“Airbnb be like…” : examining the impact of memetic doppelgängers on meme virality and brand image

Kolar, Tomaž (avtor), Gidaković, Petar (avtor), Culiberg, Barbara (avtor)

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.

• Jezik: Angleški jezik
• Ključne besede: tourism, internet, brands, consumer behaviour, user-generated content, internet memes, doppelgänger, brand image, meme virality, Airbnb
• Vrsta gradiva: Članek v reviji
• Tipologija: 1.01 - Izvirni znanstveni članek
• Organizacija: EF - Ekonomska fakulteta
• Status publikacije: Objavljeno
• Različica publikacije: Objavljena publikacija
• Leto izida: 2024
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-173803
• UDK: 338.48
• ISSN pri članku: 0047-2875
• DOI: 10.1177/00472875241291147
• COBISS.SI-ID: 213685251
• Datum objave v RUL: 23.09.2025

Gradivo je del revije

• Naslov: Journal of travel research
• Skrajšan naslov: J. travel res.
• Založnik: SAGE
• ISSN: 0047-2875
• COBISS.SI-ID: 31206

Licence

• Licenca: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Priznanje avtorstva-Nekomercialno 4.0 Mednarodna
• Povezava: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.sl
• Opis: Licenca Creative Commons, ki prepoveduje komercialno uporabo, vendar uporabniki ne rabijo upravljati materialnih avtorskih pravic na izpeljanih delih z enako licenco.

Sekundarni jezik

• Jezik: Slovenski jezik
• Ključne besede: turizem, internet, blagovne znamke, vedenje potrošnikov

Projekti

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: J5-1782-2019
• Naslov: Vpogled v temne plati tristranskega razmerja v delitveni ekonomiji

• Financer: ARIS - Javna agencija za znanstvenoraziskovalno in inovacijsko dejavnost Republike Slovenije
• Številka projekta: P5-0128-2018
• Naslov: Izzivi vključujočega in trajnostnega razvoja v prevladujoči paradigmi ekonomskih in poslovnih znanosti