Who “Likes” You … and Why? A Typology of Facebook Fans

Abstract

Although many managers
\nrecognize that Facebook fans represent a marketing opportunity, little is known
\nabout fan types. This study explores a typology of fans, drawn from a sample of
\n438 individuals who Like brands on Facebook. Fans brand loyalty, brand love,
\nuse of self-expressive brands, and word of mouth (WOM) for Liked brands were used
\nto suggest four fan types: the fan-atic, the utilitarian, the self-expressive
\nand the authentic.  The results of this
\nexploratory study highlight the value of cluster analysis as a strategy for
\nidentifying different fan types and provide insights to prompt further research
\ninto Facebook fan types.