Interplay between Brand and Brand Community: Evidence from European Car Clubs

Abstract

We investigate the antecedents and consequences of consumers' relationships with the brand and the brand community, and the interplay between them. Both positive (through the construct of community engagement) and negative (through normative community pressure and reactance) aspects of brand community influence are studied, and various brand-related (loyalty and recommendation) and brand community-related (membership continuance, recommendation and participation) intentions and behaviors are also examined. Our survey-based study, conducted with a large sample (N=525) of European car club members, and employing structural equation models, supports the proposed conceptual model, also revealing interesting differences between small and large brand communities. We conclude with a discussion of the theoretical and managerial implications of the findings.

Keywords: Brand, brand community, normative influence, car clubs