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Consumer engagement on Twitter: perceptions of the brand matter

Wayne Read (Marketing Department, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Nichola Robertson (Marketing Department, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Lisa McQuilken (Marketing Department, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Ahmed Shahriar Ferdous (Marketing Department, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

European Journal of Marketing

ISSN: 0309-0566

Article publication date: 25 February 2019

Issue publication date: 20 September 2019

4250

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to develop and empirically test a theoretical framework of consumer engagement with brands on Twitter.

Design/methodology/approach

Depth interviews were conducted to gain initial insights into consumer engagement on Twitter. Using a blend of the extant literature and interview findings, a theoretical framework, including antecedents, outcomes and moderators, was developed and empirically tested using cross-sectional survey data.

Findings

Brand customer service and brand intimacy positively influence consumer engagement on Twitter, and consumer engagement mediates the relationship between these antecedents and consumer co-promotion intentions. Consumer perceptions of a brand account’s popularity on Twitter and their likelihood of adding value to a brand are found to be moderators within the conceptual framework.

Research limitations/implications

Caution needs to be exercised in generalising these findings beyond the Twitter context, and the use of a cross-sectional survey means causality cannot be inferred.

Practical implications

Brands need to be perceived as providing excellent customer service and intimate brand knowledge on Twitter to drive consumer engagement and co-promotion. Brands are recommended to develop strategies to increase their Twitter following, including rewarding consumers for their contributions on the brand’s Twitter account to signal that they are valued.

Originality/value

The authors add to the emerging literature on consumer engagement on social media in two key ways, by developing and testing a theoretical framework of consumer engagement in the Twitter context and by identifying moderators in the consumer engagement process on Twitter.

Keywords

Citation

Read, W., Robertson, N., McQuilken, L. and Ferdous, A.S. (2019), "Consumer engagement on Twitter: perceptions of the brand matter", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 53 No. 9, pp. 1905-1933. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-10-2017-0772

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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