Social-relational capabilities: strategic transformation of brand resources to increase brand equity

• Published in: The International review of retail, distribution and consumer research Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 73 - 103
• Main Author: Mathur, Manisha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Routledge 01-01-2024; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Brand equity; Brands; Consumer relationships; consumer-based brand equity; Consumers; Equity; ethical values; Marketing; reputation; Social development; Social media; Social networks; social-relational capability; Transformation
• ISSN: 0959-3969; 1466-4402
• DOI: 10.1080/09593969.2023.2207033

As consumers are increasingly online and social, they also increasingly value brands that interact with them and create personalized relationships with them. We propose social-relational capability in marketing as an ability to build and maintain relationships, which generate value for consumer communities on social media and enhance the customer-based brand equity. Prior research has been fragmented and more research focusing on the development of social-relational capability is needed to develop a better understanding of the social networks of brands and consumers. By examining the effects of consumer-level, brand-level, and consumer-brand dyadic level antecedents on the development of the social-relational capability of a brand we advance existing literature on marketing using perspectives from social network theory, resource-based view, and dynamic capabilities theory. The findings have implications for both consumers and managers in maintaining long-lasting beneficial relationships. The results revealed that social-relational capability enables a brand to strengthen brand equity. The integration of different social media and relational resources allows brands to develop three distinct dimensions of social-relational capability, which enhance brand equity.