Abstract

This study examined the effects of chief executive officers’ (CEOs) self-disclosure on consumer–brand relationships and the moderating role of brand relationship norms. To test the proposed hypotheses, a 2 × 2 factorial design was implemented with self-disclosure (high vs. low) and relationship norms (exchange v. communal) as the between-subjects factors. The results showed the interplay between the level of CEOs’ self-disclosure on Instagram and the type of relationship norms between consumers and brands and their effects on consumers’ attitudinal and behavioral responses. For participants primed with the communal norm, high CEO self-disclosure induced more positive attitudes toward the CEO and the brand as well as higher consumer intentions for self-disclosure, than the low CEO self-disclosure; these results were reversed for participants in the exchange norm condition. This study advances the theoretical understanding of brands’ social media engagement using CEOs and provides practical implications.

摘要

本研究考察了首席执行官 (CEO) 的自我披露对消费者-品牌关系的影响以及品牌关系规范的调节作用。为了测试提出的假设，实施了 2 × 2 因子设计，将自我披露（高与低）和关系规范（交换与公共）作为被试之间的因素。结果显示了 CEO 在 Instagram 上的自我披露水平与消费者与品牌之间的关系规范类型及其对消费者态度和行为反应的影响之间的相互作用。对于受公共规范启动的参与者，与低 CEO 自我披露相比，高 CEO 自我披露诱导了对 CEO 和品牌的更积极态度以及更高的消费者自我披露意愿；对于交换规范条件下的参与者，这些结果被逆转。本研究利用 CEO 推进了对品牌社交媒体参与的理论理解，并提供了实际意义。