Literature on consumer engagement is growing significantly, yet there is limited empirical research on its drivers and outcomes. This study examines the key drivers and outcomes of consumer brand engagement (CBE) in the context of Australian mobile phone service providers. The results reveal that consumer involvement, consumer participation and self-expressive brand have differing effects on the CBE dimensions (cognitive processing, affection and activation) and brand loyalty. Specifically, involvement, participation and self-expressive brand are all found to positively impact cognitive processing. Also, involvement and self-expressive brand positively influence affection. While, a positive relationship is established between involvement and activation, self-expressive brand emerges as a negative driver of activation. Further, the results show that affection and activation positively influence brand loyalty. Surprisingly, cognitive processing negatively impacts brand loyalty, whilst involvement (unlike participation and self-expressive brand) has a positive direct effect on brand loyalty. Managerial and academic implications, as well as areas for future research are discussed.

Along with the acceleration of green marketing in recent years, greenwash has been utilized by firms to get ahead of their rivals. Underpinned by the cognition–affect–behavior (C-A-B) paradigm, this study examines a model linking greenwash and green skepticism with green purchase intentions. It also investigates the moderating role of information and knowledge on the relationship between greenwash and green purchase intentions. Data were obtained from 419 Vietnamese consumers who had been involved in purchasing green vegetables using an online survey. Multivariate data analysis demonstrated that greenwash was negatively associated with green purchase intentions and that green skepticism mediated this negative association. In addition, the moderating effect of information and knowledge was confirmed. These findings enrich the extant knowledge on the relationship between greenwash and green purchase intentions. They also have important implications for firms that aim to reduce consumers’ skepticism and increase their intentions to purchase green food.

Purpose: The ever-growing popularity of social media platforms is evidence of consumers engaging emotionally with these brands. Given the prominence of social media in society, the purpose of this paper is to understand social media platforms from a “brand” perspective through examining the effect of consumers’ emotional attachment on social media consumer-based brand equity (CBBE).Design/methodology/approach: This paper develops a model that outlines how emotional brand attachment with social media explains social media CBBE via shaping consumer perceptions of brand credibility and consumer satisfaction. An online survey of 340 Australian social media consumers provided data for empirical testing. The inclusion of multiple context-relevant covariates and use of a method-variance-adjusted data matrix, as well as an examination of an alternative model, adds robustness to the results.Findings: The findings of this paper support the conceptual model, and the authors identify strong relationships between the focal variables. A phantom model analysis explicates specific indirect effects of emotional brand attachment on CBBE. The authors also find support for a fully mediated effect of emotional brand attachment on social media brand equity. Further, they broaden the nomological network of emotional brand attachment, outlining key outcomes.Research limitations/implications: This paper offers a conceptual mechanism (a chain-of-effects) of how consumer emotional brand attachment with social media brands translates into social media CBBE. It also finds that a brand’s credibility as well as its ability to perform against consumer expectations (i.e. satisfaction) are equally effective in translating emotional brand attachment into social media CBBE.Practical implications: Social media brands are constantly challenged by rapid change and ongoing criticism over such issues as data privacy. The implications from this paper suggest that managers should make investments in creating (reinforcing) emotional connections with social media consumers, as this will favorably impact CBBE by way of a relational mechanism, that is, via enhancing credibility and consumer satisfaction.Social implications: Lately, social media in general has suffered from a crisis of trust in society. The enhanced credibility of social media brands resulting from consumers’ emotional attachments will potentially serve to enhance its acceptance as a credible form of media in society.Originality/value: Social media platforms are often examined as brand-building platforms. This paper adopts a different perspective, examining social media platforms as brands per se and the effects of emotional attachments that consumers develop towards these. This paper offers valuable insights into how consumers’ emotional attachments drive vital brand judgments such as credibility and satisfaction, ultimately culminating into social media CBBE.

Very few studies have investigated place image (PI) and place attachment (PA) from the perspective of the residents. Accordingly, this study aims to evaluate the effect of PI and PA on residents’ perceived value of tourism development (PVTD) and their support for tourism development (STD). A sample of 390 residents of Isfahan, Iran completed a survey questionnaire. Data were analysed by the structural equation model technique using Smart PLS. Results indicated that PI influenced PA, the value of tourism development and STD. It is also shown that PA affected the PVTD and support of further tourism development. The mediation role of PVTD in the relationship of both PA and PI with the STD has been confirmed. Findings from this survey can help researchers and authorities to better recognize some of the driving factors including residents’ PI, PA and PVTD that influence resident STD. Finally, implications and recommendations for the development of tourism in Isfahan city are provided.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of perceived value and innovativeness (service concept newness and relative advantage) in promoting customer brand engagement behaviors (CBEBs) and brand loyalty. Design/methodology/approach: The conceptual model was empirically tested using nationwide survey data from 430 customers of Uber in Australia. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings: The results of this study show that collecting brand information is positively influenced by perceived value, service concept newness and relative advantage. Participating in brand marketing activities is positively influenced by service concept newness and relative advantage. Interacting with others is positively influenced by perceived value and service concept newness. Subsequently, brand loyalty is positively influenced by participating in brand marketing activities and interacting with others. The direct impacts of perceived value and relative advantage on brand loyalty are also established. Research limitations/implications: This study only collected data from Uber customers. Another limitation of this study is the use of cross-sectional data. Practical implications: To promote brand loyalty, service innovation needs to have both the right characteristics (i.e. perceived value, service concept newness and relative advantage) and practices that foster customer brand engagement behaviors. Originality/value: Although service-dominant logic (SDL) is a theoretical lens used by research in the areas of service innovation and customer engagement, empirical studies that integrate the two areas remain limited. The findings of this study suggest a new mechanism in which service innovation can increase loyalty through increased CBEBs.