Brand consumer mimicry in social media

Drawing on theories of consumer mimicry and communication accommodation, this research explores the potential of brand-consumer mimicry (BCM) in social media – a brand’s strategic imitation of digital consumers in its attempt to adapt to their techno-culture. Imitation is a powerful way to connect, and BCM presents a novel opportunity for brands to engage with consumer communities and affect prosocial responses. Using field data from TikTok, an emerging creator-driven entertainment platform, and a scenario-based experiment, we examine the impact BCM has on social media engagement. We further investigate the mediating role of perceived social attractiveness and the moderating roles of social media influencer participation and the popularity of the cultural practice being mimicked. The expected findings will contribute to the theorisation of consumer engagement marketing and inform social media marketing and digital content strategy. In doing so, we reimagine the theory and practice of marketer acculturation in the digital world.