The mediating effect of Branded Mobile Apps(BMA) as new environment of brand communication Focused on Korean BMA market

초록

Despite the growing practical interest regarding brand communication by use of BMA which has been recommended based on successful cases expecially done in the US market, thus generating a lack of empirical research focused on the continuous use of BMA. By validating the mediation effect of BMA`s continuous use in the setting of the relationship between the antecedents of BMA and Customer/Brand Engagement, I address the identified literature gap. For research methodology, SEM(Structural Equation Modeling) was examined and analyzed by M-Plus 7 and SPSS 21.0. The results show the antecedents of BMA have a positive impact on both continuous use of BMA and Consumer`s Brand Engagement(CBE). But, the mediating effect of BMA on continuous use is revealed to be somewhat negative towards CBE. According to in-depth interviews conducted to reveal the cause of quantitative research, HappyPoint as the most popular BMA is only implementing the simple purchase promotion strategy such as brand integration and point accumulation, which tells why the mediating effect was not positive. Starbucks, on the other hand, has been successful in building brand engagement and interaction with customers through consumer-oriented content strategies. In conclusion, it is necessary to approach by means of media ecological perspective for the branded mobile app to be truly successful before looking at BMA as a new tool and strategy for marketing communication. It implies that the Brand`s unique identity and vision should be implemented through BMA to sustain communication with keep-changing social habitus.

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