Igniting brand love: Exploring the role of member–member social interactions, co-creation experiences and affordances within online travel communities

The rise of social media and online social interaction has significantly contributed to the field of tourism marketing. However, the underlying mechanism of member–member social interactions (M-MSI) in online tourism communities (OTCs) and their emotional benefits remain underexplored. Grounded in social penetration and social exchange theories, this study investigates how the self-driven mechanism of M-MSI, which comprises online social support (OSS), social capital (OSC), and social cohesion (OSN) enhances co-creation experiences (hedonic, social, and cognitive) fosters brand love. An analysis of survey data from 535 Chinese OTCs members using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) revealed that OSS promoted OSC and OSN, with OSC further facilitating OSN. Moreover, high-quality M-MSI significantly strengthens brand love through co-creation experiences, a relationship positively moderated by affordances. Additionally, a fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to identify six configurational paths to brand love, supplementing linear model limitations. These findings expand the understanding of OTCs experience management and underscore the marketing potential of sustained emotional value co-creation through optimized M-MSI.