An Analysis of Consumer Based Brand Equity In Online Fan

Communities Is It Worthwhile For Brands To Facilitate Such

Communities, And What Marketing Communications Activities Would Be
Best Suited To Do So?

Sania Dawood
Supervisor: George Christodoulides
MSc. Marketing Communications 2010-11
Student ID: 892192

Dissertation Submitted In Partial Fulfillment of the degree of MSc. In
Marketing Communications (2010-11)
P a g e | 1

Abstract

Marketing literature contains numerous studies on brand communities and online
communities. However, no studies have been conducted which focus on fan created,
non commercial, online communities. This is surprising, as fans comprise a devout
customer base who support and advocate a brand. Arguably, facilitating such fan
endeavours can benefit the brand. However, there is no research to prove this, or
indeed to advise how best to facilitate such communities. Therefore, this study
focused on filling two main gaps in the literature; the first was to determine whether
or not online fan communities are worth facilitating. This was done by analysing the
CBBE scores of online fan community members versus non members. The second
was to determine which marketing communication activities would be best suited to
facilitate such communities. This was done through the analysis of community
platforms, discovery methods, motivations for joining and desired activities. It was
also analysed if the category that a brand is in affects the platform, discovery
method, motivation for joining and desired activities of community members.

A self completion questionnaire was completed by 120 participants within five
different brand categories (books, TV shows, video games, anime and music). 60
respondents were members of online fan communities, and 60 were not. An
independent T-Test showed that online fan community members had higher scores
than non members for all four dimensions of CBBE (brand loyalty, brand
associations, brand awareness and perceived quality). It was found that websites are
the preferred platform for most online fan communities within the five different brand
categories surveyed. The most popular discovery method is through searching the
P a g e | 2

web. The main motivation for joining is to get the latest news, and the activity which
members would most like to see more of is competing for giveaways.

P a g e | 3

Contents
1. Introduction..pg 6
1.1 Backgroundpg 6
1.2 Scope..pg 7

2. Research Objectives, Research Questions and Hypotheses .pg 9
2.1 Research Objectives....pg 9
2.2 Research Questions ..pg 10
2.3 Hypotheses..pg 11

3. Literature Review ..pg 13
3.1 Defining Online Fan Communities...pg 13
3.2 Motivations For Joining Online Fan Communities.pg 16
3.3 Why Should Higher CBBE Scores Convince Brand Managers To Facilitate
Online Fan Communities?.................................................................pg 19
3.4 Main Conclusions And Findings From Literature..pg 23

4. Methodology..pg 25
4.1 Survey Design..pg 25
P a g e | 4

4.2 Sample...pg 34
4.3 Pilotpg 34

5. Findings...pg 36

6. Discussion..pg 52
6.1 CBBE..pg 52
6.2 Platformspg 54
6.3 Discovery Methods..pg 55
6.4 Motivations ......pg 56
6.5 Activities....pg 58
6.6 Further Research.pg 60

7. Appendices....pg 62
Appendix 1: Book Questionnairepg 62
Appendix 2: TV Shows Questionnaire...pg 68
Appendix 3: Games Questionnaire.pg 74
Appendix 4: Anime Questionnaire...pg 80
Appendix 5: Music Questionnairepg 86
P a g e | 5

Appendix 6: Ethics Form...pg 92

8. References..pg 93

9. Bibliography .....pg 101



P a g e | 6

1. Introduction

1.1 Background
The nineties were known as the decade of the fan wars (Entertainment Weekly,
1997). This was a time when fan communities were emerging on the internet, and
gaining mass popularity amongst followers of shows like The X Files and Star
Trek. This is supported by Peterson (1999) who stated that community based
websites were amongst the fastest growing on the internet. Activities in such
communities ranged from posting episode synopses online, to creating fan made
story arcs involving main characters (known as fan fiction), to discussing which
actor was the favourite amongst community members and why. However, instead of
embracing this huge, cult like following, the studios that created the shows
demanded that all activity on online communities based around their shows be
stopped immediately. Entertainment Weekly (2007) notes that the amount of
attention the brands received from fans was devotion the corporations normally
welcome. This led to an outcry amongst fans, who felt slighted by the creators of the
very shows that they so admired. Nowadays, with the popularity of social media,
brand managers are increasingly creating their own brand communities as places
where admirers of their brands can meet and chat. Ridings and Gefen (2004)
support this, stating that online communities have the potential to increase revenues
hugely. However, is there benefit to collaborating with, and even facilitating the
actions of fan created communities online? Such communities have been studied by
Kozinets (1997, 2001), in terms of consumption behaviour. However, researchers
have not studied the value of collaborating with such communities, or indeed, how
the facilitation of fan community activities would be best executed. Therefore, this
P a g e | 7

research aims to fill two gaps in the literature; firstly it aims to determine if there is
value in facilitating online fan community activities, and secondly, it aims to discover
which marketing communication activities would be best suited for such facilitation.

1.2 Scope
One way to measure the value of online fan community facilitation is to see if
members have higher consumer based brand equity (CBBE) scores than non
members. This is defined as the differential effect of brand knowledge on consumer
response to the marketing of the brand (Keller, 1993 pg. 2). If online fan community
members have higher CBBE scores than non members, they are arguably a
worthwhile sector of ready and willing consumers, who wish to support and promote
the brand.This is supported by Mohammed et al (2004), who states that online
communities can create several cost and revenue benefits for brands. Thus, it may
be very beneficial for the brand to embrace and facilitate community activities, rather
than trying to control and restrict them, as was previously done in the nineties.

Following this, if facilitation is found to be worthwhile, brand managers will need to
know which activities in particular to focus on to maximise the benefit. Moreover, it
would be beneficial to analyse the different platforms and activities of modern online
fan communities, as previous research has focused on old platforms, such as static
message boards (Ridings and Gefen, 2004), which no longer reflect the social media
platforms being used today, such as Facebook. It would also be beneficial to analyse
what motivated people to join such communities, and what activities they would like
to see more of, so that brand managers can focus more on certain community
activities, rather than others. Moreover, by analysing the primary method by which
P a g e | 8

such communities are first discovered by admirers of the brand, brand managers can
target certain methods which result in many members joining communities, or
harness as yet untapped methods for future use. Finally, it would also be beneficial
to investigate if the category that a brand is in affects any of the above analyses, so
that brand managers can be given category specific recommendations.

Based on these justifications, the research objectives, research questions and
hypotheses have been formulated in the following section.

















P a g e | 9

2. Research Objectives, Research Questions and Hypotheses

2.1 Research Objectives
There are three main objectives for this research.

RO1)To discover if members of online fan communities have higher CBBE scores as
compared to non members.

RO2) To determine which marketing communication tactics would help to facilitate
online fan communities.

RO3) To determine if the category that a brand is in affects the choice of marketing
communication tactics for facilitating online fan communities.

2.2 Research Questions

To answer research objective one, the four aspects of CBBE (brand loyalty, brand
associations, brand awareness and perceived quality) have been formulated into the
following research questions;

RQ1) Are brand loyalty scores higher for members of online fan communities, as
compared to non members?
RQ2) Are brand association scores higher for members of online fan communities,
as compared to non members?
P a g e | 10

RQ3) Are brand awareness scores higher for members of online fan communities, as
compared to non members?
RQ4) Are perceived quality scores higher for members of online fan communities, as
compared to non members?

Answering research objective two will require a detailed analysis of the platforms,
discovery methods, motivations for joining and favoured activities of online fan
communities. Thus, the following research questions have been formed;

RQ5) What is the most popular platform to host an online fan community on?
RQ6) What is the most popular way of first discovering an online fan community?
RQ7) What is the most popular activity that provides motivation for joining an online
fan community?
RQ8) Which activity do members most want to see more of while on an online fan
community?

Since research objective three affects several research questions, the following
question has been formed;

RQ9) Does the category of a brand affect the results of research questions five to
eight?




P a g e | 11

2.3 Hypotheses

Research questions one to four will require specific hypotheses to be formulated, as
they compare one population sample to another (online fan community members
and non members). The following hypotheses have thus been formed;

H1) Online fan community members will have higher brand loyalty scores than non
members.
H2) Online fan community members will have higher brand association scores than
non members.
H3) Online fan community members will have higher brand awareness scores than
non members.
H4) Online fan community members will have higher perceived quality scores than
non members.

The objectives, research questions and hypotheses have been summarised in
diagram one on the next page.
P a g e | 12

Diagram 1: A Flow Chart Mapping The Progression Of Each Objective, Research
Question And Hypothesis.



P a g e | 13

3. Literature Review


3.1 Defining Online Fan Communities

Marketing literature does not contain a precise definition of what an online fan
community is. However, definitions for communities, online communities and brand
communities have been studied, and thus can be used to define online fan
communities for the purpose of this research.

Mohammed et al (2004) describe a community as a set of interwoven relationships,
built upon shared interests, that satisfies individual needs that would otherwise be
unattainable (pg 392). This idea of shared interests being central in the formation of
communities is supported by Hagel and Armstrong (1997) who studied communities
that form online. They state that Virtual communities are groups of people who
share common interests and needs who come together online (pg. 57). This is
echoed by Dennis, Pootheri, & Natarajan (1998) who state that virtual communities
consist of people who share interests and who interact primarily through electronic
communication. For online fan communities, the primary interest would be the brand
that the community is devoted to. A brand in this sense can be a person such as
Madonna, an organisation such as The Body Shop, a product such as Goodfellows
Pizza, or a symbol such as Nike (Aaker, 1996).

However, online communities also exist for shared interests which are not based
around a brand. For example, communities exist online to help recovering alcoholics,
P a g e | 14

or families who have suffered bereavement. Yet there is no precise definition in
marketing literature to describe an online community created by fans of a particular
brand. Muniz and OGuinn (2001) have studied communities based around the
shared interest of a brand. They define a brand community as a specialised, non
geographically bound community, based on a structured set of social relationships
among admirers of a brand (pg. 1). However, their research was not specific to
brand communities which form online. Neither did their research address whether
brand scan benefit from online brand communities, or how best to facilitate such
communities.

The subjects of interest for this research are the online communities created by fans
of different brands. A fan can be defined as an enthusiastic devotee, follower, or
admirer (dictionary.ref erence.com). Kozinets has studied consumer subcultures
around popular TV shows such as the X Files (1997) and Star Trek (2001). However,
this research was not related to CBBE, marketing communications activities, or even
studying the online fan communities themselves. Rather his research was focused
mainly on understanding why consumers are so devoted to those two TV shows in
particular. Therefore, although Kozinets has sampled fan community members as
part of his research, this particular research is focused more on understanding the
different platforms, motivations and marketing communication implications related to
online fan communities, and whether or not it is worthwhile for brand managers to
facilitate them.

Additionally, not all online interactive locations can be considered communities
(Fernback, 1999). As Rheingold (1993) states, online communities are social
P a g e | 15

aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public
discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal
relationships in cyberspace (pg. 5). This suggests that the members of online fan
communities must feel a connection between each other, as well as the brand that
the community is based on. This is supported by Ridings and Gefen (2004).
Additionally, Mohammed et als (2004) previously mentioned definition of a
community necessitates interwoven relationships, which imply a higher degree of
trust and commitment (pg.392).

Furthermore, Smith (1999) states that an online community is formed when
members continually interact with each other. This supported by Hiltz (1984) who
goes a step further and claims they can even become obsessed with their
community, as mentioned by Ridings and Gefen (2004 )in their study of motivations
for joining online communities. They further state that not all online platforms can be
considered communities, particularly using the example of online chat rooms, where
relationships do not necessarily form. Therefore, it can be concluded, that for a
platform host an online community, it must be able to host continuous, interwoven
relationships in a non geographically bound area. Additionally, as fans are not paid
by brand managers to promoting or discussing the brand, such communities are non
commercial. Mohammed et al (2004) elaborate on this, stating that non commercial
communities are created from the ground up by a group of individuals who share a
particular interest and create a place where their relationships could be developed
and interwoven (pg. 404).

P a g e | 16

Thus, by drawing from the literature, an online fan community can be defined as a
non geographically bound community, created by admirers of a brand, for non
commercial purposes.


3.2 Motivations For Joining Online Communities

Ridings and Gefen (2004) report four main motivations for joining online
communities; information access, social support, friendship seeking and recreation.

Information access is considered to be the primary motivation for joining
communities in virtual community research. This is supported by Furlong (1989).
However, Filipczak (1998) states that the content in virtual communities may be
weak, as it is mostly generated by members or users, thereby compromising the
success of the community. This suggests that it may be beneficial for online fan
communities to collaborate with the actual brands in order to ensure accuracy and
quality of information. However, collaborating does not mean the brand would control
content, as this is difficult in social media, and may give the impression of a
corporate or brand created website.

Regarding social support, this can be defined as the aid, emotional concern or
appraisal that flows between people (House, 1981). Online communities in particular
are used to find such support and aid (Wellman et al 1996), perhaps due to the
interwoven relationships that are formed in them, as mentioned by Mohammed et al
(2004). Additionally, as online communities are based on shared interests, it may be
P a g e | 17

easier to find people in similar situations, experiencing the same issues. This idea is
supported by Herring (1996) who found that social support is one of the main
reasons that people join online communities. However, not all online communities
are based around the shared interest of a brand, as noted by Kim (2000). As
mentioned, a community for bereavement is not the same as a fan community, as
the latters primary interest is the brand itself. Therefore, it is unlikely that social
support would be a primary motivation for followers of online fan communities;
rather, they may be more interested in exchange of information, and discussing the
latest updates about the brand.

Regarding friendship seeking, Ridings and Gefen (2004) state that it is different from
social support in that one may seek advice for a personal problem such as drug
addiction, without the desire to form friendships online. Similarly, seeking information
does not necessitate the desire to form friendships. Therefore, they have classified
friendship seeking as a separate motivation for joining online communities. This
reflects Mohammed et als (2004) definition of a community involving interwoven
relationship, ie: they should be more than mere interactions, such as seeking advice
or asking for information about a product/service. It is therefore possible that some
members may join online fan communities to cultivate friendships, but this may not
necessarily be the primary or the only motivation. Nonetheless, this idea is supported
by Parks & Floyd (1995) who state that people interact online simply to make friends
and hang out. This is further supported by Oldenberg (1989) who discusses the
need for three essential places in ones life; the home, the office and the third place
where we hang out. Additionally, Putnam (2000) notes that people have become
less and less inclined to socialise over the past three decades. This may explain the
P a g e | 18

rise in online communities, as they fulfil the need for a virtual third place, as it is
becoming increasingly hard to find in real life. Furthermore, Ridings and Gefen
(2004) state that the internet facilitates finding and connecting with people who share
similar interests in real life. This is supported by Igbaria (1999) and may explain why
some fan communities organise fan conventions so the community members can
meet in real life and hang out.

Regarding recreation, Wasko and Faraj (2000) found that members of online
communities find their time spent online to be both enjoyable and fun. Furthermore,
Jackson (1999) claims it can be likened to popular forms of entertainment such as
watching TV. However, it must be noted that all four motivations mentioned by
Ridings and Gefen (2004) - namely information access, social support, friendship
and recreation were based on a study of bulletin boards. Since this is a fairly old
and static platform to host a virtual community on, their findings may not accurately
represent the motivations of todays individuals for joining online communities. With
the recent rise in social media, people today may expect a more dynamic, interactive
experience when they join an online community. This may in turn affect their
motivations for joining, and as such, needs to be further analysed. Moreover, Ridings
and Gefen (2004) did not study fan communities, ie: they did not study non
commercial communities based on the common interest of a particular brand. This
may also affect motivations for joining, as well as what platforms are used as hosts,
what activities are popular, and how such communities are discovered. Therefore,
further research needs to be conducted in order to advise brand managers on what
marketing communication activities to use when facilitating such communities.

P a g e | 19


3.3 Why Should Higher CBBE Scores Convince Brand Managers To Facilitate
Online Fan Communities?

Keller (1996) states that CBBE comprises of four key dimensions; brand loyalty,
brand associations, brand awareness and perceived quality.

Regarding brand loyalty, Perrier (1997) argues that this is the true value of a brand.
Satisfied and committed customers actively promote the brand to others at no cost to
the company itself. This creates a competitive advantage, as less marketing spend is
needed to attract new customers. This is supported by Dekimpe, Steenkamp,
Mellens, and Vanden Abeele (1997) who state that retaining customers is up to six
times more cost effective than attracting new customers. This is also supported by
Reicheld and Schefter (2000) who state that increasing customer retention rates by
5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%. Additionally, Payne (1994) suggests that
customers can eventually become advocates and partners who promote the brand
simply because they like it. This is shown in the diagram two on the next page.








P a g e | 20

Diagram 2: The Customer Loyalty Ladder


Furthermore, Pelsmacker, Geuens and Van den Bergh (2007) suggest that one way
of retaining customers is to offer them an experience (pg 57), namely in the form of
a brand community. Arguably, if an online fan community already exists, it can be
used to benefit the brand, without needing to spend finances on maintaining it, as the
fans do this themselves. However, to ensure the quality of information on such
communities (Filipcaz, 1998), it may be beneficial to communicate with the fan
communities, and facilitate certain activities rather than others.

Regarding brand associations, De Pelsmacker, Geuens and Van den Bergh (2007)
state that they can refer to both tangible aspects such as speed, and intangible
aspects such as friendliness (pg. 55). The intangible associations also comprise the
brand personality. This is supported by Aaker (1997) who suggests that the five man
personality traits within personality psychology (rugedness, competence,
P a g e | 21

sophistication, sincerity and excitement) can be equated to brands. However, her
research was found to be too focused on the West and thus may be considered
weak. Nevertheless, in support of the idea of brands having personalities, Sirgy
(1982, 1985) found that consumers are more likely to purchase brands which they
feel are congruent with their sense of self, ie: if the characteristics of the brand match
the characteristics of the consumer, the likelihood of purchase is higher. It is
therefore important to carefully target a brand to the right type of consumer, and
online fan community members are a ready base of consumers who enjoy the
product. Sirgys self congruence theory may also explain why consumers join brand
communities the brands characteristics may match their own. It is therefore
important to keep these brand associations in mind as any new associations may
pose a risk to the self congruence felt by fans. However, to test whether they would
actually be more likely to purchase the product than non fans, it is important to
conduct primary research, as there is a gap in this area within marketing literature.

Furthermore, Bronciarczyk and Alba (1994) state that brand personality consists of
associations which differentiate the product/service from competitors. It is thus
important to investigate whether members of online fan communities have
associations about the brand which differentiate it, as compared to people who are
not members of such communities. One way in which this can be achieved is to test
how unique the brand is considered to be amongst members and non members of
online fan communities. Keller (2003) supports this, stating that brand associations
should be unique, strong and desirable in order to lend a competitive edge.

P a g e | 22

Regarding brand awareness, this is considered important in creating equity because
consumers have more faith in a well known brand (De Pelsmacker, Geuens and
Van den Bergh, 2007). This suggests that brand awareness increases the likelihood
of purchase. Thus, brand awareness is important in increasing sales and thereby
profit. This is supported by Keller, (1993) who states that the likelihood of brand
purchase increases with a brand being in the consideration set of consumers. He
further states that this increases the likelihood of brand loyalty, thereby increasing
the likelihood of long term brand survival. Hence, brand awareness is needed so that
the brand can benefit from long term loyalty as well as short term sales profits.

Furthermore, De Pelsmacker and Geuens, (1999) state that brand awareness
increases the likelihood of effective brand communication, as it increases the level of
processing. This suggests that brand managers would need to spend less on
advertising to maintain the brand position, thereby saving on marketing costs.

In terms of perceived quality, Aaker (1996) states that this is comprised of the
judgements that consumers make about a given products/services superiority, as
compared to alternative brands. Perceived quality is therefore a key factor in gaining
competitive advantage. De Pelsmacker, Geuens and Van den Bergh (2007) state
that the perceived quality is dependent upon both intrinsic and extrinsic cues. The
former refer to concrete or physical characteristics such as taste (pg. 54), whereas
the latter refer to characteristics not directly related to the product/service, such as
price (pg. 55). Reynolds and Olson (2001) support this, claiming that brand name is
an important extrinsic cue. De Chernatony and McDonald (1992) support this claim;
they found that 51% of consumers preferred Pepsi to Coke Light in a blind taste test,
P a g e | 23

whereas this figure decreased to 23% when the brand names were apparent. This
proves that the perception of quality rather than the quality itself is key in determining
a brands equity, and is therefore a valuable asset.

Regarding past research on CBBE, various scales have been devised to measure
each of the four dimensions. Yoo and Donthu (2001) devised a scale which
measured different product categories (athletic shoes, televisions and camera films)
in the USA and Korea. Although this study was not related to online communities,
their scale can be adapted and applied to different brand categories within the realm
of online fan communities.

3.4 Main Conclusions And Findings From Literature

The literature suggests that online fan communities can be based on any brand, as
long as it is a person, organisation, symbol or product (Aaker, 1996). Additionally,
the platforms analysed should be capable of encouraging the development of
continued, interwoven relationships which are not geographically bound.
Furthermore, the motivations for joining online fan communities may be similar to the
findings of Ridings and Gefen (2004) which categorise motivations for joining online
communities into one of four areas: information exchange, social support, friendship
seeking and recreation.

Moreover, CBBE is a valuable way of predicting the long term survival and short
term revenue generated from a brand. Therefore, if online fan community members
have higher CBBE scores than non members, they represent a valuable customer
P a g e | 24

base that brand managers should actively target. Furthermore, online fan community
activities should be facilitated so that members can act as advocates and do the
marketing for the brand, as suggested by Payne (1994). Rather than alienating
community members, as was done in the nineties, brand managers should embrace
the fact that fan created, non commercial communities exist, and that members are a
valuable, revenue generating market segment. Therefore, their activities should be
encouraged rather than hindered.

To discover if online fan community members do in fact have higher CBBE scores
than non members, and to provide category specific advice for brand managers,
primary research was conducted in the methodology section.














P a g e | 25

4. Methodolgy

The philosophical standpoint of this research is positivist and the research approach
is quantitative. This is because the research objectives require quantitative analysis
particularly research objective one, which involves the analysis of hypotheses.

The chosen method was a survey; specifically a self completion questionnaire. This
was chosen because it can be quickly distributed to a large number of people, as is
preferable for quantitative data. Additionally, Dillman (2007) states that self
completion questionnaires are less prone to result in data which is affected by the
social desirability bias. Moreover, the data can be analysed and compared easily as
the responses are standardised. This is supported by Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill
(2009) who further state that questionnaires allow a wider sample to be reached -
ideal for quantitative analysis. In order to create the questionnaire, a website
(SurveyGizmo) was used, as is recommended by Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill
(2009). This is because pre existing templates on such websites prevent the survey
from appearing too cramped, which can otherwise result in fewer responses
(Dillman, 2007).

4.1 Survey Design

Regarding brand categories, the following five categories were chosen; books, TV
shows, video games, anime and music. This adheres to Aakers (1996) definition of
a brand as a person, product, symbol or organisation, as all can fall into the
classification of products. This is consistent with Yoo and Donthus (2001) study of
P a g e | 26

CBBE which analysed three product categories (cameras, TV sets and shoes).
Furthermore, the music and TV show category may overlap into the brand as a
person classification, which further analyses CBBE within Aakers (1996) different
brand classifications.

Four brands were chosen within each of the five categories. A full list of brands used
in this research is provided in table one on the following page. They were chosen
because each brand falls into a different genre within the brand category. This was
done so as to realistically represent the diversity within each brand category, and
improve the consistency of results. Furthermore, the brands chosen had to be
current, so as to be relevant to the respondents, and accurately reflect the views of
modern consumers.













P a g e | 27

Table 1: The Chosen Brands Within Each Category


Due to the different brand categories, five different surveys were created. Following
advice from de Vaus (2002), they were kept within four to eight pages in length.
Dillman (2007) also states that the first page should consist of an introduction
regarding the purpose and contents of the questionnaire. Accordingly, this was done
for all five surveys, and can be found in appendices one to five. Additionally, it was
found by Thompson and Surface (2007) that respondents to online surveys may

Brand
Category
Name Genre
Books

Matched Dystopian
Trapped Action/Drama
Divergent Suspense
The Forest of Hands and Teeth Horror

TV
Shows
Supernatural Horror
Americas Next Top Model Reality
Miami Five-0 Action
Gossip Girl Drama

Games
Blaz Blue Dystopian
Team Fortress Strategy
Call of Duty War
Portal Time Travel
Anime
Fruits Basket Romance
Naruto Action
Bleach Horror
Ouran High School Host Club Comedy
Music
Lifehouse Rock
Eminem Rap
Katy Perry Pop
Taylor Swift Country
P a g e | 28

have a fear that their responses can be traced back to them. To alleviate this worry,
it was clearly stated that no information would be traced back to respondents they
would remain completely anonymous at all times and could opt out of the survey if
they wished to do so. They were asked to tick boxes confirming they were over 18
years of age and that they consented to completing the survey.

Section one of each survey was designed to address research objective one
regarding CBBE, and thus consisted of items measuring the four dimensions of
brand loyalty, brand associations, brand awareness and perceived quality. The items
were adapted by Yoo and Donthus (2001) study of CBBE within different brand
categories and were rated on a five point scale, ranging from strongly agree to
strongly disagree.

Within the category of books, the items measuring brand loyalty were as follows: I
will most likely read the next book in the series and I would not recommend this
book to my friends. The latter item was reverse coded, and was included as an
alternate form question, as recommended by Mitchell (1996), in order to improve
the reliability of results.

Regarding the items for measuring brand awareness, these were I can easily recall
the characters and places in the book and It is difficult to imagine the front cover of
the book. The latter was reverse coded and was an alternate form question as well.

Regarding the items for measuring associations, these focused on uniqueness of
associations, as recommended by Keller (2003) and were I consider this book to be
P a g e | 29

special and This book does not have a unique story. The latter was reverse coded
and was included as an alternate form question.

Regarding the items for measuring perceived quality, these were The written quality
of the book is high and The book is not better than others in the market. The latter
was an alternate form question, which was reverse coded.

For the remaining brand categories, the items were slightly altered to fit the nature of
the brands, but most of the words were kept the same. A full account can be found in
table two on the next page. The symbol (R) denotes items which were reverse coded
and included as alternate form questions to improve the reliability of results.













P a g e | 30

Table 2: An Account Of The Items Used For Measuring The Dimensions Of Brand
Equity Within The Categories Of TV Shows, Games, Anime And Music.

Brand
Category
Item Dimension
Measured


TV
Shows
I will most likely see the next episode in the series Loyalty
I would not recommend this show to my friends. (R) Loyalty
I can easily recall the characters and places in the show Awareness
It is difficult to imagine the opening theme of the show.
(R)
Awareness
I consider this show to be special Associations
This show does not have a unique story. (R) Associations
The overall quality of the show is high Quality
The show is not better than others on TV. (R) Quality


Games
I will most likely play the next instalment in the series Loyalty
I would not recommend this game to my friends. (R) Loyalty
I can easily recall the characters and places in the game Awareness
It is difficult to imagine the opening theme of the game.
(R)
Awareness
I consider this game to be special Associations
This game does not have a unique story. (R) Associations
The overall quality of the game is high Quality
The game is not better than others in the market. (R) Quality


Anime
I will most likely see the next episode in this anime Loyalty
I would not recommend anime to my friends. (R) Loyalty
I can easily recall the characters and places in this anime Awareness
It is difficult to imagine the opening theme of this anime.
(R)
Awareness
I consider this anime to be special Associations
This anime is not unique. (R) Associations
The overall quality of this anime is high Quality
The anime is not better than others in the market. (R) Quality


Music
I will most likely buy the next single from this artist/band Loyalty
I would not recommend artist/band to my friends. (R) Loyalty
I can easily recall the artist bands latest video Awareness
It is difficult to imagine the opening chords of their latest
song. (R)
Awareness
I consider this artist/band to be special Associations
This artist/band is not unique. (R) Associations
The overall quality of their songs is high Quality
The artist/band is not better than others in the market.
(R)
Quality

P a g e | 31

Part two of the survey was designed to address research objective two, and thus
included questions about the platforms, discovery methods, motivations and
activities of online fan community members. Following advice from Saunders, Lewis
and Thornhill (2009), an explanation was given for this section, explaining what an
online fan community is, and a filter question was included, so that people who had
not joined an online fan community would be taken straight to section three of the
survey, containing demographic questions.

In order to address research question five regarding preference for online platform, a
five point scale was used. Based on the literature review, the following platforms
were chosen for primary research; Facebook, Twitter, Livejournal, GoogleGroups,
websites, and forums. These platforms were chosen because they all allow
continuous interwoven relationships to develop between members, as highlighted by
the literature review. Relationships are interwoven in these platforms because
members can post profile information and link to other members with similar
interests, as well as see who is a mutual friend. This is supported by Mohammed et
al (2004) who state that members interacting individually with each other do not
constitute a web of interwoven relationships; rather they must form overlapping links
with each other, as is possible in such platforms. Additionally, relationships are
continuous because statuses and moods can be constantly updated, and members
can keep in touch with each other from computers or mobile phones twenty four
hours a day, from anywhere in the world. Furthermore, previous research by Ridings
and Gefen (2004) focused on the old platform of message boards, which does not
accurately portray the platform choices of modern community members who use
social media and dynamic, interactive platforms, such as the ones chosen for this
P a g e | 32

research. Participants were asked to choose how often they use each online fan
community platform for their chosen brand. The choices were Less than monthly,
Monthly, A few times a month, Weekly and A few times a week. By analysing
the mean scores of each platform, suggestions can be made to brand managers as
to which communities to target .

To address research question six regarding discovery methods of online fan
communities, respondents were asked to select one statement from a choice of five,
regarding how they first found out about online fan communities for their chosen
brand. For the category of books, the options were Searched the web, Saw links
on the author/publisher website, Met people involved in them at a convention, A
friend told me and Were mentioned in the newsletters by the author/publisher. For
the category of TV shows, the options were identical, except the words
author/publisher were changed to network. For the games category, the words
were changed to developer. For the music and anime categories, the words were
changed to band/artist and animation studio respectively.

To address research question seven regarding motivations for joining online fan
communities, a five point scale was used. Respondents were given a choice of
seven activities, which they had to rate from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The
options were based on previous research by Ridings and Gefen (2004), who
reported friendship seeking, social support, information exchange and recreation as
the main motivations for joining online communities. The seven options were
Wanted to chat to other fans, Wanted to read the latest news, Wanted to be
involved in conventions, Wanted to be part of fan projects, Wanted to browse the
P a g e | 33

pictures and videos, Wanted to share artwork and stories and Wanted to compete
for giveaways. The seven options were classified into Ridings and Gefens (2004)
four categories of motivation as follows; Wanted to read the latest news was
classified as information exchange, due to its affiliation with new product releases
and brand updates. Wanted to chat to other fans was classified as seeking social
support due to the interaction it necessitates. Both Wanted to be involved in
conventions and Wanted to be involved in fan projects were classified as
friendship seeking. This was due to the higher level of face to face interaction
involved in such activities, which involve more than simply chatting they involve
organising, meeting in real life and staying in touch in more ways than online. The
last three motivations of Wanted to browse pictures and videos, Wanted to share
stories and artwork and Wanted to compete for giveaways were all classified as
recreation, due to the fun and entertaining nature of the activities. They do not
necessitate any desire for information, social support or friendship rather, they can
be seen as enjoyable ways to pass the time. By analysing the most popular
motivation for joining online fan communities, brand managers can be advised as to
what activities to focus on when facilitating such communities.

To address research question eight regarding activities which online fan community
members would like to see more of, a five point scale was used. Ranging from A lot
less to A lot more, respondents were asked to select activities which they would
like to see more or less of while on an online fan community. The options were More
chatting facilities, More breaking news articles, More opportunities to get involved
in conventions, More opportunities to get involved in fan projects, More pictures
and videos, More stories and artwork, and More opportunities to compete in
P a g e | 34

giveaways. By comparing the means of each option, brand manages can be
advised as to which areas need more attention when facilitating online fan
communities.

Section three of the survey consisted of demographic data, including gender,
nationality and age group. The choice of nationality was provided by a drop down
menu in Survey Gizmo, and the age categories were as follows; 18 to 23, 24 to
29, 30 to 35, 36 to 41, 42 to 47, 48 to 53, 54 to 59, 60 plus. Finally, in
accordance with Saunders, Lewis and Thorndike (2009), a brief explanation of the
survey, thanking the respondents was provided, along with contact details should
they have any queries (pg. 391).

4.2 Pilot

According to Fink (2003), the minimum number of people necessary for a pilot test is
ten. Following this, the survey was tested on ten people; as they reported no
problems, the survey was carried out as outlined above.

4.3 Sample

Two main groups of people were sampled for this research; those who had joined
online fan communities for the stated brands, and those who had not. In order to
reach members of the online fan communities, a link to the survey was posted on
each online platform for each brand within each category, requesting members to
complete the survey. In order to reach people who had not joined any communities,
P a g e | 35

an email was sent to friends and colleagues, asking them to fill in the survey, and to
forward it to their own contacts. In both cases, convenience sampling was used.

Where possible, the number of respondents within each category was kept equal, in
order to represent all categories equally. Sixty respondents were analysed for both
online and offline samples of people, with twelve respondents within each of the five
brand categories.


















P a g e | 36

5. Findings

Data was collected from nineteen different countries. This is consistent with
expectations, as online fan communities have members from across the globe, who
share a common interest. This is supported by Muniz and OGuinn (2001) who state
that communities based around a particular brand need not be geographically
bound. However, the majority of respondents were UK nationals, as shown in graph
one below. This may be due to contacting friends and acquaintances in the UK for
the sample of non community members.

Graph 1: A Pie Chart Showing The Nationalities Surveyed


Canada
6%
China
8%
Taiwan
8%
USA
12%
UK
25%
Italy
2%
Germany
3%
Spain
5%
France
3%
India
5%
Malaysia
6%
Singapore
3%
Japan
5%
Pakistan
2%
Turkey
3%
Nigeria
1%
South Africa
2%
Iran
2%
Bangladesh
1%
P a g e | 37

In terms of age group, it was found that most fan community members (for all
categories) were aged between eighteen and twenty three, as shown in graph two
below. For non community members, most respondents were aged between twenty
four and twenty nine, with some respondents even falling into the thirty to thirty five
category, as shown in graph three on the next page. This suggests a general trend
that people who join fan communities, regardless of brand category, tend to be
younger than their non member counterparts.

Graph 2: A Bar Chart Showing The Age Groups Of Online Fan Community Within
Each Category







0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Books
TV shows
Games
Anime
Music
24-29
18-23
P a g e | 38

Graph 3: A Bar Chart Showing The Age Groups Of Non Members Within Each
Category



Regarding gender, the majority of online fan community members were found to be
female, as is shown in graph four. However, within the anime and games category,
male members were found to be in the majority. This was consistent for non
members as well, as shown in graph five.








0 2 4 6 8
Books
TV shows
Games
Anime
Music
30-35
24-29
18-23
P a g e | 39

Graph 4: A Bar Chart Showing The Gender Of Online Fan Community Members
Within Each Category


Graph 5: A Bar Chart Showing The Gender Of Non Members Within Each Category


0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Books
TV shows
Games
Anime
Music
Female
Male
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Books
TV shows
Games
Anime
Music
Female
Male
P a g e | 40


Regarding research question one, it was found that online fan community members
do have higher brand loyalty scores than non members. The results are displayed in
table three below.

Table 3: The Brand Loyalty Scores Of Online Fan Community Members And Non
Members

The average brand loyalty score for online fan community members was 1.02 points
higher than non members. To test whether the difference between the two samples
is significant, an independent T-test was used. The results are shown in table four
below.

Table 4: The Results Of An Independent T-Test For Brand Loyalty Scores.


The Levenes test for equality of variances produces a value of 0.284. This is bigger
than 0.05, and so is insufficient to reject the null hypothesis that there is no
difference between the variances. Therefore, since the variances are the same, the
P value for equal variances assumed will be considered. This is shown to be 0.000.
Group Statistics

on_offline N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
loyalty
dimensi on1
online 120 4.12 .747 .068
offline 120 3.10 .703 .064

P a g e | 41

However, since the table only shows the P value for a two tailed test, it is necessary
to consider the P value for a one tailed test (this is because hypothesis one states
that online fan community members will have higher brand loyalty scores than non
members). As SPSS only displays two tailed tests, Microsoft Excel has been used.
The P value for a one tailed test was shown to be 0.000. As this is smaller than 0.05,
there is significant evidence to reject the null hypothesis that there is no difference
between the two samples. Thus, hypothesis one was accepted, in that online fan
community members had significantly higher scores for brand loyalty than non
members.

Regarding research question two, it was found that members of online fan
communities had higher brand association scores than non members. The results
are shown in table five below.

Table 5: The Brand Association Scores Of Online Fan Community Members And
Non Members.

The mean score for online fan community members was 0.86 points higher than non
members. To see if the two samples were significantly different, an independent
sample T-test was conducted. The results are shown in the table six.


Group Statistics

on_offline N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
associations
dimensi on1
online 120 4.08 .780 .071
offline 120 3.22 .597 .054

P a g e | 42

Table 6: The Results Of An Independent T-Test For Brand Association Scores



The Levenes test shows a figure of 0.003. As this is more than 0.05, the null
hypothesis is rejected, and the variances of both populations are considered
unequal. Excel shows that the P value for a one tailed test with unequal variances is
0.000. As this is below 0.05, the null hypothesis is rejected. Therefore, hypothesis
two was accepted; online fan community members have higher brand association
scores than non members.

Regarding research question three, it was found that online fan community members
have higher brand awareness scores than non members. The results are shown in
table seven below.

Table 7: Brand Awareness Scores For Online Fan Community Member And Non
Members

Group Statistics

on_offline N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
awareness
dimensi on1
online 120 4.03 .761 .069
offline 120 3.33 .676 .062

P a g e | 43

The mean online fan community scores were 0.3 points higher than non members
scores. To test if this is statistically significant, an independent T-test was carried
out. The results are shown in table eight below.

Table 8: The Results Of An Independent T-Test For Brand Awareness Scores


The Levenes test shows a figure of 0.875. As this is above 0.05, the variances are
assumed to be equal, as the null hypothesis is rejected. Excel shows the P value of
a one tailed test to be 0.000. As this is below 0.05, the null hypothesis is reject and
the difference between the two samples is considered significant. Therefore
hypothesis three was accepted; online fan community members have higher brand
awareness scores than non members.

Regarding research question four, it was found that online fan community members
had higher perceived quality scores than non members. The results are shown in
table nine.





P a g e | 44

Table 9: The Perceived Quality Scores For Online Fan Community Members And
Non Members

The mean perceived quality score for online fan community members was 0.81
points higher than non members. To see if the two samples are significantly different,
an independent T-test was conducted. The results are shown in table ten below.

Table 10: The Results Of An Independent T-Test For Perceived Quality Scores

The Levenes test shows a figure of 0.279. As this is above 0.05, the null hypothesis
is rejected and the sample variances are considered to be equal. Excel shows that
the P value for a one tailed test is 0.000. As this is below 0.05, the samples are
considered significantly different and the null hypothesis is rejected. Therefore
hypothesis four is accepted; online fan community members have higher perceived
quality scores than non members.

Regarding research question five, it was found that websites were the most popular
platform to host an online fan community on, as they had the highest mean score.
The scale was measured from five being the highest and one being the lowest.
Websites were the most popular platform for all categories apart from games and
Group Statistics

on_offline N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
qualilty
dimensi on1
online 120 4.08 .784 .072
offline 120 3.27 .645 .059

P a g e | 45

anime. The former resulted in forums being the most popular platform, and the latter
resulted in websites and forums being jointly most popular. The results are shown in
table eleven on the next page.





















P a g e | 46

Table 11: The Most Popular Platform For Online Fan Communities (Overall And
Within Each Category)

Category
Platform
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation


Overall
Platform_Facebook 60 1.00 5.00 2.9833 1.14228
Platform_Twitter 60 1.00 3.00 1.5667 .59280
Platform_Livejournal 60 1.00 3.00 1.4333 .56348
Platform_Googlegroups 60 1.00 2.00 1.2333 .42652
Platform_Website 60 3.00 5.00 4.2000 .73184
Platform_Forum 60 1.00 5.00 2.7000 1.51042


Books
Book_Facebook 12 3.00 5.00 3.5000 .67420
Book_Twitter 12 1.00 2.00 1.4167 .51493
Book_Livejournal 12 1.00 2.00 1.4167 .51493
Book_Googlegroups 12 1.00 2.00 1.3333 .49237
Book_Website 12 3.00 5.00 4.3333 .65134
Book_Forum 12 1.00 1.00 1.0000 .00000


Tv Shows
Tv_Facebook 12 3.00 5.00 4.1667 .71774
Tv_Twitter 12 1.00 3.00 1.5833 .66856
Tv_Livejournal 12 1.00 2.00 1.5000 .52223
Tv_Googlegroups 12 1.00 2.00 1.1667 .38925
Tv_Website 12 3.00 5.00 4.2500 .75378
Tv_Forum 12 2.00 3.00 2.4167 .51493


Games
Game_Facebook 12 1.00 3.00 1.5833 .66856
Game_Twitter 12 1.00 3.00 1.7500 .62158
Game_Livejournal 12 1.00 2.00 1.3333 .49237
Game_Googlegroups 12 1.00 2.00 1.3333 .49237
Game_Website 12 3.00 5.00 3.8333 .83485
Game_Forum 12 4.00 5.00 4.5833 .51493


Anime
Anime_Facebook 12 1.00 3.00 2.2500 .62158
Anime_Twitter 12 1.00 2.00 1.5833 .51493
Anime_Livejournal 12 1.00 3.00 1.6667 .77850
Anime_Googlegroups 12 1.00 2.00 1.1667 .38925
Anime_Website 12 3.00 5.00 4.0833 .79296
Anime_Forum 12 3.00 5.00 4.0833 .66856


Music
Music_Facebook 12 2.00 4.00 3.4167 .66856
Music_Twitter 12 1.00 4.00 1.6667 .98473
Music_Livejournal 12 1.00 2.00 1.2500 .45227
Music_Googlegroups 12 1.00 2.00 1.1667 .38925
Music_Website 12 4.00 5.00 4.5000 .52223
Music_Forum 12 1.00 2.00 1.4167 .51493

P a g e | 47

Regarding research question six, the most popular method of discovering an online
fan community was found to be searching the web. Additionally, newsletters were
not selected for any brand category as a method of discovery for online fan
communities. The results for author/publisher website network website, anime
studio website, band/artist website and developer website were collated into the
term official website for analysis purposes. Similarly, the results for the different
kinds of newsletters were collated into one term referred to as newsletter. The term
heard about it from a friend was referred to as word of mouth. The results are
shown in graph six below.

Graph 6: The Frequencies Of Overall Online Fan Community Discovery Methods


Regarding the most popular discovery method for each brand category, searching
the web was found to be the most popular method for all five categories, as shown in
graph seven.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Searched the web
Official website link
Convention
Word of mouth
Newsletter
P a g e | 48

Graph 7: The Frequency Of Online Fan Community Discovery methods Within Each
Category



Regarding research question seven, it was found that the most popular motivation
for joining an online fan community was getting the latest news. This was classified
as information exchange in the methodology section, and is consistent with the
finding of Ridings and Gefen (2004). It was also found to be true for all brand
categories except games, where the most popular motivation for joining was found to
be chatting to other members. This was classified as social support in the
methodology section. The results are shown in table twelve.





0 2 4 6 8 10
Books
TV shows
Games
Anime
Music
Word of mouth
Convention
Official website link
Searched the web
P a g e | 49

Table 12: The Primary Activity That Acted As Motivation For Joining Online Fan
Communities (Overall And Within Each Category)


Category
Activity
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation



Overall
Chat 60 1.00 5.00 3.3167 1.25538
News 60 3.00 5.00 4.2667 .68561
Convention 60 1.00 5.00 2.0500 1.26792
Project 60 1.00 4.00 1.7333 .82064
Pictures 60 1.00 5.00 3.0667 1.36378
Stories 60 1.00 4.00 2.1500 .98849
Giveaway 60 1.00 5.00 3.6500 .86013
Books
Book_Chat 12 3.00 5.00 3.8333 .57735
Book_News 12 3.00 5.00 4.4167 .66856
Book_Convention 12 1.00 3.00 1.4167 .66856
Book_Project 12 1.00 2.00 1.3333 .49237
Book_Pictures 12 1.00 4.00 1.8333 1.02986
Book_Stories 12 1.00 3.00 1.9167 .66856
Book_Giveaway 12 3.00 5.00 4.1667 .71774
TV Shows
Tv_Chat 12 3.00 5.00 3.6667 .65134
Tv_News 12 3.00 5.00 4.0000 .42640
Tv_Convention 12 1.00 3.00 1.5000 .67420
Tv_Project 12 1.00 3.00 1.4167 .66856
Tv_Pictures 12 2.00 5.00 3.2500 .86603
Tv_Stories 12 1.00 4.00 2.6667 .77850
Tv_Giveaway 12 3.00 5.00 3.5833 .66856
Games
Game_Chat 12 4.00 5.00 4.6667 .49237
Game_News 12 3.00 5.00 3.8333 .83485
Game_Convention 12 1.00 3.00 2.0833 .66856
Game_Project 12 1.00 2.00 1.5000 .52223
Game_Pictures 12 1.00 3.00 1.7500 .75378
Game_Stories 12 1.00 2.00 1.4167 .51493
Game_Giveaway 12 1.00 4.00 2.8333 .93744
Anime
Anime_Chat 12 1.00 4.00 2.9167 .90034
Anime_News 12 4.00 5.00 4.5833 .51493
Anime_Convention 12 1.00 5.00 4.0000 1.20605
Anime_Project 12 1.00 4.00 2.5833 .99620
Anime_Pictures 12 3.00 5.00 4.4167 .79296
Anime_Stories 12 2.00 4.00 3.3333 .65134
Anime_Giveaway 12 3.00 5.00 3.9167 .66856
Music
Music_Chat 12 1.00 3.00 1.5000 .67420
Music_News 12 3.00 5.00 4.5000 .67420
Music_Convention 12 1.00 2.00 1.2500 .45227
Music_Project 12 1.00 3.00 1.8333 .71774
Music_Pictures 12 3.00 5.00 4.0833 .51493
Music_Stories 12 1.00 3.00 1.4167 .66856
Music_Giveaway 12 3.00 5.00 3.7500 .75378

P a g e | 50

Regarding research question eight, it was found that the most popular activity that
fans want to see more of in an online fan community is giveaways. This was
classified as recreation in the methodology, and was found to be consistent for
every category except TV shows, where the most popular activity was found to be
browsing the pictures and videos. Additionally, the category of books had a tie for the
most desired activity, between giveaways and fan stories/fan art. The implications of
these findings are found in the discussion section. The results are shown in table
thirteen.

















P a g e | 51

Table 13: The Most Popular Activities That Fans Want To See More Of While On An Online
Fan Community (Overall And Within Each Category)

Category
Desired Activity
N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation



Overall
More_Chat 60 2.00 5.00 3.5333 .72408
More_News 60 3.00 4.00 3.3667 .48596
More_Convention 60 1.00 5.00 3.5333 1.19981
More_Project 60 2.00 5.00 3.4833 .72467
More_Pictures 60 3.00 5.00 4.0500 .72311
More_Stories 60 3.00 5.00 3.9000 .79618
More_Giveaways 60 3.00 5.00 4.4167 .64550
Books
Book_More_Chat 12 2.00 4.00 3.0833 .66856
Book_More_News 12 3.00 4.00 3.4167 .51493
Book_More_Convention 12 3.00 5.00 3.6667 .77850
Book_More_Project 12 3.00 5.00 3.7500 .86603
Book_More_Pictures 12 3.00 5.00 3.8333 .57735
Book_More_Stories 12 3.00 5.00 4.5000 .67420
Book_More_Giveways 12 4.00 5.00 4.5000 .52223
TV Shows
Tv_More_Chat 12 3.00 5.00 3.7500 .62158
Tv_More_News 12 3.00 4.00 3.1667 .38925
Tv_More_Convention 12 3.00 5.00 4.0833 .66856
Tv_More_Project 12 3.00 5.00 3.5833 .66856
Tv_More_Pictures 12 3.00 5.00 4.5833 .66856
Tv_More_Stories 12 3.00 5.00 4.0833 .79296
Tv_More_Giveaways 12 3.00 5.00 4.3333 .65134
Games
Game_More_Chat 12 3.00 4.00 3.2500 .45227
Game_More_News 12 3.00 4.00 3.5000 .52223
Game_More_Convention 12 3.00 5.00 4.0000 .73855
Game_More_Project 12 3.00 5.00 3.3333 .65134
Game_More_Pictures 12 3.00 5.00 3.7500 .75378
Game_More_Stories 12 3.00 5.00 3.4167 .66856
Game_More_Giveaways 12 3.00 5.00 4.2500 .75378
Anime
Anime_More_Chat 12 3.00 5.00 3.8333 .83485
Anime_More_News 12 3.00 4.00 3.4167 .51493
Anime_More_Convention 12 3.00 5.00 4.2500 .86603
Anime_More_Project 12 3.00 5.00 3.7500 .62158
Anime_More_Pictures 12 3.00 5.00 4.0000 .73855
Anime_More_Stories 12 3.00 5.00 3.7500 .86603
Anime_More_Giveaway 12 3.00 5.00 4.4167 .66856
Music
Music_More_Chat 12 3.00 5.00 3.7500 .75378
Music_More_News 12 3.00 4.00 3.3333 .49237
Music_More_Convention 12 1.00 3.00 1.6667 .65134
Music_More_Project 12 2.00 4.00 3.0000 .60302
Music_More_Pictures 12 3.00 5.00 4.0833 .66856
Music_More_Stories 12 3.00 5.00 3.7500 .62158
Music_More_Giveaway 12 3.00 5.00 4.5833 .66856

P a g e | 52

6. Discussion

6.1 CBBE

Regarding the four dimensions of CBBE, each dimension was scored higher on
average by members of online fan communities, as compared to non members.
Furthermore, these differences were found to be statistically significant for each
dimension. Therefore, hypotheses one to four were accepted, and members of
online fan communities scored higher than non members for brand loyalty, brand
awareness, brand associations and perceived quality. Therefore, it can be concluded
that online fan community members have higher CBBE than non members. This
implies that it is highly worthwhile for brand managers to facilitate online fan
communities, as they provide a ready base of brand followers and even advocates,
who promote the brand through word of mouth (Payne, 1994).

This is supported by Mohammed et al (2004) who state that online communities can
reduce the cost of acquiring new customers, and that this significantly reduces
marketing costs. Furthermore, they state that online communities can build goodwill
and improve the relationship that the community members have with the brand,
through the mutual building of trust and commitment . This is supported by Morgan
and Hunt (1994), who state that both trust and commitment are key factors in
maintaining a successful, ongoing relationship. Like Moorman, Zaltman and
Deshpande (1992), they define commitment as an enduring desire to maintain a
valued relationship (pg. 316). Similarly, trust is defined as a willingness to rely on
an exchange partner in whom one has confidence (Moorman, Deshpande and
P a g e | 53

Zaltman, 1993, pg. 82). Furthermore, they state that online communities can lower
customer service costs for information on brand specifics, such as price and quality.
This is also supported by Hagel and Armstrong (1977) who state that what starts off
being a group drawn together by common interests, ends up being a group with a
critical mass of purchasing power-based in part on the fact that in communities,
members can exchange information with each other on such things as a products
price and quality.

Thus it is worthwhile for brand mangers to encourage online fan communities, as
they provide several cost and revenue benefits. However, it should be noted that
facilitation does not equal control over the information available on online fan
communities. Therefore, a recommendation to brand managers is to interact with
members on such communities, so as to ensure the quality and accuracy of the
information available, as mentioned by Filipczak (1998). This is not to suggest that
the fan community become owned or controlled by the brand; rather that brand
managers collaborate with community creators and members improve the
experience for everyone involved. Furthermore, as the community would not be
owned by the brand, this saves on considerable costs required to maintain and host
the community online. By simply facilitating existing communities online, brand
managers can reallocate finances to other parts of the branding process, such as
research and development.

Moreover, members of online fan communities can even form focus groups for
testing new brand ideas, as mentioned by Mohammed et al (2004). This would
reinforce the trust and commitment within the relationship, as well as providing
P a g e | 54

another cost benefit to brand managers. Such facilitation would fall into the PR realm
of marketing communications, as it involves maintaining the brands reputation
amongst fans, as well as collaborating to gain mutual goodwill. Therefore, PR can be
considered as a key marketing communications focus when facilitating online fan
communities.

6.2 Platforms

Regarding online platforms, it can be concluded that websites are the most popular
platform overall to host an online fan community on. This may be due to the ability of
a website to host pictures, videos, discussion boards, announcements and more,
whereas GoogleGroups (which was the least popular platform overall) is
comparatively limited, in that it mostly consists of discussions and announcements.
In support of this idea, the second most popular platform overall was Facebook,
which is similar to a website in its capacity to host multiple pictures, videos,
discussions, etc. Therefore, brand managers are recommended to focus primarily on
websites and Facebook pages when choosing online fan communities to collaborate
with.

However, for the category of games, forums were the most popular platform. This
suggests that people who join online fan communities for brands within this category
are primarily interested in discussion with other members. Indeed, the most popular
motivation for joining gaming communities was found to be chatting to other
members, which was categorised as social support in the methodology section.
Ridings and Gefen (2004) support this, stating that social support is primarily about
P a g e | 55

solving problems and asking others for advice - particularly, as online communities
are not geographically bound, it may be easier to find others in similar situations to
ask advice from. This is consistent with the findings of this research, as gaming
forums often revolve around discussion of getting past difficult levels of the game, or
asking other gamers for strategy advice. A recommendation for brand managers is to
focus on forums when facilitating gaming fan communities, as this is the preferred
platform for that brand category. Similarly, for the anime category, websites and
forums were found to be jointly popular. Thus brand managers can focus both and
websites and forums for anime fan communities.

6.3 Discovery Methods

It can be concluded that the most popular overall way of discovering online fan
communities was searching the web, followed by word of mouth. This was found to
be true for all categories, except anime and books, which showed conventions and
official websites respectively as the second most popular discovery method. This
suggests that publishers and authors are already facilitating online fan communities,
by promoting them on their official websites. It can also be concluded that
newsletters were not the primary discovery method for any of the five brand
categories. This reveals a major gap in the promotion of online fan communities, and
thus brand managers are recommended to use official newsletters and mailing lists
to promote trusted and reliable online fan communities. This would provide the cost
and revenue benefits mentioned by Mohammed et al (2004) and would improve the
relationship between the brand and the community, thereby increasing loyalty. This
P a g e | 56

would fall into the PR realm of marketing communications, as it involves endorsing
the fan communities.

6.4 Motivations

Regarding motivations for joining online fan communities, it can be concluded that
getting the latest news had the highest mean score overall, and was thus the most
popular motivation for joining. This was classified as information exchange in the
methodology section, and is consistent with the findings of Wellman et al (1996)
which state that information exchange, is the main motivation for joining online
communities. However, the games category revealed chatting to other members as
the primary motivation, and may be linked to the most popular type of platform used
by gaming communities (as mentioned above). These findings are consistent with
that of Ridings and Gefen (2004), who found that information exchange was the
most popular motivation for joining online fan communities they also suggest that
the secondary motivation for joining may vary between the type of online community.
This is also mirrored in this research, as each brand category surveyed had a
different secondary motivation for joining. Where the book category favoured
competing for giveaways (classified as recreation), the TV show category favoured
chatting to other members (social support). The games category favoured getting
the latest news (information exchange), and both the anime and music categories
favoured browsing the pictures and videos (recreation). Therefore, it can be
concluded that recreation is the second most popular motivation overall for joining
online fan communities, as three of the five categories rated it thus.

P a g e | 57

Hence, it is recommended for brand managers to focus on this area when facilitating
online fan communities. Particularly for books, it can be recommended to offer
advanced reader copies (ARCs) as giveaways to community members who
successfully compete in quizzes about the book in question. Quizzes can be focused
on key events and characters in the book, so as to increase brand awareness and
increase the likelihood of readers buying further books within the same series. This
is supported by Keller (1993) who states that likelihood of purchase increases with
increased brand awareness, and thus is likely to increase brand loyalty as well. This
lends the brand a competitive edge, as supported by de Chernatony and McDonald
(1992) who found that the perception of quality rises when a brand is known and
liked by consumers. This falls into the promotions area of marketing
communications.

In order to facilitate anime and music fan communities, brand managers can
collaborate with community creators, to provide behind the scenes pictures and
videos, eg: of concert preparation footage, or the animation and voice over process.
For game communities however, it may be more worthwhile to engage in more
straightforward breaking news updates, as they favour getting the latest news. The
latter would fall strictly into the PR realm of marketing communications, as it would
involve providing the latest news about the game to loyal fans, as a method of
maintaining strong relationships through trust and commitment (Morgan and Hunt,
1994). In order to facilitate chatting for TV show fan communities, brand managers
can arrange for the actors, directors or producers of the show to hold special chat
sessions with community members. This would fall primarily into the PR category,
and would be useful in building goodwill amongst community members, and
P a g e | 58

improving brand associations, by helping the brand to be considered unique and
desirable (Keller, 2003).

Thus, the main recommendations for addressing the motivations of online fan
community members is to focus on PR and promotional tactics, based on the
findings of research question seven.

6.5 Activities

Regarding the activities that online fan community members most want to see more
of, this was found to be competing for giveaways. This may be due to the majority
of online fan community members falling into the eighteen to twenty three year old
category, which is supported by Putnam (2000) who found that younger generations
are less inclined to engage in real life community activities, and may thus be more
likely to engage in online community activities. This implies that in order to
successfully collaborate with online fan communities, brand managers should
engage in activities which target the age group of eighteen to twenty three year olds,
which typically comprise the university years of most people. Since students often do
not have a high disposable income, they may be particularly interested in any
giveaways related to their favoured brands.

However, the TV show category showed the most desired activity as being
browsing pictures and videos, followed by giveaways, and the books category
showed a tie between giveaways and browsing fan stories/fan art. This implies that
a simple giveaway may not be enough for some brand categories, and may require a
P a g e | 59

tie-in with the other activities. Thus, it is recommended that for the books category,
brand managers should link their giveaway prize to a competition requiring
community members to submit fan art/fan stories. Similarly, for the TV show
category, brand managers can make their giveaway prize a signed photograph or
video message from the stars of the show. In this way, both primary and secondary
desired activities can be addressed at once. Furthermore, although the games
category followed the trend of most desired activity being giveaways, the second
most desired activity was shown to be more opportunities to get involved in
conventions. In order to address this, brand managers can make the giveaway prize
a ticket to a popular gaming convention such as the well known Electronic
Entertainment Expo (E3), where popular games and new releases are made
available for testing and browsing. The anime and music categories followed the
overall trend of having giveaways and pictures/videos as the primary and secondary
most desired activities. Therefore, brand managers are recommended to follow the
advice given to the TV show category, and make their giveaway prize an
autographed picture or video message to the winner of a competition. Such tactics
would fall primarily into the promotions realm of marketing communications, as
merchandise and prizes are being given to community members, in order to improve
relationships and increase loyalty.

Overall, it can be concluded that PR and promotions are the two key areas of
marketing communications that brand managers should focus on when facilitating
online fan communities.


P a g e | 60

6.6 Further Research

To extend this research, a wider sample can be surveyed, comprising of more
respondents within each category, and also more countries. In this way, brand
managers can see if certain community activities are more preferred in one country
than another. They can also see if certain countries prefer particular brands for
online fan communities. This can help mangers to target such communities for future
facilitation.

Furthermore, the research can be extended to include more brand categories, such
as clothing lines. Moreover, the brands analysed in this study all fell into Aakers
(1996) classification of brand as a product. To extend this research, other
classifications such as organisations and symbols can be analysed, particularly
environmentally friendly organisations such as Ben and Jerrys and Innocent
Smoothies. The motivation behind joining such communities may be linked to
personal values and beliefs (as suggested by Sirgys self congruence theory) as well
as the existing motivations, such as recreation and information exchange.

Additionally, the age group of people surveyed in this research began at age
eighteen. It may be worthwhile surveying younger age groups, particularly the
teenage and lucrative tween market. This is defined as people up to the age of
fourteen (Research and Markets, 2009), who collectively comprise a spending power
of over two billion in the Unites States alone. This age group may prefer certain
brands and certain activities over others; consequently, further research will be
needed to adequately target them in online fan communities.
P a g e | 61


Finally, to further support the facilitation of online fan communities, it can be
worthwhile to compare the change in revenue of a brand, brought about by facilitated
versus non facilitated communities.



P a g e | 62

7. Appendices

Appendix 1: The Questionnaire Regarding Books

Book Questionnaire

Thank you for taking the time to fill in this questionnaire.

Each questionnaire is completely anonymous and will not be used to identify you in
any way.

If at any time you feel uncomfortable, or wish to discontinue, feel free to do so.
Your data will not be used if you wish to leave your questionnaire incomplete.

Section A of the questionnaire contains general questions regarding books.

Section B of the questionnaire contains questions regarding online fan communities
related to books.

Section C of the questionnaire contains general demographic questions which
cannot be used to identify you in any way.

This questionnaire should not take more than five to ten minutes to complete.

Please tick the box if you give your consent to proceed with the questionnaire

Please tick the box to confirm that you are over 18 years of age







P a g e | 63

Section A this section contains general questions about books.

1) Please select a book from the list below that you have recently read and enjoyed.
(Please tick one box only )

Divergent
Matched
Trapped
The Forest of Hands and
Teeth



2) Regarding the book you have selected above, please answer the following
questions

Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
I would not recommend
the book to my friends

I will most likely read the
next book in the series

The written quality of the
book is high

The book is not better than
other books in the market

I can easily recall the
characters and places in
the book

It is difficult to imagine the
front cover of the book

The book does not have a
unique story

I consider the book to be
special





P a g e | 64

Section B this section contains questions about online fan communities.
(Please note: an online fan community refers to any community created by fans on
the internet. It does not refer to official websites or blogs)

1) Please select how often you use the following fan communities for your chosen
book. If you have not joined any, please tick the Not applicable box.

Less
than
monthly
Monthly A few
times a
month
Weekly A few
times a
week
Facebook
Twitter
LiveJournal
Online Forum
Fan Website
GoogleGroup

Not applicable

2) How did you first find out about online fan communities for the book? (Please tick
one option only)

Searched the web
Saw links on the author/publisher
website

Met people involved in them at a
convention

A friend told me
Were mentioned in newsletters by the
author/publisher









P a g e | 65

3) What motivated you to join an online fan community for the book?

Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Wanted to chat to other fans
Wanted to read the latest
news

Wanted to be involved in
conventions

Wanted to be a part of fan
projects

Wanted to browse the
pictures

Wanted to share artwork and
stories

Wanted to compete for
giveaways




4) What would you like to see more or less of when on an online fan community for
the book?

A lot
less
A bit
less
No
change
A bit
more
A lot
more
Chatting options
News articles
Convention information and
opportunities

Fan projects
Pictures
Artwork and stories
Giveaways






P a g e | 66

Section C - this section contains general demographic questions (Note: all
information is for data analysis purposes, and cannot be traced back to you)

1) Please state your age group

18-23
24-29
30-35
36-41
42-47
48-53
54-59
60+


2) Please select your gender

Male
Female

3) Please state your nationality (drop down menu in SurveyGizmo)















P a g e | 67

Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

The purpose of it was to determine which marketing communication activities can be
used by brands to facilitate online fan communities.
It is part of a Masters dissertation for the University of Birmingham in the UK.

If you would like any more information, or need to ask any questions, please email
sxd792@bham.ac.uk

Sincerely,

S. Dawood.






















P a g e | 68

Appendix 2: The Questionnaire Regarding TV Shows

TV Shows Questionnaire

Thank you for taking the time to fill in this questionnaire.

Each questionnaire is completely anonymous and will not be used to identify you in
any way.

If at any time you feel uncomfortable, or wish to discontinue, feel free to do so.

Your data will not be used if you wish to leave your questionnaire incomplete.

Section A of the questionnaire contains general questions regarding TV shows.

Section B of the questionnaire contains questions regarding online fan communities
related to TV shows.

Section C of the questionnaire contains general demographic questions which
cannot be used to identify you in any way.

This questionnaire should not take more than five to ten minutes to complete.

Please tick the box if you give your consent to proceed with the questionnaire

Please tick the box to confirm that you are over 18 years of age










P a g e | 69

Section A this section contains general questions about TV shows.

1) Please select a show from the list below that you have recently seen and enjoyed.
(Please tick one box only )

Supernatural
Americas Next Top Model
Miami Five-0
Gossip Girl


2) Regarding the TV shows you have selected above, please answer the following
questions

Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
I would not recommend
the show to my friends

I will most likely see the
next episode in the series

The overall quality of the
show is high

The show is not better
than other on TV

I can easily recall the
characters and places in
the show

It is difficult to imagine the
opening theme of the
show

The show does not have a
unique story

I consider the show to be
special






P a g e | 70

Section B this section contains questions about online fan communities.
(Please note: an online fan community refers to any community created by fans on
the internet. It does not refer to official websites or blogs)

1) Please select how often you use the following fan communities for your chosen
show. If you have not joined any, please tick the Not applicable box.

Less
than
monthly
Monthly A few
times a
month
Weekly A few
times a
week
Facebook
Twitter
LiveJournal
Online Forum
Fan Website
GoogleGroup

Not applicable

2) How did you first find out about online fan communities for the show? (Please tick
one option only)

Searched the web
Saw links on the network website
Met people involved in them at a
convention

A friend told me
Were mentioned in newsletters by the
network










P a g e | 71

3) What motivated you to join an online fan community for the show?

Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Wanted to chat to other fans
Wanted to read the latest
news

Wanted to be involved in
conventions

Wanted to be involved in fan
projects

Wanted to browse pictures
and videos

Wanted to share artwork and
stories

Wanted to compete for
giveaways




4) What would you like to see more or less of when on an online fan community for
the show?

A lot
less
A bit
less
No
change
A bit
more
A lot
more
Chatting options
News articles
Convention information and
opportunities

Fan projects
Pictures
Artwork and stories
Giveaways






P a g e | 72


Section C - this section contains general demographic questions (Note: all
information is for data analysis purposes, and cannot be traced back to you)

1) Please state your age group

18-23
24-29
30-35
36-41
42-47
48-53
54-59
60+


2) Please select your gender

Male
Female

3) Please state your nationality (drop down menu in SurveyGizmo)














P a g e | 73


Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

The purpose of it was to determine which marketing communication activities can be
used by brands to facilitate online fan communities.

It is part of a Masters dissertation for the University of Birmingham in the UK.

If you would like any more information, or need to ask any questions, please email
sxd792@bham.ac.uk

Sincerely,

S. Dawood.




















P a g e | 74

Appendix 3: The Questionnaire Regarding Games

Video Games Questionnaire

Thank you for taking the time to fill in this questionnaire.

Each questionnaire is completely anonymous and will not be used to identify you in
any way.

If at any time you feel uncomfortable, or wish to discontinue, feel free to do so.

Your data will not be used if you wish to leave your questionnaire incomplete.

Section A of the questionnaire contains general questions regarding games.

Section B of the questionnaire contains questions regarding online fan communities
related to games.

Part C of the questionnaire contains general demographic questions which cannot
be used to identify you in any way.

This questionnaire should not take more than five to ten minutes to complete.

Please tick the box if you give your consent to proceed with the questionnaire

Please tick the box to confirm that you are over 18 years of age










P a g e | 75

Section A this section contains general questions about games.

1) Please select a game from the list below that you have recently played and
enjoyed. (Please tick one box only )

Blaz Blue
Team Fortress
Call of Duty
Portal


2) Regarding the game you have selected above, please answer the following
questions

Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
I would not recommend
the game to my friends

I will most likely play the
next instalment in the
series

The overall quality of the
game is high

The game is not better
than other in the market

I can easily recall the
characters and places in
the game

It is difficult to imagine the
opening theme of the
game

The game does not have a
unique story

I consider the game to be
special



P a g e | 76

Section B this section contains questions about online fan communities.
(Please note: an online fan community refers to any community created by fans on
the internet. It does not refer to official websites or blogs)

1) Please select how often you use the following fan communities for your chosen
game. If you have not joined any, please tick the Not applicable box.

Less
than
monthly
Monthly A few
times a
month
Weekly A few
times a
week
Facebook
Twitter
LiveJournal
Online Forum
Fan Website
GoogleGroup

Not applicable

2) How did you first find out about online fan communities for the game? (Please tick
one option only)

Searched the web
Saw links on the developer website
Met people involved in them at a
convention

A friend told me
Were mentioned in newsletters by the
developer










P a g e | 77

3) What motivated you to join an online fan community for the game?

Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Wanted to chat to other fans
Wanted to read the latest
news

Wanted to be involved in
conventions

Wanted to be involved in fan
projects

Wanted to browse pictures
and videos

Wanted to share artwork and
stories

Wanted to compete for
giveaways




4) What would you like to see more or less of when on an online fan community for
the game?

A lot
less
A bit
less
No
change
A bit
more
A lot
more
Chatting options
News articles
Convention information and
opportunities

Fan projects
Pictures
Artwork and stories
Giveaways






P a g e | 78


Section C - this section contains general demographic questions (Note: all
information is for data analysis purposes, and cannot be traced back to you)

1) Please state your age group

18-23
24-29
30-35
36-41
42-47
48-53
54-59
60+


2) Please select your gender

Male
Female

3) Please state your nationality (drop down menu in SurveyGizmo)














P a g e | 79


Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

The purpose of it was to determine which marketing communication activities can be
used by brands to facilitate online fan communities.

It is part of a Masters dissertation for the University of Birmingham in the UK.

If you would like any more information, or need to ask any questions, please email
sxd792@bham.ac.uk

Sincerely,

S. Dawood.




















P a g e | 80

Appendix 4: The Questionnaire Regarding Anime

Anime Questionnaire

Thank you for taking the time to fill in this questionnaire.

Each questionnaire is completely anonymous and will not be used to identify you in
any way.

If at any time you feel uncomfortable, or wish to discontinue, feel free to do so.

Your data will not be used if you wish to leave your questionnaire incomplete.

Section A of the questionnaire contains general questions regarding anime.

Section B of the questionnaire contains questions regarding online fan communities
related to anime.

Section C of the questionnaire contains general demographic questions which
cannot be used to identify you in any way.

This questionnaire should not take more than five to ten minutes to complete.

Please tick the box if you give your consent to proceed with the questionnaire

Please tick the box to confirm that you are over 18 years of age










P a g e | 81

Section A this section contains general questions about anime.

1) Please select an anime from the list below that you have recently seen and
enjoyed. (Please tick one box only )

Naruto
Fruits Basket
Bleach
Ouran High School Host Club


2) Regarding the anime you have selected above, please answer the following
questions

Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
I would not recommend
the anime to my friends

I will most likely see the
next episode in t is anime

The overall quality of the
anime is high

The anime is not better
than other in the market

I can easily recall the
characters and places in
the game

It is difficult to imagine the
opening theme of the
anime

The anime is not unique
I consider the anime to be
special






P a g e | 82

Section B this section contains questions about online fan communities.
(Please note: an online fan community refers to any community created by fans on
the internet. It does not refer to official websites or blogs)

1) Please select how often you use the following fan communities for your chosen
anime. If you have not joined any, please tick the Not applicable box.

Less
than
monthly
Monthly A few
times a
month
Weekly A few
times a
week
Facebook
Twitter
LiveJournal
Online Forum
Fan Website
GoogleGroup

Not applicable

2) How did you first find out about online fan communities for the anime? (Please
tick one option only)

Searched the web
Saw links on the production studio
website

Met people involved in them at a
convention

A friend told me
Were mentioned in newsletters by the
production studio









P a g e | 83

3) What motivated you to join an online fan community for the anime?

Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Wanted to chat to other fans
Wanted to read the latest
news

Wanted to be involved in
conventions

Wanted to be involved in fan
projects

Wanted to browse pictures
and videos

Wanted to share artwork and
stories

Wanted to compete for
giveaways




4) What would you like to see more or less of when on an online fan community for
the anime?

A lot
less
A bit
less
No
change
A bit
more
A lot
more
Chatting options
News articles
Convention information and
opportunities

Fan projects
Pictures
Artwork and stories
Giveaways






P a g e | 84

Section C - this section contains general demographic questions (Note: all
information is for data analysis purposes, and cannot be traced back to you)


1) Please state your age group

18-23
24-29
30-35
36-41
42-47
48-53
54-59
60+


2) Please select your gender

Male
Female

3) Please state your nationality (drop down menu in SurveyGizmo)














P a g e | 85

Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

The purpose of it was to determine which marketing communication activities can be
used by brands to facilitate online fan communities.

It is part of a Masters dissertation for the University of Birmingham in the UK.

If you would like any more information, or need to ask any questions, please email
sxd792@bham.ac.uk

Sincerely,

S. Dawood.





















P a g e | 86

Appendix 5: The Questionnaire Regarding Music

Music Questionnaire

Thank you for taking the time to fill in this questionnaire.

Each questionnaire is completely anonymous and will not be used to identify you in
any way.

If at any time you feel uncomfortable, or wish to discontinue, feel free to do so.

Your data will not be used if you wish to leave your questionnaire incomplete.

Section A of the questionnaire contains general questions regarding music.

Section B of the questionnaire contains questions regarding online fan communities
related to music.

Section C of the questionnaire contains general demographic questions which
cannot be used to identify you in any way.

This questionnaire should not take more than five to ten minutes to complete.

Please tick the box if you give your consent to proceed with the questionnaire

Please tick the box to confirm that you are over 18 years of age










P a g e | 87

Section A this section contains general questions about music.

1) Please select a band/artist from the list below that you have recently heard and
enjoyed. (Please tick one box only )

Lifehouse
Eminem
Katy Perry
Taylor Swift


2) Regarding the artist/band you have selected above, please answer the following
questions

Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
I would not recommend
the band/artist to my
friends

I will most likely buy the
next single from this
band/artist

The overall quality of their
songs is high

The band/artist is not
better than others in the
market

I can easily recall the
artist/bands latest video

It is difficult to imagine the
opening chords of their
latest songs

The artist/band is not
unique

I consider the artist/band
to be special




P a g e | 88

Section B this section contains questions about online fan communities.
(Please note: an online fan community refers to any community created by fans on
the internet. It does not refer to official websites or blogs)

1) Please select how often you use the following fan communities for your chosen
artist/band. If you have not joined any, please tick the Not applicable box.

Less
than
monthly
Monthly A few
times a
month
Weekly A few
times a
week
Facebook
Twitter
LiveJournal
Online Forum
Fan Website
GoogleGroup

Not applicable

2) How did you first find out about online fan communities for the artist/band?
(Please tick one option only)

Searched the web
Saw links on the band/artist website
Met people involved in them at a
convention

A friend told me
Were mentioned in newsletters by the
band/artist










P a g e | 89

3) What motivated you to join an online fan community for the band/artist?

Strongly
Agree
Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly
Disagree
Wanted to chat to other fans
Wanted to read the latest
news

Wanted to be involved in
conventions

Wanted to be involved in fan
projects

Wanted to browse pictures
and videos

Wanted to share artwork and
stories

Wanted to compete for
giveaways




4) What would you like to see more or less of when on an online fan community for
the band/artist?

A lot
less
A bit
less
No
change
A bit
more
A lot
more
Chatting options
News articles
Convention information and
opportunities

Fan projects
Pictures
Artwork and stories
Giveaways






P a g e | 90

Section C - this section contains general demographic questions (Note: all
information is for data analysis purposes, and cannot be traced back to you)


1) Please state your age group

18-23
24-29
30-35
36-41
42-47
48-53
54-59
60+


2) Please select your gender

Male
Female

3) Please state your nationality (drop down menu in SurveyGizmo)














P a g e | 91

Thank you for completing this questionnaire.

The purpose of it was to determine which marketing communication activities can be
used by brands to facilitate online fan communities.

It is part of a Masters dissertation for the University of Birmingham in the UK.

If you would like any more information, or need to ask any questions, please email
sxd792@bham.ac.uk

Sincerely,

S. Dawood.





















P a g e | 92

Appendix 6: The Ethics Form
P a g e | 93

8. References

Aaker, D. A. (1996) Building strong brands New York, The Free Press.

Aaker, J. (1997) Dimensions of Brand Personality, Journal of Marketing Research,
34, August, pp. 347-356.

Batra, R. Lehmann, D. and Singh, D. (1993), The Brand Personality Component of
Brand Goodwill: Some Antecedents and Consequences Brand Equity and
Advertising, ed. David A. Aaker, Alexander Biel, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
Associates.
Broniarczyk, S. M. and Alba, J. W. (1994), The Importance of the Brand in Brand
Extension Journal of Marketing Research 31 (2) Special Issue on Brand
Management 214-228

Dekimpe, M. G., Steenkamp, J. B. E. M., Mellens, M. and Vanden Abeele, P. (1997),
Decline and Variability in Brand Loyalty International Journal of research in
Marketing, 11 (3), 261-74.

Dennis, A. R., Pootheri, S. K., & Natarajan, V. L. (1998), Lessons From The Early
Adopters Of Web Groupware, Journal of Management Information Systems, 14(4),
65-86.

Dictionary.reference.com , accessed on 21
st
August, 2011, from
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fan
P a g e | 94


De Chernatony, L. and Mcdonald, M. (1992), Creating Powerful BrandsOxford,
Butterworth Heineman

De Pelsmacker P. Geuens M. (1999) "The advertising effectiveness of different
levels of intensity of humour and warmth and the moderating role of top of mind
awareness and degree of product use." Journal of Marketing Communications, 113-
29

De Pelsmacker, P., Geuens, M. and Van den Bergh, J, (2007) Marketing
Communications, A European Perspective, 3
rd
ed. Prentice Hall, London.

DeVaus, D.A. (2002), Surveys In Social Research, 5
th
Ed. London, Routledge.

Dillman, D.A. (2007), Mail and Internet Surveys: The Tailored Design Method, 12
th

Ed. (2007 update), Hoboken, NJ, Wiley.

Entertainment Weekly, (1997), "The Empire Strikes Back: Things Get Sticky For Fan
Sites On The World Wide Web, Retrieved on 20
th
August 2011 from
http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_X-Files.

Filipczak, B. (1998). Trainers on the Net: A community of colleagues. Training, 35(2),
70-76.

Fink, A. (2003), The Survey Handbook, 2
nd
Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage.
P a g e | 95


Fernback, J. (1999), There Is A There There: Notes Toward A Definition Of
Cybercommunity, In S. Jones (Ed.), Doing Internet Research: Critical Issues And
Methods For Examining The Net (Pp. 203-220). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Furlong, M. S. (1989). An electronic community for older adults: The Senior Net
Network, Journal of Communication, 39(3), 145-153.

Hagel, J.III. and Armstrong, A.G. (1997). Net Gain: Expanding Market Through
Virtual Communities, Boston, Harvard Business School Press.

Herring, S. C. (1996), Two Variants Of An Electronic Message Schema, In S. C.
Herring (Ed.), Computer-Mediated Communication: Linguistic, Social And Cross-
Cultural Perspectives (Pp. 81-106). Philadelphia, John Benjamins.

Hiltz, S. R. (1984), Online Communities: A Case Study Of The Office Of The
Future, Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Corporation.

House, J. S. (1981), Work Stress And Social Support Reading, MA: Addison-
Wesley.

Igbaria, M. (1999), The Driving Forces In The Virtual Society, Communications of
the ACM, 42(12), 64-70.

P a g e | 96

Jackson, E. L. (1999), Leisure and the Internet, Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation & Dance, 70(9), 18-22.

Keller, K.L. (1993), Conceptualizing, Measuring And Managing Customer Based
Brand Equity, Journal of Marketing 57 (1), 1-22.

Keller. K. L., (2003) Building, Measuring and Managing Brand Equity 2
nd
Edition.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Kim. J. (2000), Community Building On The Web, Berkely, Peachpit Press.

Kozinets, R. (1997) I want to believe: A Netnography Of The X-Philes Subculture Of
Consumption, Advances in Consumer Research 24, 470-475

Kozinets, R. (2001) Utopian Enterprise: Articulating the Meanings of Star Treks
Culture of Consumption, Journal of Consumer Research, 28 (1) 67-88

Marshall, G. (1994), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, Oxford, Oxford.

Mitchel, V. (1996), Assessing the Reliability and Validity of Questionnaires: An
IMperical Example, Journal of Applied Management Studies, 5 (2), 199-207.

Mohammed, R. Fisher, R. Jaworski, B. and Paddison, G. (2003) Internet
Marketing, McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

P a g e | 97

Moorman, C. Deshpande, R. and Zaltman, G. (1993), Factors Affecting Trust in
Marketing research relationships, Journal of Marketing , 57(January), 81-101.

Moorman, C. Zaltman, G. and Deshpande, R. (1992), Relationships between
Providers and Users of Marketing Research: The Dynamics of Trust Within and
Between Organizations, Journal of Marketing Research, 29 (August), 314-29.
University Press.

Morgan, R. M. and Hunt, S. D. (1994) The Commitment-Trust Theory of
Relationship Marketing, Journal of Marketing vol.58 (July) pp. 20-38.

Muniz, A. and OGuinn, T. (2001), Brand Community Journal of Consumer
Research 27, (March), 421-32.

Oldenberg, R. (1989) The Great Good Place: Cafes, Coffee Shops, Community
Centers, General Stores, Bars, Hangouts, and How They Get You through the Day,
New York, Paragon Books.

Parks, M. R., & Floyd, K. (1995). Making friends in cyberspace. Journal of Computer
Mediated Communication, 1(4). Retrieved August 23
rd
2011 from
http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol1/issue4/parks.html.

Payne, A. (1994) "Relationship Marketing Making the Customer Count", Managing
Service Quality, Vol. 4 Iss: 6, pp.29 - 31

P a g e | 98

Perrier, R. (1997), Brand Valuation London, Preier Books and Interbrand Group.

Petersen, A. (1999, January 6). Some places to go when you want to feel right at
home: Communities focus on people who need people. The Wall Street Journal, p.
B6.

Putnam, R. D. (2000), Bowling Alone: The Collapse And Revival Of American
Community, New York, Simon & Schuster.

Reicheld, F. and Schefter, P. (2000) E-Loyalty: Your Secret Weapon On The Web
Harvard Business Review, July-August, 105-113.

Research and Markets, (2009), Tween Spending And Influence, Accessed on 22
nd

August, 2011, from http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/03/10/idUS145715+10-Mar-
2009+BW20090310

Reynolds, T. J. and Olson. J. C. (2001), Understanding Consumer Decision
Making: the Means-End Approach to Marketing and Advertising Strategy Mahwah,
NJ: Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.

Rheingold, H. (1993). The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic
Frontier, Mass, Addison Wesley.

P a g e | 99

Ridings, C. and Gefen, D. (2004), Virtual Community Attraction: Why People Hang
Out Online, Journal of Computer Mediated Commuictaion 10 (1). Retrieved on 26
th

August, 2011 from http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol10/issue1/ridings_gefen.html

Saunders, M. Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2009), Research Methods for Business
Students, 5th Ed. Essex, Pearson Education Limited.

Sirgy, M.J. (1982b), Self Image/Product Image Congruity and Purchase Motivation:
A Role Playing Experiment Proceedings of the American Psychological Association,
Consumer Psychology Division, 90.

Sirgy, M.J. (1985a) Self Image/Product Congruity and Consumer Decision Making
International Journal of Management, 2 (4) 49-63.

Smith, A. D. (1999). Problems of conflict management in virtual communities. In M.
A. Smith & P. Kollock (Eds.), Communities in cyberspace (pp. 134-163). New York:
Routledge.

Thompson and Surface (2007), Employee Surveys Administered Online Attitudes
To The Medium, Non Response and Data Representativeness, Organisational
Research Methods, 10 (2) 261-61.

Wasko, M. M., & Faraj, S. (2000), "It Is What One Does": Why People Participate
And Help Others In Electronic Communities Of Practice. Journal of Strategic
Information Systems, 9(2-3), 155-173.
P a g e | 100


Wellman, B., Salaff, J., Dimitrova, D., Garton, L., Gulia, M., & Haythornthwaite, C.
(1996), Computer Networks As Social Networks: Collaborative Work, Telework, And
Virtual Community, Annual Review of Sociology, 22, 213-238.

Yoo, B. And Donthu, N. (2001), Developing And Validating A Multidimensional
Consumer-Based Brand Equity Scale, Journal Of Business Research 52 (2001) 1-
14.

















P a g e | 101

9. Bibliography

Aaker, D. A. (1991) Managing brand equity New York, The Free Press.

Christodoulides, G., de Chernatony, L., Furrer, O., Shiu, E. and Abimbola, T. (2006)
"Conceptualising and Measuring the Equity of Online Brands Journal of Marketing
Management 22: 799-825.

Cova, B. (1997), Community and Consumption: Towards a Definition of the Linking
Value of Product or Services, European Journal of Marketing, 31 (Fall/Winter), 297
316.

Cova, B. and Cova, V. (2002) "Tribal marketing: The tribalisation of society and its
impact on the conduct of marketing", European Journal of Marketing, 36 (5/6) 595 -
620

Durkheim, E. ([1915] 1965), The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, New
York: Free Press.

Farquhar, P. H. (1989) Managing Brand Equity, Marketing Research, A Magazine
of Management and Applications, 23-33.

Govers, P.C.M. and Schoormans, J.P.L. (2005) "Product Personality And Its
Influence On Consumer Preference", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 22 Iss: 4,
pp.189 197
P a g e | 102

Gusfield, J. (1978), Community: A Critical Response, New York: Harper & Row.

Jones, Q. and Rafaeli, S. (2000), Time to Split, Virtually: Discourse Architecture and
Community Building Create Vibrant Virtual Publics, Electronic Markets, 10 (4), 214-
223.

Pickton and Broderick 2005, Integrated Marketing Communication, 2
nd
ed, Essex,
Pearson Eductation Limited.

Thoits, P. A. (1982), Conceptual, methodological, and theoretical problems in
studying social support as a buffer against life stress, Journal of Health and Social
Behavior, 23, 145-159.

Weber, Max ([1922] 1978), Economy and Society, Berkeley: University of California
Press.

Wellman, B., & Gulia, M. (1999a). The network basis of social support: A network is
more than the sum of its ties. In B. Wellman (Ed.), Networks in the global village:
Life in contemporary communities Boulder, Westview Press.

Wellman, B., & Gulia, M. (1999b). Virtual Communities As Communities, In M. A.
Smith & P. Kollock (Eds.), Communities In Cyberspace (pp. 167-194). New York:
Routledge.