3. The conceptual model
3.3. Measures and hypotheses
3.3.1. Antecedents of consumer brand engagement
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affective commitment, and the service-brand related CBE antecedents including involvement, participation and self-expressive brand have a direct positive impact on brand loyalty.
3.3.1. Antecedents of consumer brand engagement 3.3.1.1. Customer satisfaction
Customer satisfaction refers to a customer’s overall evaluation of the performance of an offering
to date (Gustaffson et al., 2005; Johnson & Fornell, 1991). When discussed in a service context, such as the mobile service being investigated in this research, ‘overall satisfaction is similar to
overall evaluations of service quality, which are more likely to influence the customer behaviors that help a firm, such as positive word of mouth and repurchase’ (Gustaffson et al., 2005;
Boulding et al. 1993).
Customer satisfaction can act both as a potential CBE antecedent, when related primarily to the existing customers (Hollebeek, 2011) and a potential CBE consequence for both new and existing customers. As this study focuses primarily on the existing customers’ base, customer satisfaction was defined as a potential CBE antecedent. Hence, the hypotheses state:
H1a: Satisfaction has a positive impact on cognitive processing.
H1b: Satisfaction has a positive impact on affection.
H1c: Satisfaction has a positive impact on activation.
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3.3.1.2. Trust
Trust is a ‘consumer-perceived security and reliability in brand interactions, and the belief that the brand acts in the consumer’s best interests’ (Hollebeek, 2011; Delgado-Ballester et al. 2003;
Rotter, 1967).
Similar, to customer satisfaction, trust can act both as a potential CBE antecedent, when related
primarily to the existing customers (Hollebeek, 2011) and a potential CBE consequence for both new and existing customers. As this study focuses primarily on the existing customers’
base, trust was defined as a potential CBE antecedent. Therefore, H2a: Trust has a positive impact on cognitive processing.
H2b: Trust has a positive impact on affection.
H2c: Trust has a positive impact on activation.
3.3.1.3. Commitment
Relationship commitment is often separated into two major types: affective commitment and calculative (also known as continuance) commitment (Gustaffson et al., 2005). Calculative commitment, as the name suggests, is a result of perceived economic benefits of being in a relationship and being dependent on that relationship, when the customer has no alternative options or has to face high switching costs (Evanschitzky et al., 2006; Meyer and Allen, 1997),
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whereas affective commitment is an ‘emotional factor that develops through the degree of reciprocity or personal involvement that a customer has with a company’ (Gustaffson et al., 2005; Morgan and Hunt 1994) and is governed by customer’s free will (Evanschitzky et al., 2006). This study examines the role of the affective commitment as a potential CBE antecedent having a positive effect on CBE dimensions. Similar, to customer satisfaction and trust, commitment can act both as a potential CBE antecedent, when related primarily to the existing
customers (Hollebeek, 2011) and a potential CBE consequence for both new and existing customers. As this study focuses primarily on the existing customers’ base, commitment was
defined as a potential CBE antecedent that can positively affect CBE dimensions. Past research by Vivek et al. (2014) found affective commitment to be closely related to the dimensions of customer engagement. Hence, the hypotheses are:
H3a: Commitment has a positive impact on cognitive processing.
H3b: Commitment has a positive impact on affection.
H3c: Commitment has a positive impact on activation.
3.3.1.4. Involvement
Consumer involvement refers to an individual’s level of interest and personal relevance in
relation to a focal object depending on one’s basic values, goals, and self-concept (Hollebeek,
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2011; Mittal, 1995; Zaichkowsky, 1985). Oliva, Oliver, and Bearden (1995) claimed that the level of loyalty increased over the long run with the intensification of involvement going on between customers and brands that suggests the existence of a positive association relationship between the involvement ascendant and CBE. Also, past study by Vivek et al. (2012) has found positive relationship between the involvement antecedent and CBE when conducting research
among managers and customers proposing that ‘an individual’s level of participation will be positively associated with the intensity of his or her focus of engagement’.
Likewise, several of the past studies indicate that ‘product involvement significantly influences consumers’ cognitive and behavioral responses—including memory, attention, processing’
(Coulter et al., 2003; Laaksonen, 1994). Analogously, it is fair to conclude, that in this study the involvement will have a positive relationship with both cognitive and behavioral dimensions of consumer brand engagement, represented accordingly by cognitive processing and affection constructs. In order to further validate the association between involvement and consumer brand engagement dimensions, the hypotheses are developed as below:
H4a: Involvement has a positive impact on cognitive processing.
H4b: Involvement has a positive impact on affection.
H4c: Involvement has a positive impact on activation.
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3.3.1.5. Participation
Customer participation refers to the degree to which the customer is involved in producing or delivering the service (Dabholkar 1990). It creates an interactive relationship between the customers and company, can lead to the information exchange and value co-creation and can produce higher levels of enthusiasm and increased level of engagement with the brand (Bagozzi and Dholakia 2006). Vivek et al. (2012) provide empirical evidence of participation serving as antecedent of customer engagement, when targeting either current or potential customers. As past researches highlight the importance of consumer participation both in the context of service marketing, for instance S-D logic (Vargo and Lusch, 2004) and consumer brand engagement, the hypotheses state:
H5a: Participation has a positive impact on cognitive processing.
H5b: Participation has a positive impact on affection.
H5c: Participation has a positive impact on activation.
3.3.1.6. Self-expressive brand (Self expressiveness of brand)
Self-expressive brand describes ‘the consumer’s perception of the degree to which the specific brand enhances one’s social self and/or reflects one’s inner self’ (Carroll & Ahuvia 2006). In
the study of Leckie et al. (2016) self-expressive brand has been found to have a positive impact
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on two of the three CBE dimensions, namely cognitive processing and affection; no positive
association was found between the self-expressive brand and activation dimension of CBE.
To validate Leckie’s et al. (2016) research findings, the developed hypotheses state:
H6a: Self-expressive brand has a positive impact on cognitive processing.
H6b: Self-expressive brand has a positive impact on affection.
H6c: Self-expressive brand has a positive impact on activation.
3.3.2. Consumer brand engagement dimensions