Brand Loyalty and Online Brand Communities: Is Brand Loyalty Being Strengthened Through Social Media?

Literature Review

Brands are a pervasive entity in our world today. Everywhere we look, we are inundated with countless brands and brand choices. From the cars we drive to the food we eat to the electronics we use and the paper this is printed on, everything that we use and consume today is tied to a brand. Marketers and researchers alike have studied how people choose brands and what factors influence brand choices. The idea that consumers form relationships with certain brands (Fournier, 1998) and that positive, or negative, brand experiences influence brand relationships (Chaudhuri & Holbrook, 2001; Algesheimer, Dholakia, & Herrmann, 2005), can then lead to the holy grail of marketing: brand loyalty. Loyalty or commitment to a brand is a result of the decision made by a consumer that a specific brand is better than its competitors and is reinforced through repeated purchases (Day, 1969; Naveed, 2012; Oliver, 1999). Furthermore, Oliver (1999) notes that loyalty occurs “despite situational influences and marketing efforts having the potential to cause switching behavior” (p. 34). Marketers realize that true brand loyalty and a connection with a brand will be more valuable than any other marketing, advertising or promotional tactics.