Driving consumer-brand engagement and co-creation by brand interactivity

Purpose This paper investigates the impact of brand interactivity within social media on consumer-brand engagement and its related outcomes, including consumers' intention of co-creating brand value and future repurchase of the same brand. Design/methodology/approach The theoretical framework is tested for a durable technology product, a smartphone. Data was collected in Brazil from 408 users utilizing a self-administered online survey. Data analysis uses partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings Entertainment interactivity, cognitive information-transfer interaction and cognitive up-to-date information interactivity are the key elements directly influencing consumer-brand engagement, enhancing consumers' intention to co-create brand value and to repurchase the brand. Importantly, the impact of interactivity ease of use and customization interactivity on consumer-brand engagement and its related outcomes is non-significant. This is inconsistent with previous studies on consumer-brand engagement. Originality/value Examination of the role of social-media marketing in the marketing literature largely overlooks the impact of elements of brand interactivity within social media on consumer-brand engagement. This article contributes to social-media marketing and consumer-brand engagement research by empirically testing a theoretical model, confirming that specific elements of brand interactivity within social media - including entertainment interactivity, cognitive information-transfer interaction and cognitive up-to-date information interactivity - are critical drivers in the process of strengthening consumer-brand engagement in Brazil.