My identity is my membership: A longitudinal explanation of online brand community members’ behavioral characteristics

TLDR: In this article, a longitudinal framework is developed to describe and explain online brand community members' brand attachment and their distinctive behaviors, with the objective of developing a positive brand identity through trust and input from the community members.

Abstract: Brands play an increasingly important role in consumers’ purchasing decisions in today's post-modern era. Researchers have noticed the formation of a new type of human community – online brand community, where similar interests and experiences bring brand users into a social group, and where community members share product information, knowledge, experience and identity. Brand community helps to identify the perceived social image of consumers, and consumers also use an online brand community to gain the identity recognized by their peers. This article develops a longitudinal framework to describe and explain online brand community members’ brand attachment and their distinctive behaviors. Managerial implications are provided for brand managers in how to properly utilize online brand community to increase and maintain brand equity. To maintain competitive advantage in the post-modern marketplace, companies must invest in their online brand communities, with the objective of developing a positive brand identity through trust and input from the community members.