The Moderating Role Of Homophily Attitude In Strengthening The Impact Of Affective Experience On Brand Engagement
Keywords:
Affective Experience, Homophily Attitude, Brand Engagement, Social Media, Digital MarketingAbstract
THE MODERATING ROLE OF HOMOPHILY ATTITUDE IN STRENGTHENING THE IMPACT OF AFFECTIVE EXPERIENCE ON BRAND ENGAGEMENT Abstract. Affective experience plays a crucial role in building consumers’ emotional attachment to brands within digital environments. However, the extent to which affective experience can foster stronger brand engagement depends on consumers’ perceptions of similarity and connectedness within brand communities. This study examines the moderating role of homophily attitude in strengthening the relationship between affective experience and brand engagement among social media users. A quantitative research approach was employed by distributing an online questionnaire to 300 respondents using purposive sampling. The respondents consisted of active social media users who had prior interactions with brand-related content. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS to test the proposed hypotheses and examine both direct and moderating effects. The results indicate that affective experience has a positive and significant influence on brand engagement, suggesting that emotional responses elicited through brand interactions on social media contribute to higher levels of consumer involvement, such as liking, sharing, and active participation. Furthermore, the findings reveal that homophily attitude significantly moderates this relationship, meaning that the impact of affective experience on brand engagement becomes stronger when consumers perceive a higher level of similarity in values, interests, and attitudes within the brand community. This highlights the importance of fostering a sense of shared identity and social closeness among consumers in digital brand environments. The study provides theoretical contributions by identifying homophily attitude as a psychological boundary condition that strengthens the formation of brand–consumer relationships in digital marketing contexts. Practically, the findings suggest that brands should design emotionally engaging content while simultaneously promoting a sense of similarity and belonging within their online communities to enhance sustainable brand engagement.References
Abdulaziz, A., Alalwan, A. A., & Baabdullah, A. M. (2024). Digital marketing and consumer engagement: A comprehensive review. International Journal of Information Management, 76, Article 102755. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2023.102755
Anuwat, K. (2024). Social media fashion campaigns on brand engagement in Thailand. International Journal of Fashion and Design, 3(3), 45–56.
Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. Prentice-Hall.
Bu, Y., Parkinson, J., & Thaichon, P. (2022). Influencer marketing: Homophily, customer value, and engagement. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 66, Article 102942. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102942
DataReportal. (2025, January 31). Digital 2025: Indonesia. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2025-indonesia
Dias, P. (2021). The role of storytelling in the creation of brand love: The case of Pandora. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 785703. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.785703
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage.
Hultén, B. (2018). Branding by the five senses: A sensory branding framework. Journal of Brand Strategy, 6(3), 1–12.
Ibrahim, B. (2025). Visual appeal in digital branding: Antecedents and consequences. Journal of Digital Marketing, 12(1), 45–62.
INSG. (2025). Influencer marketing in Indonesia: Market size and growth forecast 2025. INSG.CO. https://www.insg.co/influencer-marketing-indonesia/
Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. (1974). Utilization of mass communication by the individual. In J. G. Blumler & E. Katz (Eds.), The uses of mass communications: Current perspectives on gratifications research (pp. 19–32). Sage.
Kiapour, M. H., & Piramuthu, R. (2018). Brand > Logo: Visual analysis of fashion brands. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.09941
Koksal, M. (2025). Brand consciousness and visual stimuli in social media. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 35(2), 210–225.
Malika, C. J. (2024). A comparative analysis of social media engagement of local fashion brands in Indonesia. International Journal of Science and Research Archive, 12(1), 657–662. https://doi.org/10.30574/ijsra.2024.12.1.0870
Meltwater. (2025). TikTok statistics 2025. https://www.meltwater.com/en/blog/tiktok-statistics
Metricool. (2025). Important Instagram statistics you need to know in 2025. https://metricool.com/important-instagram-statistics/
Naeem, M., Ozuem, W., & Jain, V. (2025). E-semiotics and symbolic interactionism in luxury fashion branding on Instagram. Computers in Human Behavior, 158, Article 107154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.107154
Osmanova, G., & Kenan, K. (2023). Visual design and brand evangelism: The mediating role of brand identification. Journal of Brand Management, 30(4), 345–358.
Pandit, A., Gupta, S., & Sharma, R. (2025). Consumer–SMI engagement and the role of homophily attitudes: Implications for continued engagement intention. Internet Research, 35(4), 912–930. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-05-2024-0256
Putikasari, A., & Auliana, L. (2024). The impact of digital storytelling on brand loyalty: Evidence from Indonesian MSMEs. Journal of Indonesian Economy and Business, 39(1), 45–60.
Rizzo, A., & Muzzarelli, F. (2023). Sensory language in influencer marketing: Authenticity and attention. Fashion, Style & Popular Culture, 10(2), 189–205.
Santos, Z. R., Cheung, C. M., & Lee, M. K. (2020). Brand storytelling and consumer engagement in the digital age. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 120(2), 435–451. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-03-2019-0190
Schmitt, B. (2010). Experience marketing: Concepts, frameworks and consumer insights. Foundations and Trends in Marketing, 5(2), 55–112. https://doi.org/10.1561/1700000027
Urbonavičius, S., & Hollebeek, L. D. (2025). Consumer engagement in the metaverse: Conceptualization and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 175, Article 114500.
Valenzuela-Gálvez, C., & Martinez, A. (2024). Digital sensory excitement: Triggering emotions through screens. Psychology & Marketing, 41(4), 890–905.
Zaman, M., & Tahir, M. (2024). Multisensory branding and perceived quality: A cross-cultural study. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 36(2), 134–150.
Zha, D., Foroudi, P., Melewar, T. C., & Jin, Z. (2024). Examining the impact of sensory brand experience on brand loyalty. Corporate Reputation Review, 27(1), 34–49. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41299-023-00148-4
Zhang, L., & He, Y. (2023). Brand narrative consistency and integrity: The consumer perspective. Journal of Brand Management, 30(2), 145–159.
Zhao, Y., Chen, H., & Su, L. (2022). Visual symbols and consumer engagement in social commerce. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 57, 56–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2021.12.002
Zhao, Y., & Wang, L. (2022). Visual richness in social media content: Impact on user engagement. Internet Research, 32(5), 1567–1589. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-03-2021-0164
