Marketing

World Wide Web

Descriptive statistics

Brand awareness

Neuroscience

Biology

Identification (biology)

Statistics

Brand management

Brand community

Online community

Biochemistry

Computer science

Botany

Business

Internet privacy

CLARITY

Advertising

Psychology

Mathematics

Reputation

Sociology

Chemistry

Loyalty

Perception

Social science

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

Generating and maintaining consumers’ engagement in online brand communities is critical for marketing managers to enhance relationships and gain customer loyalty. In this research, we investigate how the type of signal used to indicate user reputation can enhance (or diminish) consumers’ community engagement. Specifically, we explore differences in perceptions of points (i.e., point accrual systems), labels (i.e., descriptive, hierarchical identification systems), and badges (i.e., descriptive, horizontally-ordered identification systems). We argue that reputation signals vary in the degree to which they can provide role clarity—the presence of user roles that deliver information about expected behaviors within a group. Across several studies, including a natural experiment using panel data, a survey of community members, and two controlled experiments, we show that signals that evoke a positive social role have the ability to drive greater engagement (i.e., creating discussions, posting comments, and future engagement intentions) than signals that do not provide role clarity. The effect is moderated by user tenure, such that new consumers’ engagement is particularly influenced by signal type. These findings have important implications for marketers as they use reputation signals as a strategic tool when managing online communities.

Enhancing consumer engagement in an online brand community via user reputation signals: a multi-method analysis