Purpose

Although online brand communities (OBCs) are extensively demonstrated to be an important social media tool in building brand equity, they may have backfire effects under certain conditions. Drawing from the self–brand connection theory, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of group heterogeneity on brand commitment. The mediation effect of self–brand connection and moderation effect of brand symbolism has also been examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected using a survey of 498 users from a range of OBCs. Hierarchical regression and bootstrapping method were used to test the research model.

Findings

The findings indicate that group heterogeneity negatively affects brand commitment in which self–brand connection plays a role of mediation. Further, the negative effect is more pronounced for high-symbolic brands than low-symbolic ones.

Practical implications

Brand managers are advised to note the dark side of OBCs in general and alleviate the adverse effects of group heterogeneity in particular, especially for high-symbolic brands.

Originality/value

Previous research pays little attention to the adverse effect of OBCs. This study enriches the literature by revealing that the backfire effect of OBCs arises when users become heterogeneous and uncovering in what situations the negative effect is stronger.

中文翻译：

---

在线品牌社区何时会适得其反？实证研究

目的

尽管在线品牌社区（OBC）被广泛证明是建立品牌资产的重要社交媒体工具，但它们在某些情况下可能会产生适得其反的效果。从自我品牌联系理论出发，本研究的目的是研究群体异质性对品牌承诺的影响。还研究了自我品牌联系的中介作用和品牌象征的调节作用。

设计/方法/方法

使用来自一系列OBC的498位用户的调查收集了数据。采用层次回归和自举法对研究模型进行了检验。

发现

研究结果表明，群体异质性对品牌承诺产生负面影响，而自我品牌之间的联系起着中介作用。此外，高象征品牌的负面影响比低象征品牌的负面影响更为明显。

实际影响

建议品牌经理一般注意OBC的阴暗面，并特别减轻群体异质性的不利影响，尤其是对于高象征性品牌。

创意/价值

先前的研究很少关注OBC的不利影响。这项研究丰富了文献，揭示了当用户变得异类并且在什么情况下发现负面影响更强时，OBC产生了适得其反的效果。