An integrated approach to estimate brand association matching and strength in virtual settings

This paper proposes an innovative method for estimating brand association matching and strength. It is based on a dual analytical perspective as it compares consumer-perceived with company-defined brand associations, thereby filling a research gap in the offline and online brand studies. In order to build this method, we investigate online communities as authentic interactive environments by combining text-mining with Hybrid Log Linear models. What emerges is an interdisciplinary method that contributes to extending the use of the user-generated content (UGC) for marketing purposes. Its application is useful for verifying the conditions for customer brand equity and more systematically controlling the adopted brand communications. The analysis also takes into consideration consumers who, after experiencing the virtual setting, have become free-brand tellers and real co-creators of brand meaning. In the study, we focus on online fashion communities as digital platforms where consumer interactions are particularly intensive, and the narratives are rich in brand related perceptions.