5. Discussion and managerial implications
Our purpose in completing this research was to propose and empirically test the role of flow in the effect of brand community characteristics on brand identification and loyalty. The findings support our hypotheses that CC and IQ of a brand community affect flow and, subsequently, result in brand identification and loyalty. Specifically, the results showed that CC and IQ positively influenced flow. This finding is consistent with Csikszentmihalyi's (1990) argument that, when an individual understands the group culture and has a clear idea of the group's goal, he is more likely to experience flow. When CC increases, members become engaged in sharing their authentic experiences and goal-related feedback, and are more likely to feel that they are part of the community. Thus, they are more likely to experience flow. In addition, when members receive immediate and accurate information (or feedback) from the brand community, they are more likely to experience flow. Consistent with the technology acceptance model (Davis, 1989), IQ influences members' perceptions. When the brand community provides high quality information, members perceive that they have control over the issues or challenges at hand and, thus, the information facilitates the occurrence of flow (Li & Browne, 2006). In addition to the direct effect on flow, IQ directly influenced brand identification. Our results also showed that flow positively influenced brand identification and, subsequently, led to brand loyalty. Flow experiences make the brand community attractive to members and, thus, members develop identification with the brand. Once members have a high identification with a brand, they perceive that they are part of the brand community and are more brand loyal. Our findings showed that flow mediated the effects of CC and IQ on brand identification.3 The results revealed the important mediating role of flow in developing brand identification in brand communities.
