2. Literature review
2.3. The concept of consumer engagement
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and his interactions with the firm, and not the product are the focal point of value creation and extraction.
2.3. The concept of consumer engagement
The term “engagement” has been relatively well developed and studied, with multiple
conceptual and empirical papers investigating it across various disciplines, including marketing (Hollebeek, 2011; Brodie et al. 2011b; Mollen and Wilson, 2010; Bowden, 2009), employee engagement (Bowden, 2009), psychology (Avery, McKay, and Wilson 2007), education (Fredericks, Blumenfeld, and Paris 2004; Lutz, Guthrie, and Davis 2006), management (Fleming, Coffman, and Harter 2005), and information systems (Wagner and Majchrzak 2007) (Vivek et al., 2014). Nevertheless, the concept of “consumer engagement” has been established fairly recently and has still an important area for additional research. Hence many scholars have started to pay attention to it (Vivek et al., 2014) making it an interesting topic in the marketing research field. Consumer engagement refers to the relationship and interactions between the customers, existing or potential, and firm’s offerings, both in the form or products or services that go way beyond the simple purchase. Consumer brand engagement is yet another subject matter derived from the broader customer engagement concept. There is no agreement among marketing scholars as to the exact term representing the construct. It has been referred to by
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many names, including consumer brand engagement, consumer engagement behavior, or consumer engagement process (Vivek et al., 2014).
Bowden (2009) acknowledges that customer engagement, although associated with, is different from customer loyalty. In her study, she defines customer engagement as ‘a psychological process that models the underlying mechanisms by which customer loyalty forms for new
customers of a service brand as well as the mechanisms by which loyalty may be maintained for repeat purchase customers of a service brand.’ Bowden (2009) distinguishes between the
new and returning customers in the process of consumer engagement and investigates how individual constructs, including commitment, affective commitment, trust, delight, and loyalty function ‘to drive customer loyalty within a broader psychological framework’.
Sprott, Czellar, and Spangenberg (2009) provide yet a different conceptualization of consumer engagement. These authors indicate the diverse types of engagement with brands and highlight generalized individual difference referred to as “brand engagement in self-concept”. The new construct is defined as ‘an individual difference representing consumers’ propensity to include important brands as part of how they view themselves.’
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In their study, Mollen and Wilson (2010) have discussed the online consumer experience and defined consumer engagement as a ‘cognitive and affective commitment to an active relationship with the brand as personified by the website or other computer-mediated entities designed to communicate brand value. It is characterized by the dimensions of dynamic and sustained cognitive processing and the satisficing of instrumental value and experiential value.’
Kumar et al. (2010) defines customer engagement as “active interactions of a customer with a
firm, with prospects and with other customers, whether they are transactional or
non-transactional in nature”. The authors also propose another concept, referred to as customer engagement value (CEV), which ‘is comprised of customer purchasing behavior, customer
referral behavior, customer influencer behavior, and customer knowledge behavior via feedback to the firm’ (Kumar et al., 2010).
Brodie, Hollebeek, Juric and Ilic (2011) proposed a general definition on CE that has been derived from and rooted in the theory of S-D logic, CCT and relationship marketing, ‘Customer engagement (CE) is a psychological state that occurs by virtue of interactive, co-creative customer experiences with a focal agent/object (e.g., a brand) in focal service relationships. It occurs under a specific set of context dependent conditions generating differing CE levels; and
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exists as a dynamic, iterative process within service relationships that co-create value. CE plays a central role in a nomological network governing service relationships in which other relational concepts (e.g., involvement, loyalty) are antecedents and/or consequences in iterative CE processes. It is a multidimensional concept subject to a context- and/or stakeholder-specific expression of relevant cognitive, emotional and/or behavioral dimensions.’
Vivek, Beatty, and Morgan (2012) describe CBE as ‘the intensity of an individual’s participation in and connection with an organization’s offerings and/or organizational activities, which either
the customer or the organization initiate.’ The authors indicate that the customer engagement is
multidimensional and consists of cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social elements. In another study, after the authors have declared that ‘CE goes beyond purchase and is the level of the customer’s (or potential customer’s) interactions and connections with the brand or firm’s
offerings or activities, often involving others in the social network created around the brand/offering/activity (Vivek et al., 2014).
van Doorn et al. (2010) established a concept of customer engagement behaviors (CEBs), which they define as the ‘customers’ behavioral manifestation toward a brand or firm, beyond purchase, that results from motivational drivers’ highlighting the behavioral aspects of
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consumer-firm relationships. The authors indicate that consumer engagement behaviors clarify
‘how and why customers behave in ways relevant to the firm and its multiple stakeholders’.
Interestingly, the authors draw a clear line between consumer engagement and brand engagement, emphasizing the behavioral focus of customer engagement and indicating consumer psychology aspect of brand engagement, for instance self-brand connection and customer-brand relationships.
Hollebeek (2011a) has provided a conceptual foundation of customer brand engagement defining CBE as ‘The level of an individual customer's motivational, brand-related and
context-dependent state of mind characterized by specific levels of cognitive, emotional and behavioral activity in brand interactions.’ As suggested in the definition, the three dimensions are clearly
highlighted. The same three dimensions, cognitive, emotional and behavioral dimension, were established in another empirical study wherein Hollebeek (2011b) similarly to her previous study, defines customer brand engagement as ‘A customer's level of cognitive, emotional and behavioral investment in specific brand interactions.’ Finally, in a more recent study (Hollebeek et al., 2014) sees CBE as ‘A consumer's positively valenced cognitive, emotional and behavioral
brand-related activity during, or related to, specific consumer/brand interactions’, where cognitive, emotional and behavioral dimensions were refined to cognitive processing, affection
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and activation respectively, and under such name will be described in this study.
Gambetti, Graffigna, and Biraghi (2012, p. 668) have concluded that CBE to be a multi-dimensional concept comprising of two dimensions, namely experiential dimension and the social dimension combining such elements as attention, dialogue, interaction, emotions, sensorial pleasure, and immediate activation aimed at creating a total brand experience with consumers. In their study, authors, similarly to S-D logic authors (Vargo and Lush, 2004, 2008) and Kumar et al. (2010) highlight the process and the importance of customer’s participation in value co-creation in the service marketing domain. Table 1 summarizes the existing operational definitions of customer engagement with their respective authors and dimensions.
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Table 1. Definitions of customer engagement.
Author(s) Definition Engagement dimensions
Bowden (2009) Customer engagement is a psychological process that models the underlying mechanisms by which customer loyalty forms for new customers of a service brand as well as the mechanisms by which loyalty may be maintained for repeat purchase customers of a service brand.
Sprott, Czellar, and Spangenberg (2009)
Brand engagement in self-concept (BESC) is an individual difference representing consumers propensity to include important brands as part of how they view themselves.
Mollen and Wilson (2010) Consumer engagement is a cognitive and affective commitment to an active relationship with the brand as personified by the website or other computer-mediated entities designed to communicate brand value. It is characterized by the dimensions of dynamic and sustained cognitive processing and the satisficing of instrumental value and experiential value.
1. Cognitive processing 2. Value congruence
Kumar et al. (2010) Customer engagement is active interactions of a customer with a firm, with prospects and with other customers, whether they are transactional or non-transactional in nature.
CEV is comprised of four dimensions:
Customer engagement (CE) is a psychological state that occurs by virtue of interactive, co-creative customer experiences with a focal agent/object (e.g., a brand) in focal service relationships. It occurs under a specific set of context dependent conditions generating differing CE levels; and exists as a dynamic, iterative process within service relationships that cocreate value. CE plays a central role in a nomological network governing service relationships in which other relational concepts (e.g., involvement, loyalty) are antecedents and/or consequences in iterative CE processes. It is a multidimensional concept subject to a context- and/or stakeholder-specific expression of relevant cognitive, emotional and/or behavioral dimensions.
Consumer brand engagement is the intensity of an individual’s participation in and connection with an organization’s offerings and/or organizational activities, which either the customer or the organization initiate.
1. Cognitive 2. Affective 3. Behavioral 4. Social
van Doorn et al. (2010) Customer engagement behaviors (CEBs) are customers’ behavioral manifestation toward a brand or firm, beyond purchase, that results from motivational drivers.
Hollebeek (2011a) Customer brand engagement is the level of an individual customer's motivational, brand-related and context-dependent state of mind characterized by specific levels of cognitive, emotional and behavioral activity in brand interactions.
1. Cognitive 2. Emotional 3. Behavioral
Hollebeek (2011b) Customer brand engagement is a customer's level of cognitive, emotional and behavioral investment in specific brand interactions.
1. Immersion 2. Passion 3. Activation
Hollebeek et al., (2014) Customer brand engagement is consumer's positively valenced cognitive, emotional and behavioral brand-related activity during, or related to, specific consumer/brand interactions.
1. Cognitive processing 2. Affection 3. Activation
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