Brand Authenticity And Advocacy Loyalty In Online Communities: The Mediating Role Of Behavioral Engagement
Abstract
Social media's growth has motivated companies and communities to build closer ties with their stakeholders through honest conversation. Online communities say that brand authenticity increases members' loyalty and support. However, particularly in Indonesia's self-improvement communities, the mechanisms by which brand authenticity affects advocacy loyalty via behavioral engagement remain mostly unresearched. This study seeks to examine how brand authenticity impacts community advocacy loyalty, with behavioral engagement acting as a mediating factor, in the Woman Choice Community on Instagram. The current research uses a quantitative method, applying an explanatory research framework. The information provided here was gathered by administering a survey to 277 participants from the Woman Choice Community who follow the Instagram handle @womanchoice. The study employed Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) with a bootstrapping method that included 5,000 subsamples to examine both direct and indirect relationships between the variables. The findings show that loyalty towards community advocacy is significantly and favorably influenced by brand authenticity. This study also found that behavioral involvement acts as a mediator, improving the relationship between brand authenticity and loyalty to community support. The findings show that members' views of brand authenticity might improve their behavioral involvement, therefore influencing their willingness to independently support, endorse, and promote the community. This research adds to the current literature on brand authenticity and community-focused marketing by highlighting the significance of behavioral engagement as a means that connects the creation of advocacy loyalty.The findings suggest that members' perceptions of brand authenticity can increase their behavioural engagement, which in turn can drive their willingness to voluntarily recommend, support, and advocate for the community. This study makes a contribution to the existing literature on brand authenticity and community-based marketing by emphasizing the importance of behavioral engagement as a mechanism that bridges the formation of advocacy loyalty. In practice, the research results provide recommendations for community managers to build authentic, transparent, and interactive communication through social media to increase member engagement and strengthen community advocacy loyalty.References
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Bargoni, A., Vrontis, D., & Ferraris, A. (2023). To be ( family ) or not to be (family ): the familiness effect over brand authenticity posts on social media and consumer engagement relationship. 5(April), 713–736. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-11-2021-3722
Campagna, C. L., Donthu, N., & Yoo, B. (2022). Brand authenticity : literature review, comprehensive definition, and an amalgamated scale. https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2021.2018937
Cheung, M. F. Y., & To, W. M. (2026). Effect of consumer brand involvement on brand advocacy : a moderated mediation model. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 34(1), 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2024.2427207
Chu, S., Kim, H., & Kim, Y. (2022). When brands get real : the role of authenticity and electronic word-of-mouth in shaping consumer response to brands taking a stand. International Journal of Advertising, 0(0), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2022.2138057
Fatma. M. I. K. (2023). Corporate Social Responsibility and Brand Advocacy among Consumers : The Mediating Role of Brand Trust.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., & Ringle, C. M. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling ( PLS-SEM ).
Harrigan, P. (2022). Customer engagement in online service brand communities. 2(September 2021), 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-09-2020-0392
Ingvar, P., Prenkert, F., Hoholm, T., & Harrison, D. (2014). The dynamics of networked power in a concentrated business network ☆. Journal of Business Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.03.017
Kompasiana.com. (2024). Semangat Woman Choice untuk Menginspirasi Perempuan dengan Memanfaatkan Media Sosial.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2022). Marketing Management.
Ma, H., & Chelliah, S. (2024). Influencing mechanism of social media content marketing and perceived brand authenticity on brand loyalty of C hina ’ s insurgent brands : The mediating role of customer engagement. 16(4), 816–833.
Morhart, F., Mal, L., Girardin, F., & Grohmann, B. (2014). PT NU SC. Journal of Consumer Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2014.11.006
Rindell, A., & Pinto, F. (2021). What makes a corporate heritage brand authentic for consumers ? A semiotic approach. Journal of Brand Management, 28(5), 545–558. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-021-00243-9
Rodrigues, C., Brandão, A., Billore, S., & Oda, T. (2024). The mediating role of perceived brand authenticity between brand experience and brand love : a cross ‑ cultural perspective. Journal of Brand Management, 31(3), 293–309. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-023-00342-9
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2016). Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach.
Social Blade. (2025). Woman Choice Instagram Statistics and Analytics – Social Blade. Social Blade. https://socialblade.com/instagram/user/womanchoice__
Srivastava, R. (2023). Digital customer engagement : A systematic literature review and research agenda. May. https://doi.org/10.1177/03128962231177096
Subhaktiyasa, P. G. (2024). Evaluasi Validitas dan Reliabilitas Instrumen Penelitian Kuantitatif : Sebuah Studi Pustaka. 5(4), 5599–5609.
Times, I. (2025). Kisah Bernika Putri Berdayakan Perempuan lewat Women Choice.
Trunfio, M., & Rossi, S. (2021). Conceptualising and measuring social media engagement : A systematic literature review. Italian Journal of Marketing, 2021(3), 209–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43039-021-00035-8
Tuan, D. C., Thi, N., Hang, M., Thi, L., & Ngoc, M. (2024). The Impact Of Personalized Marketing On Purchase Intention In Online Shopping: The Mediation Role Of Trustable Experiences (Issue Icech 2024). Atlantis Press International BV. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-694-9
Uzunboylu. (2026). The Levels of Consumers ’ Online Brand -Related Activities on Brand- Related User-Generated Content : Measuring Consumer-Brand Engagement on Instagram in Cyprus Naziyet Uzunboylu.
Zerfass, A., Verčič, D., Nothhaft, H., & Werder, K. P. (2018). Strategic Communication : Defining the Field and its Contribution to Research and Practice Strategic Communication : Defining the Field and its Contribution. 1198. https://doi.org/10.1080/1553118X.2018.1493485
Published
2026-08-01
How to Cite
Girsang, T. A. C., Mustikasari, A., & Hidayat, R. (2026). Brand Authenticity And Advocacy Loyalty In Online Communities: The Mediating Role Of Behavioral Engagement. Kontigensi : Jurnal Ilmiah Manajemen, 14(1), 470-483. https://doi.org/10.56457/jimk.v14i1.982
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