A Behavioural Model of Brand Community Member Involvement: A Conceptual Framework and Empirical Results

The main purpose of this research is to identify the underlying behavioural structure of brand communities. Existing research on brand communities identifies community attributes and benefits for customers' as well as firms'. Here, we offer a conceptual framework explaining how these community components are interrelated. Structural equation modelling is used as the analysis methodology. The results indicate that all the identified community components are important determinants of behavioural outcomes including intention to repurchase, positive referral behaviour and willingness to pay more for the brand. Specifically, community sentiments serve as important components bridging the gap between brand relationships and community microstructure and participation. The study findings have important implications for designing brand community strategies.