AbstractsBusiness Management & Administration

The main goal of this research is to introduce a new construct that investigates the tendency of consumers to talk about particular brands beyond consumption concerns. Given the proliferation of social media, the importance of brand-related conversations has shifted into a different dimension allowing consumers to express and/or share their views about brands to other users. Consumers are therefore found to exhibit a tendency to talk about brands in situations not necessarily involving purchases or consumption of specific brands. The extant academic literature identifies brand-related conversation as word-of-mouth. However, it does not adequately discuss why people show a tendency to talk about brands beyond consumption concerns. To address this gap, this research attempts to conceptualise and empirically measure consumers’ tendency to talk about specific brands beyond consumption concerns, referred to in this research as brand talkability. In doing so, this research also sheds light into the antecedents of brand talkability. A quantitative research design involving a scale development process is used to develop a tool to measure this new construct. Additionally, analysis explores the antecedents of brand talkability through a series of regressions, showing interesting findings with theoretical and practical implications.