Rise and fall of interactions with brand communities

PurposeThis paper investigates the impact of consumer relationships with brand communities on behavioral interactions on Instagram. The objective is to identify different types and stages of relationships between consumers and brand communities on Instagram using social penetration theory and explain the behavioral interactions of consumers resulting from these relationships across different stages.Design/methodology/approachA mixed method strategy was employed combining a qualitative multi-case study and an online survey. Eight individuals following restaurant and apparel brands on Instagram participated in the first study and 202 samples participated in the online survey.FindingsFifteen different types of relationships were identified between consumers and brand communities on Instagram and were classified into five stages ranging from orientation to de-penetration. The results reveal that behavioral interactions (i.e. consuming and participating) rise across the first four stages of brand community relationship development and fall down at the fifth stage.Originality/valueThis paper introduces new relationship types and stages and brings together different pieces of extant literature to explain the rising and falling of behavioral interactions resulting from consumer relationships with brand communities on Instagram.