Affinity in Adversity: Examining Brand Love and Online Customer Engagement in the Restaurant Industry
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18089/tms.20240404Keywords:
Brand Love, Negative Review, Social Media, UGC., Restaurant Brands, Negative Reviews, Customer engagementAbstract
Previous studies have investigated brand love in restaurants but have not considered the dynamics of online reviews about restaurant brands. To fill this gap, this study aims to understand how consumers with a high level of love towards restaurant brands defend them in the face of negative reviews on social media. This research, carried out in a Brazilian context, adopts a qualitative approach, analysing 3,979 customer reviews sourced from Instagram through sentiment and categorical content analysis. From the dimensions of brand love, the results showed that customers who love restaurant brands react to negative reviews about them on social media, expressing their positive emotional connection with the companies and acting as their defenders. The study shows that for the restaurant segment, it is relevant to have consumers who love the brand once they help mitigate the effects generated by negative comments online. Furthermore, the research highlights how brand love manifests in restaurant brands' digital context.
References
Ahluwalia, R., Burnkrant, R. E., & Unnava, H. R. (2000). Consumer response to negative publicity: the moderating role of commitment. Journal of Marketing Research, 37(2), 203-214. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.37.2.203.18734
Ahmad, F., & Guzmán, F. (2023). Perceived injustice and brand love: the effectiveness of sympathetic vs empathetic responses to address consumer complaints of unjust specific service encounters. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 32(6), 849-862. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-06-2022-4035
Algharabat, R. S. (2017). Linking social media marketing activities with brand love: The mediating role of self-expressive brands. Kybernetes, 46(10), 1801-1819. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-04-2017-0130
Algharabat, R. et al. (2020). Investigating the antecedents of customer brand engagement and consumer-based brand equity in social media. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.01.016
Alshreef, M. A., Hassan, T. H., Helal, M. Y., Saleh, M. I., Tatiana, P., Alrefae, W. M., ... & Elsayed, M. A. (2023). Analysing the Influence of eWOM on Customer Perception of Value and Brand Love in Hospitality Enterprise. Sustainability, 15(9), 7286. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097286
Anbumathi, R., Dorai, S., & Palaniappan, U. (2023). Evaluating the role of technology and non-technology factors influencing brand love in Online Food Delivery services. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 71, 103181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103181
Appel, G., Grewal, L., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2019). The future of social media in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 79-95. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1
Bagherzadeh, R., Rawal, M., Wei, S., & Torres, J. L. S. (2020). The journey from customer participation in service failure to co-creation in service recovery. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 54, 102058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102058
Bairrada, C. M., Coelho, A., & Lizanets, V. (2019). The impact of brand personality on consumer behavior: the role of brand love. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management, 23(1), 30-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-07-2018-0091
Ballester, E., Rubio, N., & Ruiz, C. (2023). Emojis and users’ brand engagement in Instagram. The case of eco-friendly restaurants. Journal of Tourism and Services, 14(27), 64-88. https://doi.org/10.29036/jots.v14i27.514
Batra, R., Ahuvia, A., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2012). Brand love. Journal of Marketing, 76(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.09.0339
Bilal, M., Akram, U., Zhang, Y., Cai, S., & Wang, Z. (2022). Love Is Blind! Exploring the Impact of Brand Love on eWOM in Chinese Hospitality Industry. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.916206
Bilgihan, A., Seo, S., & Choi, J. (2018). Identifying restaurant satisfiers and dissatisfiers: Suggestions from online reviews. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 27(5), 601-625. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2018.1396275
Camarões. (2022). História. Retrieved from https://camaroes.com.br/historia/
Chang, K.-C. (2013). How reputation creates loyalty in the restaurant sector. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 25(4), 536–557. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596111311322916
Chen, W. K., Riantama, D., & Chen, L. S. (2021). Using a text mining approach to hear voices of customers from social media toward the fast-food restaurant industry. Sustainability, 13(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010268
Cho, S. B., Jang, Y. J., & Kim, W. G. (2016). The moderating role of severity of service failure in the relationship among regret/disappointment, dissatisfaction, and behavioral intention. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 18(1), 69-85. https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008X.2016.1169470
Choi, Y., Kroff, M. W., & Kim, J. (2021). Developing brand advocacy through brand activities on Facebook. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 38(3), 328-338. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-10-2019-3460
Çakar, K., & Aykol, Ş. (2021). Case study as a research method in hospitality and tourism research: A systematic literature review (1974–2020). Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 62(1), 21-31. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965520971281
Du, S., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2007). Reaping relational rewards from corporate social responsibility: The role of competitive positioning. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 24(3), 224–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2007.01.001
Duan, W., Yu, Y., Cao, Q., & Levy, S. (2016). Exploring the impact of social media on hotel service performance: A sentimental analysis approach. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 57(3), 282-296. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965515620483
Eisenhardt, K. M. (1989). Building theories from case study research. Academy of Management Review, 14(4), 532-550. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1989.4308385
Fernandes, T., & Fernandes, F. (2017). Sharing dissatisfaction online: analysing the nature and predictors of hotel guests negative reviews. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 27(2), 127-150. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2017.1337540
Gan, Q., Ferns, B. H., Yu, Y., & Jin, L. (2016). A text mining and multidimensional sentiment analysis of online restaurant reviews. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 18(4), 465-492. https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008X.2016.1250243
Gaspar, R., Pedro, C., Panagiotopoulos, P., & Seibt, B. (2016). Beyond positive or negative: Qualitative sentiment analysis of social media reactions to unexpected stressful events. Computers in Human Behavior, 56, 179-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.11.040
Gustafsson, J. (2017). Single case studies vs. multiple case studies: A comparative study. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1064378/FULLTEXT01.pdf
Hwang, Y., & Mattila, A. S. (2020). The impact of customer compassion on face-to-face and online complaints. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 29(7), 848-868. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2020.1711546
Ismail, T. A. T., Zahari, M. S. M., Hanafiah, M. H., & Balasubramanian, K. (2022). Customer brand personality, dining experience, and satisfaction at luxury hotel restaurants. Journal of Tourism and Services, 13(24), 26-42. https://doi.org/10.29036/jots.v13i24.278
Jang, Y. J., Cho, S-B., & Kim, W. G. (2013). Effect of Restaurant Patrons' Regret and Disappointment on Dissatisfaction and Behavioral Intention. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 30(5), 431-444. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2013.803388
John, L. K., Emrich, O., Gupta, S., & Norton, M. I. (2016). Does “liking” lead to loving? The impact of joining a brand's social network on marketing outcomes. Journal of Marketing Research, 54(1), 144-155. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.14.0237
Junaid, M. et al. (2020a). Brand love: the emotional bridge between tourists’ perceived value and well-being. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 25(12), 1329-1342. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2020.1853577
Junaid, M. et al. (2020b). An investigation of the diners’ brand love in the value co-creation process. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 45, 172-181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.08.008
Kamran, S., & Attiq, M. (2011). Value recovery with customer dissatisfaction: A study of restaurant services in Pakistan. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 11(3), 169-180. https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358411415088
Keller, K. L. (2001). Building customer-based brand equity: A blueprint for creating strong brands. Marketing Science Institute (Working paper series), 3-31.
Keller, E. (2007). Unleashing the power of word of mouth: Creating brand advocacy to drive growth. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(4), 448-452. https://doi.org/10.2501/S0021849907070468
Kennedy, E., & Guzmán, F. (2021). No matter what you do, I still love you: an examination of consumer reaction to brand transgressions. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 30(4), 594-608. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-07-2019-2450
Khan, A., Mohammad, A. S., & Muhammad, S. (2021). An integrated model of brand experience and brand love for halal brands: survey of halal fast food consumers in Malaysia. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 12(8), 1492-1520. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-11-2019-0236
Kim, W. G., Li, J. J., & Brymer, R. A. (2016). The impact of social media reviews on restaurant performance: The moderating role of excellence certificate. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 55, 41-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2016.03.001
Kim, B., & Velthuis, O. (2021). From reactivity to reputation management: online consumer review systems in the restaurant industry. Journal of Cultural Economy, 14(6), 675-693. https://doi.org/10.1080/17530350.2021.1895280
Lamberton, C., & Stephen, A. T. (2016). A thematic exploration of digital, social media, and mobile marketing: Research evolution from 2000 to 2015 and an agenda for future inquiry. Journal of Marketing, 80(6), 146-172. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0415
Langley, A. (1999). Strategies for theorising from process data. Academy of Management Review, 24(4), 691-710. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1999.2553248
Li, Z. (2019). From power to punishment: consumer empowerment and online complaining behaviors. Internet Research, 29(6), 1324-1343. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-05-2018-0232
Lu, W., & Stepchenkova, S. (2015). User-generated content as a research mode in tourism and hospitality applications: Topics, methods, and software. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 24(2), 119-154. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2014.907758
Mariotto, F. L., Zanni, P. P., & Moraes, G. H. S. (2014). What is the use of a single-case study in management research?. Revista de Administração de Empresas, 54, 358-369. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-759020140402
Matute, J., Palau-Saumell, R., & Occhiocupo, N. (2019). Understanding customer brand engagement in user-initiated online brand communities: antecedents and consequences. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 30(3), 360-376. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-04-2019-2329
Melancon, J. P., & Dalakas, V. (2018). Consumer social voice in the age of social media: Segmentation profiles and relationship marketing strategies. Business Horizons, 61(1), 157-167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2017.09.015
Meyer-Waarden, L., & Sabadie, W. (2023). Relationship quality matters: How restaurant businesses can optimise complaint management. Tourism Management, 96, 104709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104709
Milan, G. S., Eberle, L., De Toni, D., & Fortes, V. M. M. (2021). A formação da lealdade à marca de um refrigerante. ReMark-Revista Brasileira de Marketing, 20(1), 148-174. https://doi.org/10.5585/remark.v19i1.15695
Miller, B. (2008). Using a modular system approach to international franchising: Analysing the case study of a Poland-based restaurant operator. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 49(4), 458-462. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965508326541
Nagar, K., & Kour, P. (2018). Measuring Young Consumers’ Response to Brand Scandals: A Brand Love Perspective. FIIB Business Review, 7(4), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/2319714518806712
Nebreda, L. P., Martín, F. D., & González, A. B. (2020). Changes and evolution in the intellectual structure of consumer dissatisfaction. Journal of Consumer Behavior, 20(1), 160-172. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1864
Nyamekye, M.B., Adam, D.R., Boateng, H., & Kosiba, J.P. (2023). Place attachment and brand loyalty: the moderating role of customer experience in the restaurant setting. International Hospitality Review, 37(1), 48-70. https://doi.org/10.1108/IHR-02-2021-0013
Palazon, M., Delgado-Ballester, E., & Sicilia, M. (2019). Fostering brand love in Facebook brand pages. Online Information Review, 43(5), 710-727. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-05-2017-0175
Paruthi, M., Kaur, H., Islam, J. U., Rasool, A., & Thomas, G. (2023). Engaging consumers via online brand communities to achieve brand love and positive recommendations. Spanish Journal of Marketing-ESIC, 27(2), 138-157. https://doi.org/10.1108/SJME-07-2022-0160
Perez-Aranda, J., Arán, M. V., & Molinillo, S. (2018). A proposal for measuring hotels’ managerial responses to User-Generated-Content Reviews. Tourism & Management Studies, 14, 7-16. https://www.tmstudies.net/index.php/ectms/article/view/995
Polat, A. S., & Çetinsöz, B. C. (2021). The mediating role of brand love in the relationship between consumer-based brand equity and brand loyalty: A research on starbucks. Journal of Tourism and Services, 12(22), 150-167. https://doi.org/10.29036/jots.v12i22.252
Premordia, I., & Gál, T. (2021). Negative Online Customer Reviews In Restaurant Dining Experience: What Are The Determining Factors Of Service Failure Affecting Behavioral Intentions? Network Intelligence Studies, 17(1), 69-83.
Ro, H. (2015). Customer dissatisfaction responses to restaurant service failures: Insights into noncomplainers from a relational perspective. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 24(4), 435-456. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2014.910481
Rodríguez-López, M. E., Alcántara-Pilar, J. M., & del Barrio-García, S. (2023). Individual cultural values as determinants of the attitudinal process in the restaurant: a different perspective for understanding brand equity formation. Tourism & Management Studies, 19(1), 49-57. https://www.tmstudies.net/index.php/ectms/article/view/2065
Roy, S. K., Singh, G., Japutra, A., & Javed, M. (2021). Circle the wagons: measuring the strength of consumers’ brand defense. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2021.1999305
Salomão, M. T., & Santos, M. A. (2022). O impacto do marketing experiencial na intenção de revisitar a marca: uma comparação entre grandes e pequenas redes de restaurantes fast-food. REMark-Revista Brasileira de Marketing, 21(3), 730. https://doi.org/10.5585/remark.v21i3.21331
Santos, M. L. B. (2022). The “so-called” UGC: an updated definition of user-generated content in the age of social media. Online Information Review, 46(1), 95-113. https://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-06-2020-0258
Saura, J. R., Palacios-Marqués, D., & Ribeiro-Soriano, D. (2023). Exploring the boundaries of open innovation: Evidence from social media mining. Technovation, 119, 102447. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2021.102447
Sawaftah, D., Aljarah, A., & Lahuerta-Otero, E. (2021). Power brand defense up, my friend! stimulating brand defense through digital content marketing. Sustainability, 13(18), 10266. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810266
Shen, Y., Huang, S., Choi, H. S. C., & Morrison, A. M. (2021). Does brand love matter to casual restaurants? A multi-group path analysis. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2021.1867282
Shin, H., & Larson, L. R. (2020). The bright and dark sides of humorous response to online customer complaint. European Journal of Marketing, 54(8), 2013-2047. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-08-2018-0522
Silva, F. F., Dias, M. C. C., Ferreira, L. V. F., & Marques Júnior, S. (2017). Lovemarks: Un análisis de la marca de restaurantes a partir del modelo de Kevin Roberts. Estudios y Perspectivas en Turismo, 26(4), 905-924. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=180752919008
Skinner, H., Chatzopoulou, E., & Gorton, M. (2020). Perceptions of localness and authenticity regarding restaurant choice in tourism settings. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 37(2), 155-168. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2020.1722785
Song, H., Bae, S.Y., & Han, H. (2019). Emotional comprehension of a name-brand coffee shop: focus on lovemarks theory. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 31(3), 1046-1065. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2017-0436
Sparks, B., Bowen, J., & Klag, S. (2003). Restaurants and the tourist market. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 15(1), 6-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110310458936
Stevens, J. L., Spaid, B. I., Breazeale, M., & Jones, C. L. E. (2018). Timeliness, transparency, and trust: A framework for managing online customer complaints. Business Horizons, 61(3), 375-384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2018.01.007
Sudhagar, D. P. (2018). Triggers for customer dissatisfaction and the impact on online reviews and rating-an exploratory study on Indian fine dining restaurant. International Journal of Knowledge Management in Tourism and Hospitality, 2(1), 104-116. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJKMTH.2018.099259
Tan, J.Y., Chan, L.Y., Tan, S.C., Wong, E.Y., & Chaichi, K. (2023). Generating competitiveness through trending marketing strategies, case of gen z consumers in the restaurant industry. International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding, 10(4), 471–496. https://doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v10i4.4597
TripAdvisor. (2022). Camarões Restaurante. Retrieved from https://www.tripadvisor.com.br/Restaurant_Review-g303518-d1065305-Reviews-Camaroes_Restaurante-Natal_State_of_Rio_Grande_do_Norte.html
Trivedi, J., & Sama, R. (2020). Determinants of consumer loyalty towards celebrity‐owned restaurants: The mediating role of brand love. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 20(3), 748-761. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.1903
Uthaisar, S., Eves, A., & Wang, X. L. (2023). Tourists’ Online Information Search Behavior: Combined User-Generated and Marketer-Generated Content in Restaurant Decision Making. Journal of Travel Research, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875231195314
Vernuccio, M., Pagani, M., Barbarossa, C., & Pastore, A. (2015). Antecedents of brand love in online network-based communities. A social identity perspective. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 24(7), 706-719. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-12-2014-0772
Voorveld, H. A. (2019). Brand communication in social media: A research agenda. Journal of Advertising, 48(1), 14-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913367.2019.1588808
Vu, H. Q., Li, G., Law, R., & Zhang, Y. (2017). Exploring tourist dining preferences based on restaurant reviews. Journal of Travel Research, 58(1), 149-167. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287517744672
Wallace, E., Buil, I., & Chernatony, L. (2014). Consumer engagement with self-expressive brands: Brand love and WOM outcomes. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 23(1), 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-06-2013-0326
Wallace, E., Torres, P., Augusto, M., & Stefuryn, M. (2021). Do brand relationships on social media motivate young consumers’ value co-creation and willingness to pay? The role of brand love. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 31(2), 189-205. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-06-2020-2937
Wilk, V., Soutar, G. N., & Harrigan, P. (2020). Online brand advocacy (OBA): The development of a multiple item scale. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 29(4), 415-429. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-10-2018-2090
Wilk, V., Soutar, G. N., & Harrigan, P. (2021). Online brand advocacy and brand loyalty: a reciprocal relationship?. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 33(10), 1977-1993. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-05-2020-0303
Yin, R. K. (2001). Case study research: Design and methods. (3a ed.). Applied Social Research Methods Series, 5. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
Zhang, Y., Zhang, J., & Sakulsinlapakorn, K. (2020). Love becomes hate? Or love is blind? Moderating effects of brand love upon consumers’ retaliation towards brand failure. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 30(3), 415-432. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-07-2019-2470
Zhu, Y., Wang, Y., Song, B., Feng, Q., Lin, H., & Tang, J. (2023). The interactive effects of extrinsic and intrinsic motivations on service recovery performance in the hospitality industry: the mediating role of self-efficacy. Tourism & Management Studies, 19(3), 7-22. https://www.tmstudies.net/index.php/ectms/article/view/1916
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Tourism & Management Studies
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The journal retains published articles’ copyrights, but they are simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND), which allows individuals’ to share the relevant papers as long as authorship and publication in this journal are duly acknowledged.