Empirical Study Of Consumer Self-diffusing In Virtual Brand Community

It is the media age of "all for all communication". The new internet technology brings out new internet applications, also changed the way of the mass media communication. Since that we-media made consumers have the right of saying, the influence of personal communication is being enhanced. Brand communication is no longer the one-way information dissemination, and consumers begin involving in the process of marketing communication. Therefore, self-diffusing gradually becomes one of the mainstream modes of communication.Self-diffusing is a kind of interpersonal communications that recipients of information take the initiative to release information to others which leading to spontaneous communication of information. And consumer self-diffusing refer to the kind of interpersonal communications that consumers take the initiative to become disseminators of information of products or brands, without marketer's action, making spontaneous brand communication. This study made a literature review about self-diffusing in the academic area of network communication, brand communication and brand community. Based on previous studies, the study proposed a theoretical model of consumer self-diffusing. The model refers causality among personal factors (personality tendencies, consumer experience), interaction factors (community identity, identity attribution), information characteristics (value of degrees, readability), brand community factors (community types, community atmosphere) and consumer self-diffusing. The former four factors have a positive effect on consumer behavior in virtual brand community.Through questionnaires and statistical analysis, the study derives two regression equations. Statistical results show that personal factors, interaction factors and the brand community factors are significant factors of consumer self-diffusing, specifically, consumer experience, identity attribution, value of degrees and community atmosphere are the decisive factors. This study concluded that: disseminator's consumer experience is the basis of consumer self-diffusing in virtual brand community; interpersonal trust is the key, value of information is premise; brand community management is a catalyst.