How do consumers use brand affiliations on social media to create an image?
- Abstract
Online platforms and social networks positively influence the consumer-brand relationship. In this connective world, consumption behaviours evolve as an essential part of persons' self-concept while identities in social media become more prominence on the same media platforms. Consumers attempt to form collaboration and commitment through online presence; this is done by offering brands identification. This paper aims to investigate how consumers present themselves using brand affiliation on social media to create an image. Findings observed from this research revealed different factors that contribute on how consumers utilize brands to create an image online; brand affiliation, seeking opportunity, conversation, investigation, entertainment, motivation, perception, as well as attitude.
- Introduction
Social media (SM) with the entirety of its presentations and increasing prominence creates huge commitments to organizations in quest for buyer commitment, brand mindfulness and network. Due to the current competitive environment, collaboration and feasible information assets are more indispensable than any other time in recent memory for brands. Consumers produced substance and experience commands the advertising correspondence usage over interpersonal organizations. It causes Social Media to be essential for giant global firms, yet additionally for little and medium measured organizations, alongside charitable associations and administrative offices too. However, utilizing SM is not a simple undertaking and may require better approaches for intuition.
Consumers are utilizing Social Media not only for digital advertisement, but similarly for selling their own life experiences, selling innovative ideas, and building opportunities for their motivation. There are numerous kinds of Social Media platforms which aid consumer experiences such as blogs, content community, and social networking sites. Content generated by the user is a vital means through which consumers prompt themselves to have clear communication with others online. There is a great potential to shape consumer perceptions drastically to challenge marketing professionals; this can be through user-generated content. It is therefore clear that with its diverse domain Social Media contents customer’s aspiration of engagement with a product which they desire to be associated with their daily experiences. This paper, therefore, aims at investigating how consumers present themselves using brand affiliation on social media to create an image.
- Literature Review
A lot of scholars have analyzed the factors that contribute to how consumers use brands to create an image online. SM drives purchasers to presume of organization created advertisements in SM while the genuine experience of experienced shopper is effectively achievable (Chen &Wang, 2017). It is vital to pay attention to SM features to search the fundamental concepts of implication connected to social media utilization. Klassen et al. (2018) demonstrate these features as; contribution, honesty, communication, and linkage. An ideal medium for consumers looking for ways to getting engagement and loyalty with their fans is provided through these features. Communities enhance an enhanced distribution on social networks that include personal feelings, as well as the opportunity to get access to those who are not yet in their social networks (Davis, Piven &Breazeale, 2014). Buyers are bound to depend on proposals from a genuine customer, as opposed to a promoting message. Even though the consumer choice cycle has fundamentally changed, the customers' support cycle of their buy choices has not.
Dinnie et al., 2010 expressed that, where it was once enough to go out on the town to shop and buy, the present shoppers do huge online exploration and data sharing using sites, scaled-down sites, gatherings. The significant communication difficulties for publicities are distinguishing the current situation in advancement, as well as detecting the upcoming influencers in social media (Hollenbeck & Kaikati, 2012). In this case, consumers obtain and convey products information through social media primarily as they are on their daily recreation arenas such as gym via social networks.
Consumers, however, have difficult times in making decisions of the brand to use on their social media; this is because the brand has to be appealing to their fans. According to Chen and Wang (2017), there is a different process of decision making which the consumer should follow for appropriate implications, as shown in figure 1 in the appendix. SM life stages have been significantly used in recent years as branding platforms, as shown in figure 2 in the appendix (Chen and Wang, 2017). The model demonstrates the rate of social media platform usage in percentages.
- Methodology
The essential goal of this investigation is to build up numerous scales estimating the Social Media clients' inspirations to collaborate with and additionally concerning products above informal organizations. Effective nearness picks up significance for the organizations every single day to procure upper hand. Understanding the buyers' essential inspirations of their utilization associated exercises over Social Media is vital for advertisers to grow healthier methodologies. They are building up a thorough and exact scale comprised the significant reason for this examination in the quest for both hypothetical and administrative results. Another target of the study is breaking down and looking at the overall significance of every inspiration factor essential the online association conduct of shoppers with brands.
To build up an inspiration scale, two centre gatherings and four profundity dialogues were led after the writing audit. Themes of centre gatherings were chosen from the graduate students from the commercial organization office who are dynamic Social Media clients. Profundity consultations were controlled with online mass media pros from driving brands of various item classes. This subjective stage and past exploration of the Social Media utilization gave the base of our examination. After the identification of assorted utilization connected Social Media use designs in this emotional stage, things were created to quantify each extraordinary thought process. The last centre gathering was used with the graduate students to test the phrasing and lucidity of the created things.
From this research, the following interview transcript can be used as methodology for interview to gather information related to the research. The transcript involves questions that may be of help in gathering research information.
How do consumers use brand affiliations on social media to create an image?
- According to you what is the goal of consumer creating image on social media?
- How can you define brand affiliation?
- How does a business benefit from social media?
- What are some of strategy that can assist you to succeed as a social media consumer?
- Are all social media platforms the same in terms of customer population?
- What is the process you may use to create image in social media?
- How do you get more likes on social media?
- How can you measure success based on brand affiliation of social media?
- Do you think creating image manipulates consumer’s behavior?
- How do you choose the brand you want to create image with in social media?
- Results (findings)
Customers' inspirations to communicate with, as well as the products over Social Media, are broke down, and a connected gauge was created. Psychometric possessions and experimental discoveries showed that the measure is substantial in various examples and inside dependable. Five unmistakable and reliable inspirations were investigated as, product alliance, discussion; prospect chasing, amusement and examination. Motivations are the necessities, which lead the individual to look for fulfilment (Chen &Wang, 2017). As indicated by this definition, investigated inspirations of shoppers in this research, which causes them to get involved in with a brand over SM, can be explained as cautiously for powerful showcasing suggestions in informal organizations. Bearing in mind the significance of Social Media as an apparatus for variety commitment and networks, the connection and dialogue purposes may have a vital aim in Social Media showcasing recommendations. These discoveries will add to both customer conduct hypothesis and ramifications of online advertisers.
- Implications and Conclusions
This research aimed to investigate how consumers present themselves using brand affiliation on social media to create an image. With the findings and results, the paper provides practical implications to consumers. It can attest that this research is beneficial to the consumers in the sense that they use different brands to create an impression of their reputation through social media. Findings observed from this research revealed other factors that contribute on how consumers utilize brands to create an image online; brand affiliation, seeking opportunity, conversation, investigation, entertainment, motivation, perception, as well as attitude.
- Reference
Chen, H. and Wang, Y., 2017. Connecting or disconnecting: luxury branding on social media and affluent Chinese female consumers’ interpretations. Journal of Brand Management, 24(6), pp.562-574.
Davis, R., Piven, I. and Breazeale, M., 2014. Conceptualizing the brand in social media community: The five sources model. Journal of Retailing and consumer services, 21(4), pp.468-481.
Dinnie, K., Melewar, T.C., Pike, S., Bianchi, C., Kerr, G. and Patti, C., 2010. Consumer‐based brand equity for Australia as a long‐haul tourism destination in an emerging market. International marketing review.
Goh, K.Y., Heng, C.S. and Lin, Z., 2013. Social media brand community and consumer behavior: Quantifying the relative impact of user-and marketer-generated content. Information Systems Research, 24(1), pp.88-107.
Hollenbeck, C.R. and Kaikati, A.M., 2012. Consumers' use of brands to reflect their actual and ideal selves on Facebook. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 29(4), pp.395- 405.
Klassen, K.M., Borleis, E.S., Brennan, L., Reid, M., McCaffrey, T.A. and Lim, M.S., 2018. What people “like”: analysis of social media strategies used by food industry brands, lifestyle brands, and health promotion organizations on Facebook and Instagram. Journal of medical Internet research, 20(6), p.e10227.
- Appendix
Figure 1: decision making process for consumers in five stages.
Figure 2: usage rate of social media platforms in Australian.
