115

Dwivedi, A. (2015). A higher-order model of consumer brand engagement and its impact on loyalty intentions. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 24, 100-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2015.02.007

Elsharnouby, M. H., Mohsen, J., Saeed, O. T., & Mahrous, A. A. (2021). Enhancing resilience to negative information in consumer-brand interaction: the mediating role of brand knowledge and involvement. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 15(4), 571-591. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-05-2020-0107

Enli, G. and Simonsen, C.A. (2018), “Social media logic’meets professional norms: Twitter hashtags usage by journalists and politicians”, Information, Communication & Society, Vol. 21 No. 8, pp. 1081-1096. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1301515

Fernandes, T., & Moreira, M. (2019). Consumer brand engagement, satisfaction and brand loyalty: a comparative study between functional and emotional brand relationships. Journal of Product & Brand Management.  https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-08-2017-1545

Gambetti, R., Biraghi, S., Schultz, D. E., & Graffigna, G. (2016). Brand wars: consumer–brand engagement beyond client–agency fights. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 24(2), 90-103. https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2015.1011199

Garanti, Z., & Kissi, P. S. (2019). The effects of social media brand personality on brand loyalty in the Latvian banking industry: The mediating role of brand equity. International Journal of Bank Marketing.  https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-09-2018-0257

Hair Jr, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Hopkins, L., & Kuppelwieser, V. G. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): An emerging tool in business research. European business review, 26(2), 106-121. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-10-2013-0128

Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Pieper, T. M., & Ringle, C. M. (2012). The use of partial least squares structural equation modeling in strategic management research: a review of past practices and recommendations for future applications. Long range planning, 45(5-6), 320-340.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2012.09.008

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sinkovics, R. R. (2009). The use of partial least squares path modeling in international marketing. In New challenges to international marketing (Vol. 20, pp. 277-319). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1474-7979(2009)0000020014

Hollebeek, L. D., Glynn, M. S., & Brodie, R. J. (2014). Consumer brand engagement in social media: Conceptualization, scale development and validation. Journal of interactive marketing, 28(2), 149-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2013.12.002

Islam, J. U., Hollebeek, L. D., Rahman, Z., Khan, I., & Rasool, A. (2019). Customer engagement in the service context: An empirical investigation of the construct, its antecedents and consequences. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 50, 277-285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.05.018

Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of marketing, 57(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299305700101

Khan, R. U., Salamzadeh, Y., Iqbal, Q., & Yang, S. (2022). The impact of customer relationship management and company reputation on customer loyalty: The mediating role of customer satisfaction. Journal of Relationship Marketing, 21(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332667.2020.1840904

Khanlari, A., Rezaei, F., & Mira, S. A. (2015). The Effects of Social Media-Based Brand Communities on Brand Loyalty and Brand Equity: Case Study–Cinere Company. In Strategic Customer Relationship Management in the Age of Social Media (pp. 216-243). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8586-4.ch012

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Kuvykaite, R., & Piligrimiene, Z. (2014). Consumer engagement into brand equity creation. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 156, 479-483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.11.225

Leckie, C., Nyadzayo, M. W., & Johnson, L. W. (2016). Antecedents of consumer brand engagement and brand loyalty. Journal of Marketing Management, 32(5-6), 558-578. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2015.1131735

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