Conversation, storytelling, or consumer interaction and participation? The impact of brand-owned social media content marketing on consumers’ brand perceptions and attitudes

• Published in: Journal of research in interactive marketing Vol. 15; no. 3; pp. 419 - 440
• Main Authors: He, Ai-Zhong, Cai, Yi, Cai, Ling, Zhang, Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bradford Emerald Publishing Limited 15.07.2021; Emerald Group Publishing Limited
• Subjects: Attitudes; Brand image; Business communications; Consumers; Digital media; Hypotheses; Interactive marketing; Marketing; Participation; Personality; Regression analysis; Researchers; Social marketing; Social networks; Storytelling; User behavior; User generated content; Variance analysis; Verbal communication; Social media marketing; Brand personality; Interactivity; Quantitative research; Consumer psychology
• ISSN: 2040-7122; 2040-7130
• DOI: 10.1108/JRIM-08-2019-0128

PurposeThis paper studies the relationships among consumers’ perceptions of brand personality, consumers’ brand attitudes and brand-owned social media content marketing (SMCM). The moderating effect of the brand content relevancy was also assessed.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model was established and examined using two experiments with a total of 363 participants. Hierarchical regression analysis and an analysis of variance were performed to test seven research hypotheses.FindingsResults show that the three forms of brand-owned SMCM, namely: conversation, storytelling and customer interaction and participation, are positively correlated with consumers’ brand personality perceptions and brand attitudes. Also, consumers’ perceptions of brand personality can partially mediate the relationship between brand-owned content marketing and consumers’ brand attitudes. Furthermore, the brand content relevancy does not show a moderating effect on the relationship between content marketing and consumers’ brand personality perceptions or brand attitudes.Originality/valueFirst, a framework was established to delineate those paths by which owned social media content marketing (OSMCM) influences consumers’ attitudes towards a brand. Second, the study demonstrates the importance of conversation as a powerful method of OSMCM. Third, with respect to content in marketing strategies, firms do not need to confine themselves to a narrow scope of content or information that is closely related to the brands alone.