Brands and the Virtual Self: Network Effects on Self-Congruent Facebook ‘likes’, and Brand Outcomes

Consumers’ use of brands has been widely studied in offline contexts. However, its examination in online social networks, such as Facebook, is more recent. This study investigates whether network structure influences the extent to which ‘Liked’ brands are self-congruent. It also explores the relationship between self-congruent ‘Liked’ brands and brand love and word of mouth (WOM). A survey of 438 facebook users reveals that attitudinal homophily affects tie strength, which in turn positively influences ‘Likes’ of self-congruent brands. when brands ‘Liked’ are more self congruent, brand love and WOM are also greater. further, brand love for ‘Liked’ brands enhances WOM.