Social Media Use, Value Consciousness, and Brand Relationships †
1
Department of Business Administration, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece
2
Marketing Department, College of Business, Australian University, Mubarak Al-Abdullah P.O. Box 1411, Kuwait
3
Department of Business Administration, University of Piraeus, 18534 Piraeus, Greece
4
Department of Tourism Studies, University of Piraeus, 18534 Piraeus, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the International Scientific Conference On Digitalization, Innovations & Sustainable Development: Trends And Business Perspectives, West Mishref, Kuwait, 29 November & 14 December 2023.
Proceedings 2024, 101(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2024101006
Published: 7 May 2024
1. Objectives
In view of the ever-increasing social media use (SMU) from brands and customers [1], authors have highlighted the need to investigate the potential impact of the volume of social media interactions on the quality of customer relationships with brands [2]. Considering that the intensity of SMU varies among consumers and is often associated with certain user characteristics, such as value consciousness (VC), this study investigates the extent to which consumers’ SMU influences their relationships with brands.
2. Methodology
During Autumn 2022, a convenience sample of 222 participants, the majority of which were female, university degree holders, and up to 45 years old, participated in an online survey related to SMU. The established measurement scales used for SMU [3], VC [4], brand commitment (BC) [5], brand closeness (BCS) [6], and relational feedback (RF) [7] were subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis. To achieve a satisfactory fit of the measurement model, seven out of twenty Likert items had to be removed.
3. Results
The structural model of hypothesized relationships (CMIN/DF = 1.273, p = 0.075, CFI = 0.984, TLI = 0.979, RMSEA = 0.035, PCLOSE = 0.857) showed that SMU had a significant and positive effect on VC (β = 0.27) and BCS (β = 0.28) (Figure 1). Subsequently, while both VC (β = 0.18) and BCS (β = 0.60) had a significant and positive effect on RF, only BCS had a significant and positive effect on BC (β = 0.57). Based on the above, it appears that SMU fosters VC and perceived BCS, which, in turn, drives RF and BC.
4. Implications
The direct relationship between SMU and VC may be attributed to the ease of conducting online price research and the extensive sharing of offers among users [8]. Subsequently, the provision of feedback from value-conscious users may be driven by their loyalty towards their preferred brands [9] and their emphasis on the post-purchase phase [10]. Nevertheless, active social media engagement appears to create a sense of brand closeness, which, in turn, enhances users’ commitment to the brand.
5. Originality Value
The originality of the study lies in its exploration of the complex relationships between social media use, value consciousness, (perceived) brand closeness, relationship feedback provision, and brand commitment. The present research sheds light on how these variables interplay and consequently allows social media marketers to advance their understanding of social media’s impact on brand–customer relationships and leverage social media platforms to meet marketing objectives.
6. Contribution
By elucidating the complex dynamics between social media use, value consciousness, perceived brand closeness, relationship feedback provision, and brand commitment, this study shows that marketers can harness social media to foster more meaningful and long-lasting customer relationships, increase brand–customer interactions, and ultimately build brand loyalty.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, C.L.; methodology, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A.; software, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A.; validation, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A.; formal analysis, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A.; investigation, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A.; resources, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A.; data curation, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A.; writing—original draft preparation, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A.; writing—review and editing, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A.; visualization, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A.; supervision, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A.; project administration, C.L., F.T., A.S. and C.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Ethical review and approval were waived for this survey study because it was designed and conducted in accordance with GDPR (Regulation EU 2016/679) and Greek National Regulations (L.4624/2019). Thus, the study’s dataset was anonymous, did not contain sensitive information, did not allow for direct or indirect identification of natural persons, and did not pose any potential threats to individuals’ rights and wellbeing.
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
The data presented in this study are available upon request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available because they were provided by participants solely for the purpose of the present study.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Figure 1.
Structural model.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Livas, C.; Theofanidis, F.; Skotis, A.; Agapitou, C. Social Media Use, Value Consciousness, and Brand Relationships. Proceedings 2024, 101, 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2024101006
AMA Style
Livas C, Theofanidis F, Skotis A, Agapitou C. Social Media Use, Value Consciousness, and Brand Relationships. Proceedings. 2024; 101(1):6. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2024101006
Chicago/Turabian StyleLivas, Christos, Faidon Theofanidis, Apostolos Skotis, and Chrysa Agapitou. 2024. "Social Media Use, Value Consciousness, and Brand Relationships" Proceedings 101, no. 1: 6. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2024101006
