Building engagement in online brand communities: The effects of socially beneficial initiatives on collective social capital

Using social capital theory, this study investigates members' perceptions of socially beneficial initiatives on collective social capital. A total of 359 valid surveys were collected from two types of online brand communities (OBCs). The results demonstrate that high levels of empathy can lead to increased prosocial behavior. In both product and social OBCs, social trust affects affective and cognitive engagement, while reciprocity impacts affective and behavioral engagement. Moreover, our findings show that the link between prosocial behavior and reciprocity is partially mediated by social trust. This study provides several implications for the management of OBCs. • High levels of empathy can lead to increased prosocial behavior. • Social trust affects affective and cognitive engagement in product and social brand communities. • Reciprocity impacts affective and behavioral engagement in product and social brand communities. • Social trust partially mediates the relationship between prosocial behavior and reciprocity.