20.500.12556/RUL-173803 “Airbnb be like…” examining the impact of memetic doppelgängers on meme virality and brand image This article examines how internet memes, a distinctive type of user-generated content, have served as a vehicle for the co-destruction of the Airbnb brand. For this purpose, we discuss the relevance of internet memes alongside the doppelgänger brand image concept, which explains the logic behind disparaging brand imagery that circulates within internet culture. A comprehensive research model is developed that links several meme- and user-related characteristics with both meme virality and the brand image of Airbnb. The proposed multilevel model is tested using a split-sample approach on a dataset that includes 121 Airbnb-related memes evaluated by 3,664 participants. The results reveal that the virality of disparaging memes is mainly driven by humor, unambiguity, pictorial format, inoffensive content, and “active” user status. The perceived brand image is, however, mainly affected by the valence (negativity) of the memes, while the meme content and user status are also important. tourism internet brands consumer behaviour user-generated content internet memes doppelgänger brand image meme virality Airbnb turizem internet blagovne znamke vedenje potrošnikov true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2025-09-23 15:46:27 2025-09-23 15:48:58 2025-11-12 03:56:29 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2024 0 0 [in press] 2024 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 338.48 0047-2875 10.1177/00472875241291147 213685251 kolar-et-al-2024-airbnb-be-like-examining-the-impact-of-memetic-doppelgangers-on-meme-virality-and-brand-image.pdf kolar-et-al-2024-airbnb-be-like-examining-the-impact-of-memetic-doppelgangers-on-meme-virality-and-brand-image.pdf 1 B925C14F4DEAD96BB6DB7CFDFA37DE2F df38f0ea3fb1cea515e5900013c22fc2efbf51e36cc6e9c53cd76e991dea9587 c25c6f84-9883-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=218467 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00472875241291147 0 b5d0d466-9883-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=218466 Ekonomska fakulteta 0 0 0