Posisi perusahaan startup lebih tidak menguntungkan dibandingkan perusahaan yang sudah mapan. Namun, kekurangan tersebut dapat dimanfaatkan sebagai teknik pemasaran yang efektif dengan mengintegrasikan cerita mengenai tantangan dan semangat pendiri untuk menghadapinya dalam biografi merek underdog brand biography . Eksperimen ini untuk mengetahui peran mediasi consumer-brand identification CBI terhadap pengaruh underdog brand biography UBB pada brand community engagement intention BCEI . Data dari kuesioner online dengan partisipan 240 warga Jabodetabek berusia 18-35 tahun yang dibagi menjadi dua kelompok. Partisipan diberikan dua manipulasi, yaitu skenario underdog dan topdog, kemudian diminta mengisi consumer-brand identification scale dan brand community engagement intention. Hipotesis diuji dengan teknik analisis regresi PROCESS dari Hayes. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa UBB berpengaruh terhadap CBI secara signifikan ? = 0,92, p < 0.01 , CBI berpengaruh terhadap BCEI secara signifikan ? = 1,97, p < 0.01 , dan CBI memediasi pengaruh UBB terhadap BCEI secara signifikan ? = -1,82 . Hasil ini menunjukkan bahwa UBB mempengaruhi BCEI konsumen melalui CBI. Implikasinya, perusahaan startup dapat meningkatkan performanya di pasar dengan menonjolkan status underdognya melalui UBB.

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Startup company's position is more unfavorable than well established companies. However, this shortcoming can be utilized as an effective marketing technique by integrating the story of challenges and founders'passion to tackle it in brand biography underdog brand biography . This experiment aims to determine the mediating role of consumer brand identification CBI in the effects of underdog brand biography UBB on brand community engagement intention BCEI . Data from online questionnaire consisted of 240 Jabodetabek residents aged 18 35 years old are divided between two groups. Participants were given two manipulations, underdog scenario and topdog scenario, then were asked to fill consumer brand identification scale and brand community engagement intention scale. Hypotheses were tested using PROCESS regression analysis technique from Hayes. The analysis results showed that UBB has significant effect on CBI 0,92, p 0,01 , CBI has significanty effect on BCEI 1,97, p 0,01 , and CBI significantly mediates the effect of UBB on BCEI 1,82 . This result shows that UBB influence consumer's BCEI through CBI. The implication, startup companies can improve their performance in the market by highlighting their underdog status through UBB.