Customer engagement and the relationship between involvement, engagement, self-brand connection and brand usage intent

Consumers rely on social media to make travel decisions, and actively engage in relationships with tourism brands on social media. Our research contribution is threefold. First, we validate the consumer brand engagement (CBE) scale proposed by Hollebeek, Glynn, and Brodie (2014). Second, we use social exchange theory to replicate their proposed model to relate CBE to consumer involvement, self-brand connection, and brand usage. Third, we contribute to tourism marketing theory and practice. The CBE scale exhibited exceptional fit in the tourism context. The models confirmed that all three dimensions of CBE had significant effects on self-brand connection and brand usage intent. Tourism organizations may utilize these findings to foster stronger connections with consumers and increase the likelihood of consumers using their sites by focusing on strategies to develop CBE. © 2017 Elsevier Inc.