Do instagram fan pages develop consumer–brand relationships? Evidence from the telecommunications industry

Abstract

Instagram’s growth has drawn the interest of many corporations that are searching for new ways to boost their customer relationships. Given the rapid adoption of Instagram marketing and the inadequate research in that field, the objective of this paper is to examine whether “following” brands on Instagram fan pages enhances consumer–brand relationship from the consumer perspective. The data were collected from consumers who follow Instagram fan pages of the four telecommunication companies that are operating in Egypt using an online questionnaire. The telecommunication industry is one of the major industries that rely heavily on Instagram marketing in Egypt. The results indicated that fan page following positively and significantly influences the consumers’ brand love and sense of brand community. Also, the findings indicated the consumers’ brand love positively impacts consumers’ purchase intention and word of mouth. Finally, it showed that consumers’ sense of brand community impacts their purchase intention and word of mouth positively. This article contributes theoretically by expanding the focus of brand community literature to fan pages as an innovative form of social media brand communities. Furthermore, it provides recommendations to practitioners to follow when managing Instagram fan pages.

Keywords:

• Instagram
• Brand Community
• Telecommunications
• Fan pages
• Brand love
• Social Media Marketing

PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Instagram pages are being widely used by many corporations across a wide range of business sectors to boost the relationships with customers. The paper examines the outcomes of customers’ following of Instagram fan pages of telecommunications in Egypt on their perceptions towards these corporations. Our article indicates that Instagram brand pages can be adopted to boost customers’ emotional connections with brands and to enhance their sense of being part of a brand community. Consequently, this will have a positive influence on consumers’ intention to use the services of these companies and will ensure a long-term profitability as a result of enhancement of customers’ lifetime value. This article suggests that telecommunication firms should integrate Instagram pages in their marketing engagement strategies to strengthen the brand meaning for their customers. They should make sure to have active brand communities on various social networks to utilize the power of the two-way interaction between customers and brands in brand-building efforts.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hazem Rasheed Gaber

This article was conducted by a research team consisting of Dr. Hazem Gaber, Dr. Ahmed Elsamadicy and Prof. Len Tiu Wright. Dr. Hazem completed his PhD in marketing at the university of Huddersfield in UK and currently working as an assistant professor in marketing at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Egypt. He has authored, co-authored and reviewed several articles in the area of social media marketing and its impact on customer behavior. Dr. Ahmed Elsamadicy, the second author, is an associate professor in marketing at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport in Egypt. He is interested in many research areas such as innovative marketing techniques and corporate social responsibility. Prof. Len Tiu Wright is an Emeritus Professor in Marketing at De Monfort University. She has published a large number of books and academic articles in the area of online marketing, branding and customer relationship management.