Examining a Psychological Sense of Brand Community in iPhone Users
Ofalyn Octarya Sitepu
University of Indonesia
Abstract
Recent theory and research efforts have demonstrated the efficacy of brand communities at establishing long-term relationships with their customers (Carlson, Suter, & Brown, 2008). Therefore, marketers are becoming more aware and increasingly interested in creating brand communities. However, the psychological underpinnings of customer perceptions about the community with other brand users are less explored. The theory used in this study is social identity theory by examining new antecedents and consequences of psychological sense of brand community (PSBC) within the context of iPhone users. An online survey was conducted during 1 week in October 2019 with 160 usable responses collected. The measurements were adapted from previous related studies. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to assess the hypothesized relationships. The findings showed that PSBC positively contributes to iPhone users- commitment and loyalty regardless of the presence of their social interaction with one another.
Keywords: Brand community; Psychological sense of brand community; Social identity theory; Brand commitment; Brand loyalty; iPhone users
Topic: Marketing