Building Consumer Brand Knowledge Through Social Media Brand Communities via Brand Knowledge Co-Creation

This study examines how Integration in Social Media Brand Communities (ISMBC) influences Consumer Brand Knowledge (CBK) through Brand Knowledge Co-Creation (BKCC) processes. Using structural equation modeling with data from 398 Thai social media brand community members, the authors validate ISMBC and BKCC as second-order reflective constructs and test their relationships with CBK. Results confirm that ISMBC comprises four relationship dimensions (customer-brand, product, company, and other customers), while BKCC operates through SECI model processes (socialization, externalization, combination, internalization). BKCC significantly mediates the ISMBC-CBK relationship, explaining how community integration enhances brand knowledge through collaborative knowledge creation. These findings advance brand community theory and provide strategic guidance for social media community management practices.