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Agenda Setting and Agenda Melding in an Age of Horizontal and Vertical Media: A New Theoretical Lens for Virtual Brand Communities

2009; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 86; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/107769900908600104

2161-430X

Matthew W. Ragas, Marilyn S. Roberts,

Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification

This study tests agenda-setting theory and the agenda-melding hypothesis in the context of brand actors and virtual brand communities. The aggregate attribute agendas of brand-controlled communications, news media content, and a virtual brand community are analyzed. The results indicate a positive relationship between the brand agenda and brand community agenda, and an unexpected negative relationship between the media agenda and brand community agenda. In terms of agenda melding, the data indicate that the brand community, when divided by various demographic measures into subgroups, reflects attribute agendas that remain similar to the aggregate brand community agenda.