Does a Virtual Like Cause Actual Liking? How Following a Brand’s Facebook Updates Enhances Brand Evaluations and Purchase Intentions

• In Event: Commercial Aspects of Communication and Technology

Abstract

Studies so far have shown positive associations between brand attitudes and liking a Facebook brand page, but brand attitudes may be the cause rather than the effect of a Facebook like. In the current study, the authors tested the effect of following a Facebook brand page on brand attitudes (e.g., purchase intention, brand equity) by randomly assigning respondents to a condition in which they either did or did not follow the brand on Facebook. After one month, compared to both current followers of the brand page and non-followers, the new followers developed more positive brand attitudes. The effect was mediated by the perception of a Conversational Human Voice (Kelleher, 2009), indicating the importance of an interactive presence on Facebook. Implications for the way brands present themselves in social media are discussed.

Authors

• Camiel J. Beukeboom, VU U Amsterdam

• Peter Kerkhof, VU U Amsterdam

• Metten de Vries, VU U Amsterdam