Trust, loyalty, and Engagement in Brand Communities: A strategy to promote positive eWOM intention.
(A2025-130433)

AUTHORS

Néstor Díaz, La Salle University, Colombia.; José Deaza, La Salle University, Colombia.; Suelen Castiblanco, La Salle University, Colombia.; Iván Medina, Corporación Universitaria de Asturias, Colombia

ABSTRACT

This research aims to study the relationship between the level of Social Identity (SI) and how individuals participate and identify with a Brand Community (BCI), considering if this identification influences their brand trust (BT), engagement (CBE), and loyalty (BL), as well as their positive eWOM intention in social media. The case of a Higher Education Institution in an emerging country was selected to study this relationship. Data collected from 400 students was analyzed using a Confirmatory Factorial Analysis and a Structural Equation Modelling. Results confirm the factorial structure of the instrument and the model. Also, a strong and direct relationship between all the constructs evaluated was found; however, there is no evidence of a statistically significant relationship between the intention of positive eWOM and BT (0.099) and BCI (-0.130). These findings show that, for the case study of HEI, BCI and BT are not enough to promote positive eWOM in social media, CBE (0.719***) plays a significant role in this marketing strategy.