Title: What drives Generation Z to advocate for a brand online?

Authors: Vivek Mishra; Biswajit Das

Addresses: Management Faculty, IIIT Bhubaneswar, India ' KIIT School of Management, KIIT D/U, Bhubaneswar, India

Abstract: The objective of this study is to: 1) examine the impact of brand-related antecedents; brand social-benefits, brand distinctiveness, brand prestige and brand warmth on online brand advocacy (OBA) behaviour of Gen Z; 2) examine the impact of OBA on consumers' purchase intent; 3) to consider the moderating effect of social media involvement (SMI) on the relationship between the aforementioned antecedents and OBA. Based on an online questionnaire, data from 221 students were analysed using SPSS and Amos 23.0. The structural model reveals all antecedents to be positively related to OBA, which had a subsequent positive impact on purchase intent. Interestingly, SMI did have a moderating effect on the relationship between brand prestige, brand social benefits and OB, indicating the significance of engagement levels of Gen Zers and its impact on their advocacy intentions online. The paper shall be pivotal in enhancing brand trust and loyalty in these turbulent times.

Keywords: online brand advocacy; OBA; brand social benefits; brand prestige; brand distinctiveness; brand warmth; purchase intent; social media.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2024.136800

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2024 Vol.20 No.1, pp.1 - 25

Received: 21 May 2021
Accepted: 02 Feb 2022
Published online: 22 Feb 2024 *

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