Brand cocreation campaigns offer consumers various activities centered on interpreting brand image. Yet, little is known about what brand cocreation characteristics increase digital consumer engagement (DCE; e.g., liking a brand on Facebook) and how they do so. Given the importance of DCE, the current research addresses this gap. Three experiments demonstrate that brand cocreation activities with high (vs. low) focus on brand meaning generate greater DCE among consumers who have high self–brand connection. Evidence suggests that this occurs because an activity's high focus on brand meaning facilitates the generation of abstract brand knowledge. For consumers with low self–brand connection, focus on brand meaning does not differentially affect DCE because these consumers lack appropriate knowledge about the brand. This research also offers implications for optimizing interactive marketing practice.
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