Does brand-consumer social sharing matter? A relational framework of customer engagement to brand-hosted social media

Despite the considerable expansion of brand-hosted social media, it is still not clear whether and how brand consumer social sharing contributes to virtual media engagement. Drawing on the theory of close relationships, this study provides a conceptualization of the gratifications that are derived from brand-consumer interactions, which is referred to as Brand-Consumer Social Sharing Value. Using a sample of brands' Facebook page users, this study validates a scale for measuring the construct, which comprises four dimensions: brand intimacy, brand individual recognition, brand influence, and brand community belonging. In addition, satisfaction and brand gratitude, seen as media-driven variables, are found to mediate the impact of Brand-Consumer Social Sharing Value on virtual media engagement. Most notably, the findings reveal that the contribution of the gratitude based route is higher than the satisfaction-based route. Implications for further research on social media are discussed.