Motivations and Antecedents of Consumer Engagement With Brand Pages on Social Networking Sites

Abstract

Brand pages on social networking sites (SNSs) have become the key platform where consumers interact with brands. This study explored the types of consumer engagement with brand pages on Facebook as well as the motivations and antecedents that drive such engagement. Given the participatory and communal nature of SNSs, this study focused on the effects of social media dependency and three social relationship factors, including parasocial interaction, perceived source credibility, and community identification on consumer engagement with Facebook brand pages. A web survey was conducted to understand the motivations and antecedents of consumer engagement. The results confirm that, with the exception of perceived credibility, relationship-oriented factors played a significant role in inducing consumer engagement on SNSs.

Keywords:

• consumer engagement
• social networking site
• Facebook
• parasocial interaction

Acknowledgments

Wan-Hsiu Sunny Tsai (PhD, University of Texas at Austin) is an associate professor, School of Communication, University of Miami.

Linjuan Rita Men (PhD, University of Miami) is an assistant professor, Department of Communication Studies, Southern Methodist University.