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Cited by 170Digital Marketing and Social MediaConsumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and IdentificationMarketing and Advertising Strategies

Does “Liking” Lead to Loving? The Impact of Joining a Brand's Social Network on Marketing Outcomes

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John, Leslie K., Emrich, Oliver, Gupta, Sunil, Norton, Michael I.·2017·Journal of Marketing Research
DOI 10.1509/jmr.14.0237
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Abstract

Does “liking” a brand on Facebook cause a person to view it more favorably? Or is “liking” simply a symptom of being fond of a brand? The authors disentangle these possibilities and find evidence for the latter: brand attitudes and purchasing are predicted by consumers' preexisting fondness for brands, and these are the same regardless of when and whether consumers “like” brands on social media. In addition, we explore possible second-order effects by examining whether “liking” brands might cause consumers' friends to view that brand more favorably. When consumers see that a friend has “liked” a brand, they are less likely to buy the brand relative to when they learn that a friend genuinely likes the brand in the offline sense, which is a more meaningful social endorsement. Taken together, five experiments and two meta-analyses (N > 14,000) suggest that turning “liking” into improved brand attitudes and increased purchasing by consumers and their friends may require more than just the click of a button.

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Crossref · 10.1509/jmr.14.0237

Cites

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  • Acquiring "likes" on social media might have no effect on consumers' attitudes or behaviors.

    “academic research shows that acquiring “likes” on social media might have no effect on consumers’ attitudes or behaviors (John et al. 2017; Mochon et al. 2017).”

    From The future of social media in marketing (2020) · cites this paper as John et al. 2017

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Authors
John, L. K., Emrich, O., Gupta, S., & Norton, M. I.
Affiliations
  • Harvard University (US)
  • Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
  • Harvard Business School, Harvard University
Corresponding author
  • John, Leslie K.
  • Emrich, Oliver
  • Norton, Michael I.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Marketing Research
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2017-02
Volume
54
Issue
1
Pages
144-155
ISSN
  • 0022-2437 (ISSN-L)
  • 1547-7193
DOI
10.1509/jmr.14.0237
OpenAlex
W2465607256
Cited by
170
References
26
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 1
FWCI
49.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Marketing Research (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Digital Marketing and Social Media
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Marketing and Advertising Strategies
Keywords
brand attitude, brand purchase intention, Facebook, social endorsement, word of mouth, second-order effects, consumer behavior

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