PPIM FEB UI Doctoral Promotion, Aqsath Rasyid Naradhipa Assesses the Role of Brand Identification and Social Media in Community Participation
Nino Eka Putra – Public Relations of FEB UI
DEPOK – (7/8/2020) The Postgraduate Program in Management (PPIM), Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Indonesia, held an open session of Aqsath Rasyid Naradhipa Doctoral Promotion (1306417010) online, on Friday (7/8/2020).
The Doctoral Promotion Session was chaired by Prof. Dr. Irwan Adi Ekaputra, with supervisors, Prof. Firmanzah, Ph.D. (Promoter), and Dr. T. Ezni Balqiah (Co-Promoter). The team of examiners consist of, Dr. Rizal Edy Halim (Chief Examiner), Prof. Agus W. Soehadi, Ph.D., Harryadin Mahardika, Ph.D., Dr. Ignatius Heruwasto, and Sri Rahayu Hijrah Hati, Ph.D.
The dissertation, written by the Promovendus entitled “The Role of Brand Identification and Social Media in Community Participation in Forming Brand Authenticity, Brand Relationship Quality, and Brand Resonance: A Comparative Study of Vigilante Brand Communities and Firm Initiative”.
This study examines the relationship between brand community and brand performance in the digital era. The digital era is an important point because with advanced information and communication technology, building brand communities is much easier. There are at least three things that make the differences of brand community in the digital age.
First, with technology, making or initiating brand communities becomes easier and does not require much costs, which enables everyone to create a community (LaPointe, 2012). Second, the number of members in today’s brand community can be much higher than before the existence of communication technology. Third, the brand community in the digital era allows users who do not own or use the brand to join the community with the motivation to seek information, buy or use goods from the brand, or other motivations (Habibi et al., 2014a).
The three aspects that make the brand community in the digital era different are what underlie this research and therefore this study uses two respondents from the vigilante brand community and the firm initiative brand community. This study provides a more detailed explanation of a person’s motivation to join a brand community and the impact of brand community participation on brand performance in the digital era. The following are some of the more specific conclusions that can be drawn from this study.
The activeness of someone on social media actually reduces their participation in the brand community. It is different from the brand community before the digital era where the activities of the community were dominated or even entirely required physical participation to be able to communicate, get to know, or other activities. With the existence of information and communication technology in the digital era, the activities of its members are often carried out through social media, thereby reducing brand participation when there are activities held by the brand community. They feel that being active on social media is enough to make themselves active, so they no longer need to attend events or other activities held in the brand community. By rarely meeting physically, the bonds between members are getting weaker, thereby reducing interaction between members in the brand community.
Community participation improves brand performance internally for its members, this can be seen from the increasing quality of brand relationships and brand authentication along with the increasing participation of a person in the brand community. This can happen because of the continuous interaction and information that continues to be received, so that members have sufficient knowledge of the brand. In addition, active participation also allows members to take full advantage of the brand’s products and this increases the positive outlook of the brand itself.
In addition, community participation actually reduces brand performance externally, this can be seen from the results of research that show community participation has a negative effect on brand resonance. This can occur because of the exclusivism formed by members who have long joined and been active in the community. The longer a person joins the brand community, the more probability that he/she actually forms a group within the community and hampers the development of the brand community.
The Executive Board of the doctoral promotion open session decided, Aqsath Rasyid Naradhipa (1306417010) passed with honors and succeeded in getting the 286th Doctorate in Marketing Management. Congratulations to Dr. Aqsath Rasyid Naradhipa! (hjtp)
(am)
