We belong together: the effect of online community identification and brand-related WOM

The study examines the effect of members’ identification with online brand communities (BCs) on their brand-related word-of-mouth (WOM) behaviour. It extends research by Karaosmanoglu et al (2011), according to whom consumers’ interactions encourage consumer-company-identification. Online BCs appear to create added value that impacts on members’ brand-related behaviour, as the support they receive due to community identification is expected to strengthen their brand relationship and increase brand-related WOM. The online survey led to 369 valid responses from 13 online BCs focussed on Apple Inc. The results were tested using regression and mediation analysis.