Special issue on information flow and WOM in social media and online communities

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Engagement del consumidor a través del contenido generado por las empresas en instagram

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of consumers’ perceptions of the enjoyment and originality of firm-generated content (FGC) posted on Instagram on affective customer engagement (CE). In addition, an examination is undertaken of affective CE as a driver of customer behaviour. Design/methodology/approach: The paper takes a quantitative approach using a sample of 334 women followers of an eco-friendly restaurant Instagram account. After validation of the measurement scales, the hypotheses were tested through structural equation modelling. Drawing on the stimuli-organism-response framework the authors posit that consumers’ perceptions of the enjoyment and originality of Instagram posts generate affective CE, which, in turn, influences customer behaviour. Findings: The results showed that the perceived enjoyment and perceived originality of Instagram posts generated by an eco-friendly restaurant have a positive influence on affective CE, which, in turn, affects consumers’ recommendation behaviours, intention to follow the restaurant’s advice on Instagram and intention to revisit the restaurant. Originality/value: This research provides novel insights into how the perceived enjoyment and originality of FGC posted on Instagram increases women’s affective engagement and expands knowledge of how affective CE might increase positive electronic word-of-mouth, intention to follow the restaurant’s advice and repurchase intentionsUniversity of Valencia (Spain) under Grant UV-INV-AE19-121225

Pandemic pains to Instagram gains! COVID-19 perceptions effects on behaviours towards fashion brands on Instagram in Sub-Saharan Africa: Tech-native vs non-native generations

This study represents a novel attempt to investigate the cascading effects of COVID-19 perceptions onto behavioural patterns towards fashion brands on Instagram and across two generations tech-native vs tech non-native) in a Sub-Saharan African context. We drew our study on a sample of 338 Instagram users that experienced fashion brands on Instagram in two Sub-Saharan African countries: Uganda and Nigeria. We used partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to test the hypothetical model. We found that COVID-19 perception positively predicted enjoyment and usefulness, leading to more satisfaction with fashion brand accounts on Instagram and hence greater intention to follow and recommend those accounts. Finally, running a multigroup analysis (MGA), we found the effects of COVID-19 perceptions pronounced into both intentions to follow and intention to recommend via the sequence of mediators: enjoyment and satisfaction were only valid amongst the tech-native generational cohort. Our research suggested a new generational categorisation based on technology nativity – offering a new direction of generational studies in digital marketing communications

Building influencers'' credibility on Instagram: Effects on followers’ attitudes and behavioral responses toward the influencer

Collaborations between influencers and brands have become increasingly popular in recent years. Previous research has mainly focused on influencer marketing as a commercial action designed to enhance followers'' perceptions and reactions toward promoted brands, ignoring the consequences of these promotional actions on influencers'' credibility and their relationships with their followers. This research sheds light on the topic by exploring how influencers'' promotional actions affect their credibility, and followers'' attitudes and behavioral responses toward the influencer (i.e., to continue following, imitate, and recommend them to other users). A study addressed to the followers of a popular influencer was carried out to test the research model. The results showed that perceived influencer-product congruence positively affects followers'' perceptions of the credibility of, and attitude toward, influencers, and negatively affects perceptions of paid communication. Followers'' perceptions that influencers have been paid to take part in promotional activities harms their credibility; however, credibility is essential for generating positive attitudes toward the influencer. Finally, both perceived credibility and attitude foster positive behavioral responses toward the influencer; influencers must enhance these factors to retain their influencing capacity. This research provides managerial implications for influencers and brands that can help enhance followers’ experiences when exposed to promotions on social media

Telepresence in live-stream shopping: an experimental study comparing Instagram and the metaverse

Advances in digital platforms allow influencers to use live shows to showcase products, which has given rise to live-stream shopping. Moreover, new communication forms have emerged, such as the metaverse. The social interactions that occur in these immersive environments foster influencer-follower interactions. This research compares the impact of live-stream shopping on followers’ experiences and behaviors on two communication channels (live shows on Instagram and in the metaverse) and analyses the moderating role of content involvement in telepresence. Data were collected in a between-subjects quasi-field experiment. Two scenarios that differed in degree of telepresence were created, a live show on Instagram and a live show in the metaverse. The results showed that telepresence is an important part of the user experience and in the success of live shows. Telepresence was seen to have a major influence on experiential value, but not on instrumental value. Both values provided followers with satisfaction with the experience. This satisfaction generated stickiness intention and intention to recommend the influencers’ live shows. The effect of telepresence on experiential value was greater for followers less involved with the influencer’s content. This research is pioneering in comparing an established platform, Instagram, with the metaverse. Despite the greater experiential value provided by the metaverse, to increase its instrumental value metaverse spaces needs to be further developed

Pengaruh Kredibilitas dan Karakteristik Opinion Leader terhadap Behavioral Intention Konsumen pada Media Sosial Instagram

This study aims to determine the effect of the information source’s credibility and characteristic towards opinion leadership, and the effect of opinion leadership on consumer behavioral intention in social media Instagram. The population in this study were all social media users who use Instagram as their fashion reference. The total sample used in this study was 168 people. The sampling method used in this research is purposive sampling. The result obtained from this study indicates that credibility and characteristic have a significant and positive effect on opinion leadership, and opinion leadership has a significant and positive effect on the intention to interact and intention to follow the advice

Females' customer engagement with eco-friendly restaurants in Instagram: the role of past visits.

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine the effect on the customer brand engagement (CBE) of followers of an eco-friendly restaurant of their perceptions of the originality of the firm-generated content posted online by the restaurant and the effect of CBE on brand advocacy and behavioural intentions to visit the restaurant, paying special attention to the moderating role of past visits to the restaurant. Design/methodology/approach - The hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling with a sample of 491 female Instagram users who follow the online account of a particular eco-friendly dining establishment. Two group comparisons were conducted to test the moderating effects in relationships between CBE and consumer-brand interactions (behavioural intentions to visit the restaurant and brand advocacy). Findings - Followers' perceptions of the originality of the material posted by the eco-friendly restaurant had a positive influence on CBE which, in turn, affected brand advocacy and behavioural intentions to visit the restaurant. Past visits moderated the relationship between CBE and consumer-brand interactions. Practical implications - This study offers restaurants an understanding of how to develop marketing strategies targeted at females on visual-based social networks; it is shown that original posts encourage favourable responses, such as CBE, brand advocacy and behavioural intentions. Managers should organise events and invite their female followers to visit the restaurant. Originality/value - This study adds to the knowledge about customer engagement by explaining how firm-generated content posted on Instagram drives CBE and provides specific suggestions as to how restauranteurs might engage online with their clients. This study goes beyond direct effects and analyses the moderating role of past visits to the restaurant on the relationships between CBE and consumer-brand interactions (visiting intentions and brand advocacy)

Instagram influencers: the role of opinion leadership in consumers’ purchase behavior

Instagram has gained momentum in influencer marketing for cosmetic products. This study aims to examine the antecedents of social media opinion leadership and its effects on consumers’ actual purchase behavior. The results based on a sample of 223 followers reveal that originality, quality, and quantity are essential elements leading a user to be perceived as an opinion leader. Besides, opinion leadership impacts consumers’ purchase intention, actual purchase behavior, and purchase loyalty. These findings deepen our understanding of the effects of opinion leadership on consumers’ purchase decisions. Moreover, the findings have beneficial implications for developing effective social media marketing communication strategies

Followers’ reactions to influencers’ Instagram posts

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze how positive behaviors toward influencers (customer interaction) and promoted products (looking for product information) can be achieved, taking into account influencer–product fit, in a fashion marketing campaign. In addition, account following and product involvement are examined as possible moderators in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach: The data were gathered from online participants. The participants were Instagram users who already knew a popular influencer on the platform. The experimental design manipulated the types of picture posted by the influencer to observe customers’ reactions in terms of intention to interact with the influencer’s account and to look for further information about promoted products. Findings: The authors’ findings suggested that influencer–product matches in posts on Instagram encourage users to search for information about promoted products but do not affect their intention to interact with influencers’ accounts. Nevertheless, customers’ reactions toward an influencer’s posts differ based on whether they are followers of the influencer and whether they are highly or lowly involved with the promoted product. Practical implications: Both brands and influencers should properly manage influencer marketing actions. Brands should control influencers’ audiences and their involvement with featured products so that they are seen to promote them in a natural way. Influencers should endorse branded products that fit their own style; this will increase the interaction on their accounts. Originality/value: This research contributes to a better understanding of how users can be encouraged to undertake positive online actions as regards influencers (interaction with their accounts) and promoted products (information search) in influencer marketing campaigns

Does Customer Engagement Behaviour Develop New Customer Base in Indonesia? Evidence from An Eco-Friendly Global Fashion Brand

Green product is known as one of the efforts to minimize waste during the production process while maximizing the products made at the same time to meet environmentally friendly requirements. Eco-friendly means related to products, processed products, and raw materials that are not harmful to humans, the earth and the surrounding environment. The purpose of this research is to analyze the influence of Zara's official fan-page follow towards social media connectedness, fan-page engagement, social media connectedness, and purchase intention of eco-friendly fashion products among young customers in Indonesia.This research is a quantitative study. Source of data used are primary data, which were collected via a survey to young customers who have bought Zara's eco-friendly collection of products in the last three months. The analytical method used was multiple linear regression. The findings show that fan-page follow has positive effects on media connectedness, fan-page engagement, social media connectedness, and purchase intention. Also, social media connectedness has positive effect on purchase intention. Results of this research confirm that customer engagement behaviour which developed through official social media account can effectively form new base of customer for the company. Keywords: fan-page follow, purchase intentions, social media connectedness, fan-page engagement DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/15-6-03 Publication date:March 31st 2023