Brand community participation in Taiwan: Examining the roles of individual-, group-, and relationship-level antecedents

This study extends brand community research by proposing and testing a model of user participation in brand communities. The authors conceptualize three levels of antecedents of brand community participation (individual, relationship, and group) based on qualitative results and an extensive literature review. The empirical analysis derives from data pertaining to car brand communities in Taiwan and supports most of the hypotheses. However, some differences emerge between Taiwanese and Western car brand users with regard to relationship-level factors. In addition, perceived critical mass accounts for some social mechanisms that underlie members' decisions to participate in the brand community. Finally, a quantile regression analysis extends prior literature by showing that different rules of exchange motivate brand users, depending on their participation levels. The paper discusses the managerial implications of these findings as well as several important research issues and avenues.