The impact of brand communication on brand equity through Facebook

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to fill the gap in the discussion of the ways in which firm-created and user-generated social media brand communication impacts consumer-based brand equity metrics through Facebook. Design/methodology/approach: We evaluated 302 data sets that were generated through a standardized online-survey to investigate the impact of firm-created and user-generated social media brand communication on brand awareness/associations, perceived quality, and brand loyalty across 60 brands within three different industries: non-alcoholic beverages, clothing, and mobile network providers. We applied structural equation modeling techniques (SEM) to investigate the effects of social media brand communication on consumers’ perception of brand equity metrics, as well as in an examination of industry-specific differences. Findings: The results of our empirical studies showed that both firm-created and user-generated social media brand communication influence brand awareness/associations; whereas, user-generated social media brand communication had a positive impact on brand loyalty and perceived brand quality. Additionally, there are significant differences between the industries being investigated. Originality/value: This article is pioneering in that it exposes the effects of two different types of social media brand communication (i.e., firm-created and user-generated social media communication) on consumer-based brand equity metrics, a topic of relevance for both marketers and scholars in the era of social media. Additionally, it differentiates the effects of social media brand communication across industries, which indicate that practitioners should implement social media strategies according to industry specifics to lever consumer-based brand equity metrics

A scale to measure consumer’s engagement with social media brand-related content

The purpose of this study is to fill the gap in the literature concerning to the measurement of consumer’s engagement with social media brand-related content (hereafter, CESBC). We introduce empirical evidence for the development and measurement of CESBC scale. The scale is based on the consumer's online brand-related framework and comprises three dimensions: consumption, contribution, and creation. We used qualitative techniques to prepare an initial list of items and tested and validated the CESBC scale with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results (n = 2252) confirmed the three-factor structure of the CESBC and indicated its good psychometric properties

Structural and magnetic properties of transition metal substituted ZnO

Structural and magnetic properties have been studied for polycrystalline Zn_{1-x}TM_xO, where TM (transition metal ions) = Mn, Fe, and Co. No bulk ferromagnetism was observed for single-phase materials, contrary to the existing theories. Single-phase samples demonstrate paramagnetic Curie-Weiss behavior with antiferromagnetic interactions, similar to other diluted magnetic semiconductors. Non-optimal synthesis conditions lead to formation of second phases that are responsible for spin-glass behavior (ZnMnO_3 impurity for Zn_{1-x}Mn_xO (S. Kolesnik et al., J. Supercond.: Incorp. Novel Magn. 15, 251 (2002)) or high-temperature ferromagnetic ordering (Co metal for Zn_{1-x}Co_xO with the Curie temperature T_C > 800 K or (Zn,Fe)_3O_4 for Zn_{1-x}Fe_xO with T_C = 440 K).Comment: RevTeX, 6 pages, 7 figures, To be published in J. Appl. Phy

Strain-mediated metal-insulator transition in epitaxial ultra-thin films of NdNiO3

We have synthesized epitaxial NdNiO$_{3}$ ultra-thin films in a layer-by-layer growth mode under tensile and compressive strain on SrTiO$_{3}$ (001) and LaAlO$_3$ (001), respectively. A combination of X-ray diffraction, temperature dependent resistivity, and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been applied to elucidate electronic and structural properties of the samples. In contrast to the bulk NdNiO$_{3}$, the metal-insulator transition under compressive strain is found to be completely quenched, while the transition remains under the tensile strain albeit modified from the bulk behavior.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure