PERCEIVED BENEFITS IN VIRTUAL BRAND COMMUNITIES: EXAMPLE OF “PLAYSTATION TÜRKİYE PLATFORMU”

Öz

Consumers who meet around a brand with common values and feelings form brand communities. Today, with the development of social media platforms, the importance of virtual brand communities has increased. Determining the motivations of consumers in participating in these communities is crucial for businesses that want to manage their communities effectively. The fact that these communities create an engagement between the consumer and the brand has brought the issue of consumer brand interaction to the fore. This research aims to determine the effect of perceived benefits in virtual brand communities on consumer brand engagement. The research was carried out with the "Playstation Türkiye Platformu" members, a Facebook-based virtual brand community. The study's data, which was carried out with 386 participants, were analysed with the Structural Equation Model. The research results show a significant relationship between economic/information benefit and consumer brand engagement. In addition, statistically significant differences were found between the participants' age, occupation, income status and economic benefit.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Virtual Brand Communities
• Perceived Benefits in Virtual Brand Communities
• Consumer Brand Engagement

SANAL MARKA TOPLULUKLARINDA ALGILANAN FAYDALAR: “PLAYSTATION TÜRKİYE PLATFORMU” ÖRNEĞİ

Öz

Ortak değer ve duygularla bir marka etrafında buluşan tüketiciler marka topluluklarını oluşturmaktadır. Günümüzde sosyal medya platformlarının gelişmesi ile sanal marka topluluklarının önemi artmıştır. Tüketicilerin bu topluluklara hangi motivasyonlarla katılım sağladığını belirleyebilmek, topluluklarını etkin yönetmek isteyen işletmeler açısından önemlidir. Bu toplulukların tüketici ve marka arasında bir etkileşim yaratması tüketici marka etkileşimi konusunu ön plana çıkarmıştır. Bu araştırmanın temel amacı sanal marka topluluklarında algılanan faydaların tüketici marka etkileşimi üzerindeki etkisini belirleyebilmektir. Araştırma Facebook tabanlı bir sanal marka topluluğu olan “Playstation Türkiye Platformu” üyeleri ile gerçekleştirilmiştir. 386 katılımcıyla gerçekleştirilen araştırmanın verileri yapısal eşitlik modeli ile analiz edilmiştir. Araştırma sonucuna göre ekonomik fayda ve bilgi faydası ile tüketici marka etkileşimi arasında anlamlı bir ilişki vardır. Ayrıca katılımcıların yaşı, mesleği ve gelir durumu ile ekonomik fayda arasında istatistiki olarak anlamlı farklılıklar bulunmuştur. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Sanal Marka Toplulukları
• Sanal Marka Topluluklarında Algılanan Faydalar
• Tüketici Marka Etkileşimi

Kaynakça

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