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Introduction
In the past decade, managers have endeavored to build brands by creating a strong identity and conveying this identity through consistently managing relevant touch points with customers (e.g., Aaker and Joachimsthaler, 2000; Keller and Lehmann, 2003). To this end, managers are striving to better understand consumer behavior and positively influence consumers' brand perceptions through marketing initiatives (e.g., Keller, 1993). However, the direction of influence on a brand's perception and image has become increasingly bilateral. Today, consumers are no longer simply “receivers” of company- and brand-related information. Instead, they operate as “senders” of this information, e.g., by giving brand recommendations, by expressing criticism, or by sharing information with others (Hennig-Thurau et al., 2010). For this reason, managers no longer have exclusive control over information circulating about a company or brand. Consumers therefore play an important role in forming a company's or brand's perception and value in the marketplace (Keller, 2007).
Exchange of information about companies and brands between consumers is not a new phenomenon. However, today we are witnessing a new and rapid evolution of consumers interacting with each other via the Internet. Researchers estimate that over 1.4 billion people interact via the Internet, resulting in continual growth in the quantity and quality of information (eMarketer, 2012). New platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin, offer consumers the opportunity to