The Effect of Brand Communication Style on Brand Engagement in Online Brand-Based Communities

Social media, and specifically brand-based online communities, have revolutionized consumer-brand interactions. For the first time ever, the brand itself can converse with consumers. Hence a key question emerges: how should brands communicate with their fans in these communities? The existing literature provides insufficient guidance for brands about how to communicate in this new situation. We know especially little about what communication style brands should chose to approach consumers on these online platforms. Existing studies focus nearly exclusively on language in the context of advertising, an inherently one-way communication channel. However, marketers now seek best practices in communication for contexts in which one-way communication research is largely inapplicable.

This article fills in this gap in the literature by studying how brands should communicate with their fans in their brand-based online communities. In Study 1, we conduct in-depth interviews with nine members of brand-based online communities to identify the key aspects of brand communication styles consumers seek. According to our findings, consumers appear to appreciate informal and conversational styles of brand communication. In Study 2, we investigate whether and how brands’ informal and conversational styles influence brand engagement. Additionally, we examine the mediating role of anthropomorphism and the moderating effect of perceived authenticity. Study 2 involves a 2 (informal style: low vs. high) × 2 (conversational style: low vs. high) between-subjects design. Analysis of Study 2 will be completed by April 2014. In a pre-test involving 75 undergraduate students (36 % female), we tested our manipulation and explored the relationship between brand communication style and brand anthropomorphism. Results from the pre-test indicated that informal and conversational styles positively influence perceived anthropomorphism of the brand.

This article contributes to consumer research by exploring an underrepresented aspect of brand communication; how brand communication styles may shape consumer-brand relationships. This work also contributes to research on communication and psycholinguistics by providing insight into the psychological processes underlying the effects. Specifically, we aim to demonstrate that anthropomorphism mediates the relationship between brand communication style and brand engagement. Finally, we contribute to the existing literature on language effects in marketing communications by examining the moderating impact of perceived authenticity. From a managerial perspective, we offer useful insights into how brands could best converse with consumers in brand-based online communities. For many brands, the adoption and use of brand-based online communities is trial and error. The present research informs marketers by shedding light on communication style that will drive consumer engagement in these communities.