ESCP Europe

Langue

English

Publication year

01/05/2021

Should all brands initiate online customer engagement activities to entertain consumers beyond informing them? This work presents the idea that (in)consistency between the nature of an engagement initiative (i.e., entertaining or informative) and the perception of the brand (i.e., warm versus competent) influences the extent to which consumers perceive the initiative to be authentic. This in turn influences consumers' evaluation of the initiative and the brand. The results show that entertaining initiatives are suited for warm brands, but backfire for competent brands, while informative initiatives are equally suited for both types of brands. These effects are driven by the perceived authenticity of the initiatives. The findings yield specific guidelines for managers about how to preserve the brand's essence in the online initiatives they launch to foster ongoing customer engagement. The effects were found in four experiments and one field study, generalizing across different online media platforms (i.e., Instagram, Facebook, brand website), products and services (i.e., shoes, groceries, and recipe deliveries), and samples (i.e., Mturk, Prolific, students). • We address an explanation for mixed outcomes of customer engagement initiatives. • (In)consistency between engagement initiative and brand perception affects authenticity. • Entertaining online initiatives are perceived as more authentic for warm than for competent brands. • Informative online initiatives are perceived as equally authentic for warm and competent brands. • Perceived authenticity affects consumers' evaluation of the initiative and brand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]