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Social media brand engagement in the context of collaborative consumption: the case of AIRBNB

Journal of Brand Management, 2020

Bruno Schivinski, Daniela Langaro, Teresa Fernandes, Francisco Guzmán

Journal of Brand Management, volume 27, issue 6, pages 645–661, 2020 (online September 2020)

  • 449 social media users
  • Airbnb
  • Structural equation modelling
  • Mediation analysis
  • Poland
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Keywords
  • functional brand image
  • hedonic brand image
  • overall brand equity
  • consumer brand engagement
  • COBRAs
  • Airbnb
  • social media brand engagement
  • consumers' online brand-related activities
  • behavioural engagement
  • brand-related social media content
  • user-generated content
  • collaborative consumption
  • sharing economy
  • peer-to-peer accommodation
  • hospitality branding
  • tourism marketing
  • brand image
  • consumer-based brand equity
  • brand co-creation
  • utilitarian and hedonic value
  • CEBSC scale
  • overall brand equity scale (Yoo and Donthu)
  • Poland
  • social media users
  • travellers
  • structural equation modelling (SEM)
  • mediation analysis
  • bootstrapping
  • confirmatory factor analysis
  • robust maximum likelihood (MLR)
  • Mplus
  • survey research
  • social media strategy
  • brand management
  • platform marketing
  • hospitality industry

On social media, people read, share and post about Airbnb because they find the brand attractive and full of personality, not because they find it reliable. In a survey of 449 social media users in Poland who followed Airbnb, reliability and trust drove engagement only by first raising brand equity.

Key findings

  1. A hedonic brand image drives engagement directly. In a survey of 449 social media users in Poland who followed and interacted with Airbnb, hedonic brand image (seeing Airbnb as attractive, desirable and strong in character and personality) increased the consumption (β = 0.31), contribution (β = 0.32) and creation (β = 0.33) of Airbnb-related content on social media, all p ≤ .001 (Schivinski et al., 2020).
  2. A functional brand image works only through brand equity. Functional brand image (seeing Airbnb as reliable, credible and trustworthy) had no direct effect on consuming, contributing or creating content (p = .25, .56 and .23), but it raised overall brand equity (β = 0.67, p ≤ .001), and its indirect effects through brand equity were significant (0.26, 0.16 and 0.13, all p ≤ .001): brand equity fully mediated the effect (Schivinski et al., 2020).
  3. Brand equity is driven mainly by function. Functional brand image had a much larger effect on Airbnb's overall brand equity (β = 0.67) than hedonic brand image (β = 0.15, p = .03); brand equity in turn increased consumption (β = 0.22), contribution (β = 0.19) and creation (β = 0.18) of brand-related content (Schivinski et al., 2020).
  4. Brand equity adds only a little to the hedonic route. The indirect effects of hedonic brand image through brand equity were small (0.06, 0.04 and 0.03 for consumption, contribution and creation; p = .03, .05 and .07), so the hedonic image worked mainly directly, with partial mediation by brand equity (Schivinski et al., 2020).
  5. Heavier social media users consume more brand content. Time spent on social media increased the consumption of Airbnb-related content (β = 0.11, p = .01), older respondents contributed and created slightly more (β = 0.11 and 0.12, p = .05), and gender had no effect; results were the same when only respondents who had used Airbnb were analysed (Schivinski et al., 2020).

At a glance

Design
Online survey (Qualtrics); confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modelling and bootstrap mediation analysis (5,000 draws) in Mplus 7.2 and SPSS 24
Participants
449 social media users in Poland who followed and interacted with Airbnb on social media (55.9% women; 79.5% had used Airbnb at least once), recruited on social media channels and travel forums; 530 recruited before data cleaning
Brand
Airbnb, the leading peer-to-peer platform for renting, swapping and lending accommodation
Measures
Functional brand image (3 items) and hedonic brand image (4 items; Bruhn et al., 2012), overall brand equity (4 items; Yoo & Donthu, 2001), consumption, contribution and creation of brand-related content (17-item CEBSC scale; Schivinski et al., 2016); 7-point scales; Polish, translated and piloted
Controls
Gender, age and social media usage
Model fit
CFA: MLR χ²(335) = 836.55, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.93, RMSEA = 0.06, SRMR = 0.06. Structural model: MLR χ²(416) = 972.08, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.05, SRMR = 0.06

Figure 1. The mediating role of brand equity between Airbnb brand image and COBRAs

cH1cH2c’H3c’H4a1a2b1b2b3Control variables:Gender · AgeSocial media usageAIRBNB COBRAsFunctionalbrand imageHedonicbrand imageOverall brandequityConsumptionContributionCreation
Simple arrows a are the direct paths from brand image to overall brand equity, b the paths from brand equity to the three COBRA types, and c the direct paths from brand image to COBRAs. Dashed arrows are the indirect (c’, mediated) effects. Gender, age and social media usage are controlled.

Figure 2. Standardised estimates

Direct: n.s. on all threeDirect: .31***, .32***, .33***Indirect: .26***, .16***, .13***Indirect: .06*, .04*, .03†.67***.15*.22***.19*.18*Control variables:Age, social media usage(see Table 2)AIRBNB COBRAsFunctionalbrand imageHedonicbrand imageOverall brandequityConsumptionContributionCreation
Drawn from Table 2 of the article (N = 449). Values on the direct and indirect paths are for consumption, contribution and creation, in that order. *** p ≤ .001, * p ≤ .05, † p < .10; n.s. = not significant.

What drives each type of engagement: direct hedonic effect vs functional effect through brand equity

Consumption (reading, watching, following)Hedonic image, direct0.31Functional image, via equity0.26Contribution (liking, commenting, sharing)Hedonic image, direct0.32Functional image, via equity0.16Creation (posting, reviewing)Hedonic image, direct0.33Functional image, via equity0.13
Standardised direct effects of hedonic brand image and indirect effects of functional brand image through overall brand equity, from Table 2 of the article (N = 449). The direct effects of functional brand image were not significant.

Tables

Table 2. Structural results

Path β t p
Direct effects
H1a. Functional brand image → consumption 0.10 1.13 .25
H1b. Functional brand image → contribution −0.05 −0.57 .56
H1c. Functional brand image → creation −0.12 −1.19 .23
H2a. Hedonic brand image → consumption 0.31 3.51 .001
H2b. Hedonic brand image → contribution 0.32 3.32 .001
H2c. Hedonic brand image → creation 0.33 3.19 .001
a1. Functional brand image → OBE 0.67 10.17 .001
a2. Hedonic brand image → OBE 0.15 2.11 .03
b1. OBE → consumption 0.22 2.43 .001
b2. OBE → contribution 0.19 2.04 .04
b3. OBE → creation 0.18 1.89 .05
Indirect effects
H3a. Functional brand image → OBE → consumption 0.26 6.64 .001
H3b. Functional brand image → OBE → contribution 0.16 4.65 .001
H3c. Functional brand image → OBE → creation 0.13 4.04 .001
H4a. Hedonic brand image → OBE → consumption 0.06 2.14 .03
H4b. Hedonic brand image → OBE → contribution 0.04 1.93 .05
H4c. Hedonic brand image → OBE → creation 0.03 1.78 .07
Control variables
Gender → consumption 0.06 1.49 .13
Gender → contribution 0.00 0.00 .99
Gender → creation −0.03 −0.61 .53
Age → consumption 0.06 1.30 .19
Age → contribution 0.11 1.93 .05
Age → creation 0.12 1.93 .05
Social media usage → consumption 0.11 2.41 .01
Social media usage → contribution 0.08 1.75 .07
Social media usage → creation 0.09 1.67 .09

Directional SEM: MLR χ²(416) = 972.08, RMSEA = 0.05 (90% CI 0.05–0.06), SRMR = 0.06, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.92. Mediation model: ML χ²(416) = 1216.32, RMSEA = 0.06 (90% CI 0.06–0.07), SRMR = 0.06, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.92; 5,000 bootstrap samples. Gender reference: 1 = female. OBE = overall brand equity; n = 449. p values as printed in the article (.001 means p ≤ .001).

Table 3. Scale items: factor loadings, explained variance and descriptive statistics

Item λ R² t Mean SD Skew. Kurt.
Overall brand equity
It makes sense to use Airbnb instead of any other brand, even if they are the same .85 .72 56.58 5.04 1.86 −.74 −.50
Even if another brand has the same features as Airbnb, I would prefer to use Airbnb .72 .52 29.18 4.41 2.04 −.24 −1.21
If there is another brand as good as Airbnb, I prefer to use Airbnb .88 .77 67.81 5.21 1.92 −.89 −.32
If another brand is not different from Airbnb in any way, it seems smarter to use Airbnb .86 .74 60.42 5.31 1.78 −1.04 .15
Functional brand image
Airbnb is reliable .92 .85 107.55 5.71 1.50 −1.34 1.29
Airbnb is credible .93 .87 124.52 5.77 1.50 −1.40 1.44
I trust Airbnb .94 .89 142.79 5.69 1.55 −1.37 1.28
Hedonic brand image
Airbnb is attractive .90 .82 84.71 5.67 1.55 −1.28 1.05
Airbnb is desirable .84 .71 54.19 5.23 1.78 −.86 −.28
Airbnb is strong in character .92 .86 102.09 5.48 1.61 −1.04 .32
Airbnb is strong in personality .90 .81 81.00 5.41 1.62 −.97 .23
COBRAs: consumption
I read posts related to Airbnb on social media .86 .75 57.29 3.80 2.04 .05 −1.25
I read fan page(s) related to Airbnb on social networking sites .86 .74 56.16 3.79 2.11 .05 −1.39
I watch pictures/graphics related to Airbnb .77 .59 34.75 3.99 1.98 −.02 −1.14
I follow blogs related to Airbnb .69 .47 24.74 2.76 1.97 .82 −.65
I follow Airbnb on social networking sites .87 .76 60.32 3.60 2.03 .17 −1.25
COBRAs: contribution
I comment on videos related to Airbnb .82 .68 48.04 2.54 1.92 .97 −.35
I comment on posts related to Airbnb .89 .80 77.64 2.44 1.85 1.07 −.07
I comment on pictures/graphics related to Airbnb .85 .72 56.42 2.62 1.96 .97 −.35
I share Airbnb-related posts .89 .79 74.47 3.36 2.15 .40 −1.26
I “Like” pictures/graphics related to Airbnb .71 .50 27.56 3.34 2.09 .40 −1.18
I “Like” posts related to Airbnb .75 .57 33.39 2.21 1.77 1.34 .66
COBRAs: creation
I initiate posts related to Airbnb on blogs .82 .68 48.99 2.21 1.77 1.34 .66
I initiate posts related to Airbnb on social networking sites .88 .78 75.03 2.34 1.83 1.20 .19
I post pictures/graphics related to Airbnb .88 .78 74.11 2.29 1.81 1.25 .32
I post videos that show Airbnb .85 .73 59.03 2.28 1.80 1.24 .31
I write posts related to Airbnb on forums .90 .81 85.33 2.29 1.79 1.22 .28
I write reviews related to Airbnb .87 .75 65.18 2.15 1.74 1.40 .81

λ = completely standardised loading; R² = explained variance of the item. Brand equity and brand image: 1 = completely disagree, 7 = completely agree. COBRAs: 1 = never, 7 = very often.

Table 1. Construct reliability and validity
Construct α CR FD AVE 1 2 3 4 5 6
1. Consumption .90 .90 .96 .66 .81
2. Contribution .92 .92 .97 .68 .72 .82
3. Creation .95 .95 .97 .76 .59 .78 .87
4. Overall brand equity .89 .90 .96 .69 .38 .24 .19 .83
5. Functional brand image .95 .95 .98 .87 .36 .19 .13 .69 .93
6. Hedonic brand image .94 .94 .97 .80 .41 .26 .22 .71 .63 .89

α = Cronbach’s alpha; CR = composite reliability; FD = factor determinacy; AVE = average variance extracted. Square roots of the AVE in italics. MLR χ²(335) = 836.55, RMSEA = 0.06 (90% CI 0.05–0.06), SRMR = 0.06, CFI = 0.93, TLI = 0.93; n = 449.

The question

Peer-to-peer accommodation brands such as Airbnb depend on users talking about them on social media, yet research on consumer brand engagement had looked mostly at consumer-side drivers such as motivations and personality. Little was known about how the brand itself drives engagement, especially in the sharing economy. We asked whether Airbnb's functional and hedonic brand image lead consumers to consume, contribute and create brand-related content on social media, and whether overall brand equity carries these effects.

Implications

Practical implications

Platforms like Airbnb that want people to engage on social media should build a brand that feels attractive, desirable and strong in personality, for example by linking it with people, events and places and by making it easy for guests to share their stays as user-generated content. Reliability and trust still matter: they build brand equity, which keeps guests coming back and supports engagement, but on their own they mostly lead to passive reading rather than active posting. The two sides of the image complement each other.

Theoretical implications

The study shows that brand image affects social media engagement differently depending on its content: hedonic associations act directly, while functional associations act only through overall brand equity. It extends the nomological network of consumer brand engagement with firm-led, brand-related drivers in the sharing economy, and suggests that attitudinal loyalty, captured by overall brand equity, is an important but not indispensable route to engagement behaviour.

Limitations and future research

  • Respondents came from one country (Poland), so the results need replication in other countries and cultures.
  • Overall brand equity was the only mediator tested; self-brand identification and brand love are candidate mechanisms for future work.
  • Only one sharing-economy brand, Airbnb, was studied; future research could also compare engagement before and after the COVID-19 disruption to collaborative consumption.

Questions this paper answers

Why do people engage with Airbnb on social media?

Mainly because they see the brand as attractive, desirable and strong in personality. In a survey of 449 social media users in Poland, hedonic brand image directly increased consuming (β = 0.31), contributing (β = 0.32) and creating (β = 0.33) Airbnb-related content (Schivinski et al., 2020).

Does trust in a sharing-economy brand increase social media engagement?

Only indirectly. Seeing Airbnb as reliable, credible and trustworthy had no direct effect on engagement, but it raised brand equity (β = 0.67), which in turn increased engagement; brand equity fully mediated the effect (Schivinski et al., 2020).

Does brand equity lead to engagement on social media?

Yes. Overall brand equity increased the consumption (β = 0.22), contribution (β = 0.19) and creation (β = 0.18) of Airbnb-related content on social media (Schivinski et al., 2020).

What should a peer-to-peer platform do to get users posting about it?

Build its hedonic image. Functional associations mainly led to passive consumption of content, while active contribution and creation were driven directly by a hedonic, attractive brand image (Schivinski et al., 2020).

Key concepts

Consumers' online brand-related activities (COBRAs)
Behavioural engagement with brands on social media at three levels: consuming (reading, watching, following), contributing (liking, commenting, sharing) and creating (posting content, writing reviews) brand-related content.
Functional brand image
Utilitarian, rational associations with a brand, such as reliability, competence, credibility and trust; they give the brand objective meaning.
Hedonic brand image
Emotional and symbolic associations with a brand, such as being attractive, desirable and strong in character and personality; they give the brand subjective meaning.
Overall brand equity (OBE)
A single-dimension measure of the added value consumers attach to a brand compared with an equivalent alternative (Yoo & Donthu, 2001).
Collaborative consumption
Consumption in which access to goods and services is shared among peers and coordinated through community-based online services, favouring access over ownership.
Full and partial mediation
Full mediation means a variable affects the outcome only through the mediator (here, functional image through brand equity); partial mediation means it also has a direct effect (here, hedonic image).

Open science and materials

Study materials

Screening questions
Respondents had to have used social media in the past six months, to follow (yes/no) and interact with (yes/no) Airbnb on social media and to name the platform(s); they were also asked whether they had ever used Airbnb to rent short-term lodging.
Scale items
All 24 items with loadings and descriptive statistics are in Table 3 below (English versions; the survey was administered in Polish after forward translation and a pilot with 49 respondents).

How to cite

Schivinski, B., Langaro, D., Fernandes, T., & Guzmán, F. (2020). Social media brand engagement in the context of collaborative consumption: the case of AIRBNB. Journal of Brand Management, 27(6), 645–661. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-020-00207-5

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