THE ROLE OF PARASOCIAL INTERACTION, BRAND ATTACH-
MENT AND SATISFACTION IN PREDICTING CONTINUANCE
INTENTION AND WORD-OF-MOUTH TOWARD
MOBILE BRANDED APPS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
IN VIETNAMESE CONTEXT
VAI TRÒ CỦA TƯƠNG TÁC XÃ HỘI, SỰ GẮN BÓ
VỚI THƯƠNG HIỆU VÀ SỰ HÀI LÒNG TRONG VIỆC ẢNH HƯỞNG
LÊN Ý ĐỊNH TIẾP TỤC SỬ DỤNG VÀ TRUYỀN MIỆNG ĐỐI VỚI
ỨNG DỤNG DI ĐỘNG MANG THƯƠNG HIỆU: MỘT NGHIÊN CỨU
THỰC NGHIỆM TRONG BỐI CẢNH VIỆT NAM
Ha Tran-Thi-Phuong,
Nhan Tran-Danh
Nhu Tran-Thi-Quynh
University of Economics – The University of Danang
phuonghatran@due.edu.vn
Abstract
Mobile branded applications are increasingly built by various companies who urge to
change the way consumers communicate to brands, encourages them to connect and interact
with brands as well as control interactions between consumers and brands more effectively. This
study aims to investigate the role of parasocial interaction, brand attachment and satisfaction of
consumers in predicting continuance and word-of-mouth intention toward mobile branded apps.
The research model was empirically examined utilizing 250 responses conducted from Vietnamese
young people. The research results confirmed the impact of parasocial interaction, brand attach-
ment and satisfaction on continuance and word-of-mouth intention toward mobile branded apps.
The research results also revealed the positive influences of branded application experience and
perceived usefulness on the parasocial interaction, brand attachment and satisfaction.
Keywords: mobile branded applications, parasocial interaction, brand attachment, satis-
faction, branded application experience, perceived usefulness.
Tóm tắt
Các ứng dụng thương hiệu trên điện thoại di động đang ngày càng được xây dựng bởi
nhiều công ty khác nhau, những người mong muốn thay đổi cách thức người tiêu dùng giao tiếp
với thương hiệu, khuyến khích họ kết nối và tương tác với thương hiệu cũng như kiểm soát tương
tác giữa người tiêu dùng và thương hiệu một cách hiệu quả hơn. Nghiên cứu này nhằm mục
đích điều tra vai trò của tương tác xã hội, sự gắn bó với thương hiệu và sự hài lòng của người
tiêu dùng trong việc dự đoán ý định tiếp tục sử dụng và ý định truyền miệng đối với các ứng
dụng mang thương hiệu trên thiết bị di động. Mô hình nghiên cứu được khảo sát thực nghiệm
với 250 câu trả lời được thực hiện từ những người trẻ Việt Nam. Kết quả nghiên cứu đã xác
định tác động của tương tác xã hội, sự gắn bó với thương hiệu và sự hài lòng đối với ý định tiếp
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tục sử dụng và ý định truyền miệng đối với các ứng dụng mang thương hiệu trên thiết bị di động.
Kết quả nghiên cứu cũng cho thấy những ảnh hưởng tích cực của trải nghiệm đối với ứng dụng
mang thương hiệu và tính hữu ích cảm nhận lên tương tác xã hội, sự gắn bó với thương hiệu và
sự hài lòng.
Từ khóa: ứng dụng mang thương hiệu trên thiết bị di động, tương tác xã hội, sự gắn bó
với thương hiệu, sự hài lòng, trải nghiệm ứng dụng mang thương hiệu, tính hữu ích cảm nhận.
1. Introduction
Many companies have recently indicated an interest in designing branded applications to
encourage attachment and create customer satisfaction when choosing company’s applications
(Bellman, Treleaven-Hassard, Robinson, Varan, & Potter, 2013). Smartphone applications expand
the capabilities of each phone allowing users to perform particular tasks flexibly (Wottrich, van
Reijmersdal, & Smit, 2018). Branded applications can change the way consumers communicate
with the brand, because they can help consumers easily interact and control their interaction with
the brands (Bellman, Potter, Treleaven-Hassard, Robinson, & Varan, 2011). The results of the
study show that the use of branded mobile phone apps increases consumers’ interest in the brand’s
product catalogs through applications and encourages consumers to connect and interact with the
brand more effectively. A branded app could establish the connection of emotion with its cus-
tomers (Fang, 2017), by increasing customer trust and engagement, with brand-related content.
The attached brand name can keep loyal customers using the app because of its close relationship
with the brand. The interactive features of mobile applications reinforce customer relationships
and help consumers have a very positive attitude and trust in this brand (S. J. Kim, Wang, &
Malthouse, 2015). However, the research on the relationship between consumer continuance and
word-of-mouth intention and brands based on the context of mobile branded apps is still limited,
especially in Vietnamese context. Therefore, a study with a comprehensive research framework
to better understand the mechanisms of consumer-brand relationships that influence on the con-
tinuance and word-of-mouth intention to branded applications is required.
In this studies, we examined the relationship of parasocial interaction, brand attachment
and satisfaction and continuance and word-of-mouth intention toward mobile branded apps. Be-
sides, the mechanisms through which brand consumers’ suitability facilitates brand attachment
and satisfaction also are examined in this study. The paper is structured as follows. In the next
sections we will discuss the conceptual model development with proposed hypothesis, method-
ology, results, and conclusion.
2. Literature Review
2.1. Mobile applications
Mobile apps are software programs created specifically for mobile devices: smartphones,
tablets. They turn them into a miniature space for entertainment, shopping, news, etc. Systematic
interfaces work flexibly in software program applications and have expanded phone’s features
that allow users to easily perform specific tasks (Jaakkola, Helkkula, Aarikka-Stenroos, & Dube,
2015; Yang, 2013). Initially, the app was created for general productivity and information recovery
purposes, including email, calendar and contact management, or basic applications for a phone.
However, with increasing the demand of consumers, these features are increasingly optimized
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and born. The tools are gradually being developed, promoting rapid expansion to include other
application categories such as games, beautiful photography apps, social app utilities, etc. In ad-
dition, with new features on the tools, the security of accessing personal information will be op-
timized and safer (Hsu & Lin, 2015). In general, the application is a software that runs on
hardware platforms, we can download it on any smart device that can access the Internet such as
tablets, laptops, smartphones and desktop (Peng, Chen, & Wen, 2014).
As mobile applications spread across various mobile platforms, researchers gradually
turned to brand management and marketing features. Marketers have found the great uses and
potential of smartphone apps as an effective marketing communication tool (Bellman et al., 2011).
According to Nielsen (2014), on average, people spend lots of time using mobile applications
than searching web browsers when they really need to. People use mobile apps more and more
and they contain a large number of potential customers that businesses are looking for. Under-
standing this trend, in addition to website design, there are countless new applications being
launched every day. They apply to many different fields and industries: education, e-commerce,
real estate, beauty spa, etc.
2.2. Branded apps
Branded applications designed by a prominent branding company, in particular to identify
the brand between customer interactions with the company’s services (Bellman et al., 2011; Fang,
2017). A branded app is a mobile application created by a company to promote its brand. It reflects
the color, logo, typical slogan and characteristics of a brand through the application that customers
have been approached. Branded applications provide product information to consumers, which
encourages consumers to interact more strongly and easily with the brand they have chosen (Jin,
2016). Specifically, branded applications have transformed consumer brand engagement from
centralized to an instant consumer interaction conversation (J. Kim & Ah Yu, 2016). Simply, we
can see, branded applications that consumers are likely to regulate and control all the features
they interact with the brand’s services through their mobile applications, the level of consumer
attachment to that brand application is high and effective (Jung, 2014; Zhao & Balagué, 2015).
Today, many well-known brand companies take advantage of media marketing opportunities
through mobile applications, they have designed mobile branded applications to raise brand
awareness and increase the value of each customer experience (S. J. Kim et al., 2015; Zhao &
Balagué, 2015). Therefore, many big brands in Vietnam in particular and around the world in
general have developed these outstanding features to attract and improve the relationship between
a number of consumers with the company’s brand such as Pizza Hut, My Starbucks, Gong Cha,
McDonald, The Coffee House, etc.
3. Conceptual model development
3.1. Brand Attachment
An attachment is a deep and lasting emotional relationship, connecting one person to an-
other through time and space and some people seeking natural attachment to specific data to
avoid physical and psychological threats and to promote regulatory influence (Pedeliento, An-
dreini, Bergamaschi, & Salo, 2016). Consumers can create strong connection and develop it with
the goals necessary in their own lives and they can have a strong attachment to a brand, any per-
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son, a product or even places where they care about and want to visit. (Ramkissoon & Mavondo,
2015). Brand attachment is a sense of each individual about that brand in which love and brand
engagement are expressed through the experience of each consumer when they use brand appli-
cations, thereby serving as a foundation to affirm the relationship between brand and consumers
(Thomson, MacInnis, & Whan Park, 2005). Compared to other consumer behavior research struc-
tures, brand attachment clearly demonstrates the relationship and correlation between customers
and the brand, this focus is on explaining the relationship of a brand with customers and forming
consumer loyalty for that brand (Bahri-Ammari, Van Niekerk, Khelil, & Chtioui, 2016).
The emotional attachment with a brand is reflected in the emotional dependence on the
brand of the consumer (Phau, Teah, So, Parsons, & Yap, 2013). If the experiences that consumers
really feel a high degree of attachment, they will make efforts, invest time and effort for that
brand (Smaoui & Temessek Behi, 2011). Moreover, the buying decisions of consumers are in-
fluenced by emotions related to the experience during using process that they are constantly con-
sidering choices. So, brand attachment determines the ability of consumers to respond to their
behaviors during the time they are actually experienced, such as purchase intent and brand ex-
tension (VanMeter, Syrdal, Powell-Mantel, Grisaffe, & Nesson, 2018). The study of Hwang,
Baloglu, and Tanford (2019) show that consumer brand attachment promotes their interoperability
and loyalty to the brand, so they tend to continue to buy and use the products, service of that
brand. Unlike the continuance intention, the potential for referral and sharing capacity can be an
important component that should be supplemented in combination with the theory of technology
application of previous studies effectively (Chea & Luo, 2008; Miltgen, Popovič, & Oliveira,
2013). The study of branded application is quite appropriate in this context, when word of mouth
intention is considered a particularly important outcome variable (Hsieh & Tseng, 2017) in the
success of a brand when using mobile brand applications as well as the ability to grow sales in
the process of applying the application model to business (Liang, Li, Yang, & Wang, 2015). In
the context of mobile branded applications, the impact of brand-consumer attachment on decisions
of continuing using and spreading their word-of-mouth would be addressed. Therefore, the fol-
lowing hypotheses are proposed:
H1a: There is a positive relationship between consumers’ brand attachment and their con-
tinuance intentions toward branded apps.
H1b: There is a positive relationship between consumers’ brand attachment and their word-
of-mouth intentions toward branded apps.
3.2. Satisfaction
Satisfaction is defined as a measure of the level of customer satisfaction of a product, serv-
ice and ability of a company which will help to accurately identify the specific information of
each customer through surveys, adjustments and ratings, from which the company can improve
and enhance its products and services in the best way (Schroeder, 2009). According to Ölander
(1977), customer satisfaction is a relative measurement related to customer evaluation and com-
parison. Also with this novel concept, customer satisfaction is assessed with products and services,
basically (Ölander, 1977). The theory of satisfaction has been generalized by many authors and
researchers on satisfaction standards (Aigbavboa & Thwala, 2013). Satisfaction is used to evaluate
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that a feature of a product or service, or a product or service itself, is provided (or is being sup-
plied) by a consumer favorite and satisfaction response (Oliver, 1977). According to Chu (2002),
the satisfaction of customers’ emotional responses to products and services is assessed as the
process of forming satisfaction which is considered a fairly complex process related to cognitive,
emotional and other psychological effects of people.
Different from the usual face-to-face support capabilities, brand applications develop serv-
ices that offer outstanding speed and optimal benefits, bringing a common satisfaction to all users
(Pantano & Viassone, 2015). According to Grace and O’Cass (2005), satisfaction or dissatisfaction
is the result of confirming or not confirming previously thought expectations about actual per-
formance. Satisfaction is a positive response after consuming or consuming a product or service
(Grace & O’Cass, 2005). In the context of research for the use of mobile branded applications,
the positive benefits from experience of the applications will contribute to promoting the contin-
uance intention with the brand’s products and services as well as word of mouth intention of
long-term consumers (De Cannière, De Pelsmacker, & Geuens, 2010). Therefore, the following
hypotheses are formulated as follows:
H2a: There is a positive relationship between consumers’ satisfaction and their continuance
intentions toward branded apps.
H2b: There is a positive relationship between consumers’ satisfaction and their word-of-
mouth intentions toward branded apps.
Beside, consumers are almost identical with the brand when they feel satisfied with what
they expect (Kuenzel & Halliday, 2008). The stronger the customer relationship with a brand,
the greater its visibility. According to research (Thomson et al., 2005), when consumers feel sat-
isfied with what the brand gives them, the connection between the brand and consumers tends to
grow higher. In addition, the accumulated experience of consumers during the use of applications
as well as forming the quality of the relationship between consumers and the brand are all ex-
pressed by the satisfaction factor. Consumers who feel satisfied with that brand will gradually
use and search for everything related to the brand such as logos, products and services to express
their brand personality (Chiu, Huang, & Yen, 2010); so, the expression in the brand personality
also strongly influences the brand attachment over a period of time (Orth et al., 2012). A higher
level of brand attachment will bring a higher level of consumer satisfaction with the brand. Orth
et al. (2012) and Bahri-Ammari et al. (2016) also proposed that customer satisfaction can explain
their attachment. Therefore, consumers easily attach to the brand when they are really satisfied
with that brand. Accordingly, the following hypothesis is proposed:
H2c: There is a positive relationship between consumers’ satisfaction and their brand at-
tachment.
3.3. Para-social Interaction
Para-social interaction is proposed by Horton and Richard Wohl (1956) to paint the audi-
ence’s delusional experience of establishing a face-to-face relationship or direct interaction with
a distant media feature (i.e., mediated representation of speakers or characters). This interaction
is being imagined as a personal, reciprocal relationship. In fact, this is a one-way or non-interac-
tive, dialectical type of interaction because it is done through an intermediary virtual character
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