• The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.107-116
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• 2018

The aim of this study is to delve deeper into the online brand community study. This study tests (a) the effects of online brand community on its outcomes, (b) the impact of value creation practice construct as a whole, (c) the effects of value creating practice construct on the two types of loyalty, loyalty toward the brand and the community. Participants of this study (N=353) are members of four types of online brand communities (e.g., business-to-consumer virtual product support community, firm-hosted online community, user-generated online community, peer-to-peer problem-solving community, and social media based brand community). Data were collected online using Amazon Mechanical Turk from April 10, 2016 to May 10, 2016. The data were analyzed through structural equations modeling using AMOS 20. The three community markers (e.g., consciousness of kind, rituals and traditions, and moral responsibility) and the four value creation practices (e.g., social networking, impression management, community engagement, and brand use) are proved to be significant indicators of online brand community and value creation practice constructs, respectively. Test results showed that strong and effective online brand communities generate value creation practices, and value creation practices enhance brand loyalty. The mediating effects of community loyalty between value creation practices and brand loyalty were revealed.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.25
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• pp.339-370
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• 2008

As the Internet environment develops, Internet has already been being established as important tool of business marketing and branding. In particular, a brand community where customers interact with other customers who have the same interest in brand provides a variety of benefits to customers as well as companies. The brand community makes it possible for company to build, and retain relationships with customers, and capture new market opportunities. Therefore, this study examines the relationship among service quality of brand community, customer value, customer satisfaction, customer trust, and brand community loyalty in online brand communities. The results of empirical analysis can be summarized by the following: First, service quality of brand community had a significant direct effect on customer value. Second, service quality of brand community had a significant direct effect on customer satisfaction. It had also a positive, significant indirect effect on customer satisfaction through customer value and customer trust. Third, service quality of brand community had a significant indirect effect on brand community loyalty through customer satisfaction, customer value, and customer trust. Therefore, These finding will spawn both academic and practitioner interest in brand community and serve as a foundation for further research in this important area.

• Journal of Information Technology Services
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.183-200
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• 2014

Online brand communities have become a major component of marketing strategy given that these communities encourage participation and share the culture of Web 2.0 core concepts to Internet users. This study investigated the effects of social capital and knowledge quality on the success of online brand communities. A research model suggests that trust among members and the identification derived from social capital theory and knowledge quality influence individual community participation; knowledge quality also influences brand trust. In turn, community participation and brand trust develop brand loyalty. The model was empirically analyzed using structural equation modeling with data from online brand community members in Korea. The results indicate that identification and knowledge quality significantly affects brand trust and brand loyalty through community participation. This study provides a basis for developing a success model for online brand communities. Also, this study identifies a new role of knowledge quality in an online brand community context.

• Fashion, Industry and Education
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2016

With the emergence of online communities, the role of online communities in establishing brand equity has been greatly emphasized. In order to enhance our understanding of commitment in online brand communities, the present study attempts to investigate how three dimensions of community commitment (continuance, affective, and normative commitment) influence each component of brand equity (brand awareness, brand association, perceived quality, and brand loyalty) in the context of company-initiated online brand community. An online survey was conducted with a sample of online brand community members. The results found differential impacts of three types of community commitment on brand equity components, emphasizing the role of continuance and affective commitment. Continuance community commitment positively influenced brand awareness and brand association. Affective community commitment positively affected perceived quality, while among the three, only continuance and affective community commitment influenced the enhancement of brand loyalty. The results suggest that brand marketers need to focus on continuance and affective commitment factors in their online communities to effectively enhance brand equity possessed by consumers. Theoretical and managerial implications are provided.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.110-124
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• 2013

The spread of internet media is accelerating companies to create their own on-line brand community as one of their marketing communication tools because of the advantages in terms of cost-saving and raising their brand loyalty. The purpose of this study was to examine how the consumer's activities in the customer self-driven on line fashion brand community ultimately affect building a structural relationship between brand attitude and brand loyalty. In order to conduct this study, on-line field survey was conducted including a series of filtering questions measuring respondent's level of the community participation. SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 were used for the structure equation modeling. The result of empirical analysis showed that the attachment and the loyalty of online community have significant influences on brand attitude and brand loyalty. Also, brand attitude partly played a role as a mediating variable in the path to influence brand loyalty. Lastly, the mediating effects of brand attitude may depend on participation level of these online fashion brand community relationships.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.181-203
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• 2015

Customers who show high level of brand loyalty are one of the most important corporate assets. Accordingly, customers' brand loyalty has been addressed as a critical issue for the business success. In today's business environment where business channels to customers have expanded and diversified continuously, especially the use of social network services (SNSs) have drawn a lot of attention as an effective channel to promote customers' brand loyalty. This study, thus, analyzes the impact of the virtual brand community identity on customers' brand loyalty, focusing on the role of the sense of communities as mediators. The analysis was conducted by using the data collected from 239 users of Chinese virtual brand communities. The results show that both virtual brand community identity and the sense of communities significantly influence on customers' brand loyalty. Furthermore, the results reveal that both of the community belongingness and community trust composing the sense of community partially mediate virtual brand community and brand loyalty as hypothesized. Based on the results, the strategic implications are suggested and discussed, focusing on improving the customers' brand loyalty in the context of SNSs. Our findings and discussions can help companies develop their customer strategies for utilizing the virtual communities to strengthen customers' brand loyalty.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.107-117
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• 2023

Purpose: This study attempted to confirm the mediating effect of brand experience and to travel brand community satisfaction in the relationship between the characteristics of brand community contents and travel product purchase intention. This study also investigated the moderating role of consumer characteristics. Research design, data and methodology: Based on a total of 381 bytes of data, hypothesis verification was conducted using Smart-PLS 3.2.8 statistical package programs. Results: First, the content community travel brand attributes, personal affordability and creativity are a lingering fragrances on the intended consumers ' shopping trip. Second, information provision, interaction, and creativity, which are the characteristics of travel brand community content, influenced consumers' intention to purchase travel products through brand community satisfaction. Third, playfulness, vitality, and creativity, which are the characteristics of travel brand community content, influenced consumers' intention to purchase travel products through double mediation of the experience and community satisfaction of brand. Conclusions: Tourism industry managers should be able to market content by forming their own brand community. It is necessary to create an environment in which tourism industry managers can use social media travel brand community content to give discounts to consumers, provide creative, playful and vivid travel information.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.167-184
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• 2009

New internet trend, such as Web 2.0, has brought about new roles of users and changes in the web ecosystem. In the age of information overload like nowadays, activities in the brand community sites help to make more reasonable decisions in choosing certain brands and products. In order to examine organizational strategic aspects of brand community, this study examine (1) what difference exists in user satisfaction according to the brand community types (the user-initiated type and the corporate-established type), and (2) which dimensions of service quality affect brand community users' satisfaction. Research findings show that types of brand community influence perceived user satisfaction, and tangibility, reliability, interactivity, and stability dimensions of service quality make a positive influence on user satisfaction as well. Practical implications for managing brand community sites in marketing perspectives are further discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.1-26
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• 2011

As brand is increasingly important as a competitive source and information and communication technology based on Internet is rapidly advanced, many companies have paid attention to online brand community that is expected to help strengthen the customer's awareness on their products and services. This study suggests four factors-interaction, purpose, playfulness, reward-that facilitate online brand community commitment, and examines the effect of online brand community commitment on brand loyalty from the perspective of social identity theory. For this purpose, 243 sample data were collected from three online brand community sites and the proposed research model was empirically tested using LISREL 8.7 based on structural equation model. In conclusion, this study proposed theoretical and practical implications along with its limitations and future studies.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.374-385
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• 2021

Brand community refers to a group of consumers who are passionate about the brand, and actively participate in enhancing the brand value. This study examines the impact of brand community experience on brand satisfaction, brand trust, and brand value co-creation, focusing on BTS's fan community, 'ARMY'. The results show that the value of aesthetic sensitivity, self-consistency, and intellectual fulfillment, obtained through brand community experiences, had a positive impact on brand satisfaction and brand trust, and brand value co-creation. The implications of this study are as follows: First, rather than company-centered traditional marketing campaign strategies, future brand marketing strategies should focus on nurturing brand communities through which encourage emotional communication and solidarity between consumers and companies. Second, in order to enhance brand community experiences, it is necessary to provide various opportunities to satisfy customers' intellectual curiosity and self-consistency as well as sensory stimuli related to the brand.