A Study of Customer Participation in Online Brand Communities

Given the dramatic technology and social changes that continue to take place in the marketplace, both practitioners and researchers are eager to explore the topics of community engagement in online brand communities (OBCs). Based on the motivation theory, this paper propose a conceptual framework that examine customers’ extrinsic (i.e., community rewards, reputation) and intrinsic (i.e., moral obligation, enjoyment in helping others) motivations in OBC engagement. Results show that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations have positive influences on OBC engagement and identification, which in turn affects customers’ brand loyalty and community participation intention. Implications, limitations and future research directions are then discussed.