1. CUSTOMER DELIGHT, BRAND COMMUNITIES, AND LOYALTY:
The Case of the Bruce Springsteen Fan
By
VINCENT P. INNOCENTE
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Business Administration
ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY
May 2014
Submitted Date: Approval Date:
_________________________ ___________________________
Student Name/Signature Supervisor’s Name/Signature

2. ii
CUSTOMER DELIGHT, BRAND COMMUNITIES, AND LOYALTY:
The Case of the Bruce Springsteen Fan
Abstract
By
VINCENT P. INNOCENTE
Customer delight is an area of interest to both academics and practitioners.
While customer delight has been defined as a combination of joy and surprise, as
magical, and as extreme satisfaction, this variety of conceptualizations exemplifies a
need for further study. Further, brand community research indicates that the
relationship between delight and loyalty has been examined but not firmly linked.
Concurrently, there has been a rapidly growing interest in American music icon
Bruce Springsteen and his fans by academics over the last decade. Springsteen’s
extensive body of work has inspired a great deal of interpretation and study, however
very little research has been done to explain the behavior of his dedicated fan base
and what drives them to act as a loyal brand community. This qualitative study
examines customer delight through the lens of the Bruce Springsteen fan community
through a series of interviews, netnographic observations on the online fan forum
Backstreets Ticket Exchange, and analysis of the documentary film Springsteen & I.
It is the goal of this research to better understand the experiences of the delighted and
loyal fan individually and in brand communities, to contribute to both the academic
literature and to marketing practice.

3. iii
Dedication
This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Vinny and Regina Innocente, who have
supported me every step of the way throughout this process. I am forever in their
debt and I hope to continue to make them proud.

4. iv
Acknowledgements
I would like to first thank my advisor and professor, Dr. Joan P. Ball, for
believing in me and having the foresight to know that one class project could turn into
something much greater. Her passion and enthusiasm for the subject matter was
infectious, and I could not have pulled this off without her constant guidance,
direction, and motivation. She is the best mentor I could have ever asked for, and I
am so grateful for all her assistance.
Secondly, I need to thank St. John’s University – namely Dean Victoria
Shoaf, Dean Donna Narducci, Dean Patricia Maguire, Dr. A. Noel Doherty, and my
graduate assistantship supervisor Margaret A. Tierney, RN – for their interest,
permission, and support throughout this whole process.
Finally, I have to thank Bruce Springsteen and his fans. Thank you Bruce for
your music and your inspiration. Thank you also to the entire Bruce Springsteen fan
community for providing me with a rich context to study. I owe a special debt of
gratitude to all those fans who took my survey, shared their personal stories,
participated in forum discussions, and corresponded with me via emails and private
messages. Last but not least, thank you to Eileen Chapman of the Bruce Springsteen
Special Collection at Monmouth University for her interest and assistance with my
research.

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Table of Contents
Title Page…………………………………………………………….....…….…....... i
Abstract………………………………………………………………….….….…… ii
Dedication………………….…………………………………………….….……... iii
Acknowledgements…………………………………………………….….……….. iv
Table of Contents………………………………………………………….....……....v
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………. 1
Literature Review……………………………………………………………..…….. 3
Customer Delight…………………………………………………...………. 3
Customer Delight and Loyalty……….……………………………………... 6
Brand Communities and the Bruce Springsteen Fan……………………...... 8
Methodology…………………………….………………………………………… 11
Study One – Qualitative Survey …………………………..…………………….…13
Participants………………………………………………………………… 13
Findings …………………………………………..……………………….. 15
Q1 …………….…………………………………………………… 18
Q2 …………………………………………………………………. 18
Q3 …………………..……………………………………………... 22
Q4 …………………………………………………………………. 25
Q5 ………………….……………………………………………… 27
Study One Conclusion …………………………………………………….. 29
Study Two – Netnographic Observations…....…………………….……………..... 30
The Backstreets Ticket Exchange – An Overview………………………… 30
Findings …………………………………………..………..……………… 31
Setlist-Watching……………………………………..…………… 31
Study Two Conclusion ……………………………………………………. 37
Study Three –Springsteen & I…………………………….……………………….. 38
Findings …………………….…………………..…………………………. 38
Study Three Conclusion ….………………………………….……………. 40
Conclusion, Limitations, and Future Research…………………………………….. 41
Future Research, Management Implications, and Limitations …..………... 43
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………… 44
References……………………………………………………………………….…. 45
Vita…………………………………………………………………………………. 50

6. 1
INTRODUCTION
Customer delight is currently an area of interest to both academics and
practitioners. While customer delight has been defined as a combination of joy and
surprise (Plutchik, 1980; Oliver, Rust, & Varki, 1997; Barnes, Beauchamp, &
Webster, 2010), as requiring intense emotion (Bartl, Gouthier, & Lenker, 2013), as a
magical experience (Arnould & Price, 1993), and as extreme satisfaction (Westbrook
& Oliver, 1991; Kumar & Iyer, 2001), this variety of conceptualizations exemplifies a
need for further study. Brand community research indicates that the relationship
between customer delight and loyalty has been examined but not firmly linked
(Arnould & Thompson, 2005; Stokburger-Sauer, 2010; Wang, Butt, & Wei 2011;
Hur, Kwang-Ho & Kim, 2011). Concurrently, there has been a rapidly growing
interest in American music icon Bruce Springsteen and his fans by academics over
the last decade. Springsteen’s extensive body of work has inspired a great deal of
interpretation and study (Culnan, 2005; Hamburger, 2007; Bernstein, 2009; Yates,
2009; Bishop & Sawyers, 2012), however very little research has been done to
explain the behavior of his dedicated fan base and what drives them to act as a loyal
brand community.
This qualitative study examines customer delight through the lens of the
Bruce Springsteen fan community. The goal is to better understand fan delight, fan
loyalty, and how they are expressed and influenced in a brand community. Beginning
with a literature review on delight, loyalty, brand communities, and fandom, this

7. 2
paper explores the experiences of fans through three studies. Study one explores the
responses and stories of Springsteen fans on the Internet forum Backstreets Ticket
Exchange (BTX) to garner insight into their behavior, experiences, and expressions of
loyalty. Study two delves deeper into fan behavior through a netnographic approach
(Kozinets, 2002, 2006; Reynolds & Xun, 2009) on BTX. Study three focuses on the
stories told by participants in the 2013 fan documentary Springsteen and I. It is the
goal of this research to better understand the experiences of the delighted and loyal
fan individually and in brand communities. This research is intended to contribute to
both the academic literature and to marketing practice.

8. 3
LITERATURE REVIEW
Customer Delight
The Business Dictionary describes customer delight as “the very favorable
experience of the client of a business when they have received a good or service that
significantly surpasses what they had initially anticipated” (Business Dictionary,
2012). Origins of delight can be traced back to literature on the studies of emotion,
beginning with the model of primary emotions, which defines delight as a
combination of joy and surprise (Plutchik, 1980). Though it has been determined that
delight is dependent on emotion, the type of emotion is unclear (Alexander, 2010).
Oliver, Rust, & Varki (1997) define customer delight as a combination of high
pleasure and high activation or surprise in that people will experience delight when
the results exceed their expectations to a surprising degree. From the employee’s
perspective, customer delight is also achieved when their expectations are exceeded
to a surprising degree (Barnes, Beauchamp, & Webster, 2010).
Customer delight has also been described as the result of an extreme level of
satisfaction (Kumar & Iyer, 2001). In a study of interviews with customers of car
dealerships, Kumar and Iyer concluded that interpersonal behavior is a better
indicator of measuring whether the customer was satisfied or delighted rather than the
actual service itself. However, the researchers measured delight as an extreme form
of customer satisfaction and not an independent condition (Kumar & Iyer, 2001). In a
study of consumer emotion and satisfaction, Westbrook and Oliver (1991) recognize
two experiential bases of high satisfaction – pleasure from surprise and pleasure

9. 4
linked to high interest. Consumers who experience high levels of pleasure and
interest tend to exhibit an enduring involvement in the product or service (Westbrook
& Oliver, 1991, p. 89-90).
Contrasting delight and satisfaction, Barnes et al suggest that to simply satisfy
the customer and adequately meet their expectations is not sufficient to ensure that
the customer will be delighted by the transaction and become loyal (Barnes, Collier,
Ponder, & Williams, 2013). Berman (2005) similarly states that satisfaction is based
more on perceptions whereas delight touches on emotions such as arousal, joy, and
pleasure. He discounts the notion that “extreme satisfaction” is the same as delight;
rather, he suggests that a delightful experience relies on “out-of-the-ordinary
performance” and is more memorable than a satisfying experience (Berman, 2005,
p.134). Further, Bartl, Gouthier, and Lenker (2013) propose that delight is achieved
through an intense, emotional response to a positive and unexpected service
performance that consequently can result in loyalty.
While much of the existing literature indicates that pleasant surprise is a
necessary condition for delight, other studies point toward the contrary (Chitturi,
Raghunathan & Mahajan, 2008). Kumar, Olshavsky, and King assert, “[t]he finding
that consumers can be delighted even if they are not surprised is one which has
considerable implications for theory and practice in marketing” (Kumar et al, 2001,
p.22). For instance, Arnould and Price (1993) focus on joy rather than surprise in
defining the delightful experience. Citing the difficulty of describing the joy and

10. 5
emotion that comes from an extraordinary experience, they suggest some experiences
are “magical” (Arnould & Price, 1993). Their findings are supported by psychology
literature that suggests that there are two kinds of joy – “magic” joy and “real” joy –
in that the former is a short-term experience appropriated to good luck whereas the
latter is more of an ongoing experience that is caused by the actions of someone or
something (Schactel, 1959). This distinction between two kinds of joy has raised the
possibility that there may be more than one type of delight, based on “magic” joy and
“real” joy respectively (Kumar, Olshavsky & King, 2001) that is experienced with or
without pleasant surprise.

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Customer Delight and Loyalty
In a study of repeat buyers in service businesses, Curasi and Kennedy (2002)
state that an organization’s ability to retain customers and develop loyalty is an
essential trait for overall success. Loyalty is present when “the customer exhibits
repurchase behavior and has a relatively positive attitude or commitment regarding
the service of an organization” (Curasi & Kennedy, 2002). Further, loyalty also
involves the intent to do business a specific company again and to speak about their
experience in a positive manner (Dixon, Freeman, & Toman, 2010). Dixon goes on
to suggest that delight is not a component of loyalty; rather, companies will achieve
customer loyalty if they seek to reduce the effort their customers need to put into
solving their problems (Dixon et al, 2010). The satisfaction customers will feel from
having their problems solved quickly and easily will in turn lead to loyalty (Dixon et
al, 2010).
Alexander (2010) argues that simply satisfying the customer is not enough to
insure consumer loyalty. Therefore, retaining customers is directly related to
consumer delight, wherein a customer will be more likely to be loyal had they been
delighted by the initial purchase (Schneider & Bowen, 1999; Kim, 2011). Loyalty
will lead to positive word-of-mouth recommendations by delighted customers to
attract potential new customers (Schneider & Bowen, 1999; Torres & Kline, 2006;
Barnes, Beauchamp, & Webster, 2010). Higher profitability can be achieved through
the lower costs of serving current customers, as creating loyalty shrinks the costs
associated with acquiring and serving new customers (Reichheld, 1996). Still, as

12. 7
Alexander concludes, areas for future research should seek to delineate a clear
theoretical link between delight and loyalty (Alexander, 2010).

13. 8
Brand Communities and the Bruce Springsteen Fan
Members of brand communities share a consumer identity described as “co-
constitutive, co-productive ways in which consumers, working with marketer-
generated materials, forge a coherent if diversified and often fragmented sense of
self” (Arnould & Thompson, 2005, p.871). The impact of the Internet on loyalty has
been increasing, as “electronic word-of-mouth” has been concluded to be an ever-
growing influence on potential customers and the decision-making process (Reynolds
& Xun, 2009). Reynolds and Xun (2009) suggest that the methods of persuasion that
exist on the Internet result from potential customers gathering information to properly
educate themselves on a certain product.
Online brand communities bring consumers with similar interests and
experiences into a social group to share information and experience while also
gaining identity recognized by their peers (Wang, Butt, & Wei 2011). Identity,
combined with shared interests and goals, unites customers in such a setting to share
experience, product information, and knowledge, which, in turn, managers can use to
increase and maintain positive brand equity (Wang et al, 2011). Brand communities
have been found to help companies strengthen their relationships with customers and
market to them individually, building relationships not only from brand-to-customer
but from customer-to-customer as well (Stokburger-Sauer, 2010). Companies should
recognize the importance of brand communities and make every effort to manage the
role they play in maintaining loyalty and brand equity (Hur, Kwang-Ho & Kim,
2011).

14. 9
Researchers have been particularly interested in fan communities because they
require a “heavy investment of self” from their members (Kozinets, 2001). In his
study of Star Trek fans, Kozinets classifies fan communities as a “subculture of
consumption” – a term conceived by Schouten and McAlexander (1995) in reference
to their extensive ethnographic study of Harley-Davidson motorcycle owners. This
study applies this framework to fandom, as it is “a distinctive subgroup of society that
self-selects on the basis of a shared commitment to a particular class, brand, or
consumption activity” (Schouten & McAlexander, 1995, p.43).
The Bruce Springsteen fan community is a strong brand community that has
been known to be extremely loyal and very vocal about their fandom (Culnan, 2005;
Hamburger, 2007; Bernstein, 2009). A recent study suggests that Springsteen fans
are more inclined to support social causes that he endorses due to the positive affects
his music has had on their own lives (Hamburger, 2007). Bernstein (2009) suggests
that Springsteen’s aging fan base continues to attend concerts for nostalgia,
community, and fulfilling a need for fun. From a management perspective, the social
contacts and activities of the members of Backstreets Ticket Exchange (BTX), an
online fan forum, resulted in relational commitment and social capital for the web
forum to become a community (Culnan, 2005). In another study of BTX, it was
concluded that, while fans tend to use Springsteen websites to develop a one-sided
interpersonal relationship with Springsteen, they actually begin to forge more
meaningful relationships with fellow fans (Yates, 2009).

15. 10
In addition to studies on Bruce Springsteen fans, there has been a rapidly
growing interest in Springsteen in general by academics over the last decade. Topics
vary from that of his music (Green, 2005), lyrics (Le Grice, 2009, 2010), and politics
(Harde, 2013). Monmouth University in Long Branch, New Jersey has hosted three
academic conferences dedicated solely to presentations about Bruce Springsteen, and
in 2013 Rutgers University integrated Springsteen into a theology course. Further,
Springsteen has been likened to a CEO who uses many strategies and tactics
considered the best practices in business today to inspire his followers (Bishop &
Sawyers, 2012).
While much has been studied with regards to Bruce Springsteen and his fans,
less has been done in consumer behavior, particularly in relation to the Springsteen
fan community and consumer delight. This qualitative study contributes to the
literature as it seeks to identify the characteristics of devoted fans, how they articulate
their experience of delight, and how they express their loyalty both individually and
in a brand community.

16. 11
METHODOLOGY
In support of the literature, a choice was made to examine the Bruce
Springsteen fan community as it represents a strong context for analysis. Three
qualitative studies were conducted and the findings are presented with supporting
discussion (Burnard, 2004).
Study one utilizes a ten-question survey created with the online survey
development website SurveyMonkey that was posted on the independent Springsteen
fan forum Backstreets Ticket Exchange (BTX) from March 22 to March 26, 2013.
The survey was designed to gather stories (Pham, Pallares-Venegas, & Teich, 2012)
in order to garner insight into fan behavior, motivation, and loyalty. The survey
collected relevant demographic information and relied on open-ended questions in
order to allow the respondents to tell their individual stories and share personal
experiences about their fandom. Questions ranged from asking fans to estimate how
much money they spend on Springsteen during a given concert tour and how many
concerts they’ve seen in their lifetime to open discussions about motivation, need
fulfillment, and community. Responses from the one hundred twenty-eight
participants ranged from just a few words to several paragraphs, producing over fifty
pages of data. The information generated from the survey was then analyzed through
thematic coding (Burnard, 2004) that can contribute to better understanding delight
and loyalty in a fan community.
Study two delves deeper into fan behavior on BTX using an online
ethnographic approach, also referred to as netnography (Catteral & Maclaran, 2001;

17. 12
Kozinets, 2002). This method was used as a way to gain additional insights from the
forum users organically. More specifically, this study sought to build upon the
findings of study one within the context of this online brand community as related to
delight and loyalty. Exploring the entire forum was beyond the scope of this study,
therefore five specific forum topics were observed within a twelve day period in order
to understand how fans express themselves and interact with each within the context
of this online community.
Study three analyzes the documentary Springsteen & I (Walsh & Scott,
2013), a film made entirely from the stories and experiences of Bruce Springsteen
fans from around the world. Through a documentary research method (Mogalakwe,
2006), the film was examined as a supplement to the questionnaire and as an existing
documentation that further explores the phenomena in question. An analysis of words
and themes was used to identify characteristics of delight, loyalty, and community
that emerged from the accounts of the fan contributors in this film. The goal of this
study was to enrich the findings of studies one and two by exploring the personal
experiences of Springsteen fans independent from the Backstreets Ticket Exchange.

18. 13
STUDY ONE – QUALITIATIVE SURVEY
Participants
The first part of this study was conducted on the Backstreets Ticket Exchange,
commonly referred to as BTX (www.backstreets.com/btx), which is an online fan
forum connected to the Bruce Springsteen fan magazine Backstreets. As of February
25, 2014 there are 179,471 total registered members on BTX worldwide who have
amassed more than 320 million posts across eight discussion forums on subjects
ranging from concert setlists, ticket selling/buying, and concert bootleg-sharing to
random Springsteen trivia, current events, and a host of non-Springsteen-related
topics (See Figure 1).
Figure 1.

19. 14
As a member and active participant in this online community, this researcher
was able to discuss and explain this research with fellow fans and gain the trust of the
BTX members prior to conducting this survey.
One hundred and twenty-eight respondents completed a ten-question survey
created via Survey Monkey (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZCTSGJH) freely and
without incentive. Of the participants, six (4.69%) were between ages 18-20, with the
majority being over 40 (75.21%) and the remaining between ages 21-39 (21.1%).
See Table 1 below:
Table 1.
Of the one hundred and twenty-eight respondents, roughly half (55%) of them
reported that they live in the United States, while nearly 10% live in England. The
remaining 35% reported living in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark,

20. 15
Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Spain,
Sweden, or Wales.
Findings
The following section presents the survey data in two parts. The first half of
the survey collected demographic data to understand the consumer behavior of the
respondents. The second half of questions were designed to elicit rich responses from
the participants in regards to the specific characteristics they possess as delighted and
loyal members of this fan community. Responses to these survey questions are
represented in charts, graphs, and direct quotes in this section.
The results of the following question: “In 2012 (or during an average tour),
how much money would you say you’ve spent on Bruce Springsteen?” are
reflected in Table 2 below:
Table 2.

21. 16
More than 60% of the respondents stated that they had spent over $500 on the
average concert tour, which would equal purchasing tickets to more than one show at
the 2012 tour average secondary market ticket price of $291.40 (Lawrence, 2014).
Some of the respondents elaborated on their spending, and examples of such are
presented in Table 3:
Table 3.
Description of Spending
Fan #1
Each show costs about $500 with ticket and travel expenses. I saw 7 on
this tour.
Fan #2 Incl[uding] travel, hotel and tickets (10 shows in 2012)
Fan #3
about 1500-1800 [E]uros for concert tickets and travel costs. I did not
include hotel costs. So you can easily say: Over $1,000
Fan #4
In 2012 I traveled to Canada and the US for three gigs in November, total
cost of $3500, and now attending 5 shows in Australia with a total spend
of $4500. So at least $8,000 in the last 4 months of the “Wrecking Ball
Tour!”
Next, the survey presented the fans with the following two-part question:
a. When and where was your first Bruce Springsteen concert? b. How
many concerts have you been to in your lifetime? (Please feel free to elaborate).
The frequency with which these fans attend concerts is an indication of their devotion
to Bruce Springsteen, as detailed in Table 4:
Table 4.
Total Number of Concerts Attended
# of Concerts # of Respondents
1 6
2-50 85
51-100 27
101-200 9
260 1

22. 17
The remaining questions of this survey and their respective responses
generated a large amount of data. A wide variety of words and themes emerged from
the fans’ stories as related to “delight”, “loyalty”, or “community”. The
corresponding table illustrates these themes as related to the questions asked:
Table 5.
Question Key Words and Themes
Q1) How did you first find out
about Bruce Springsteen, and
what about him/his music did
you find appealing?
Hobby, emotion, amazing, quality, fun, shared
experience, feeling, passion, joy, surprise, value,
community, magic, authentic, energy, hooked,
authenticity, obsessed, rebirth, salvation, love,
hope, sex appeal, hometown pride, power, escape,
enthusiasm, family tradition, unexplainable,
consistency
Q2) What makes you continue
to be a fan and make Bruce-
related purchases (concerts,
new releases, etc) into 2013
and beyond?
Unexplainable, camaraderie, feeling, energy,
participation, "drug", special, magical, quality,
community, intellectual engagement, fresh, happy,
anticipation, expectation, refreshing, consistency,
satisfied, enjoyment, dynamic, "it" factor,
transcendent, nostalgia, joy, fun, value, authentic
Q3) What need would you say
is being fulfilled by
purchasing a Bruce product?
Would you call it an
addiction?
Affection, loyalty, unexplainable, obsession, desire,
devotion, enjoyment, excitement, religion, hobby,
identity, nostalgia, joy, happiness, surprise,
anticipation, self-satisfaction, love, uplifted,
spiritual, community, addiction, value, emotional,
fun, escapism, release, relaxation, pleasure
Q4) (For BTX users only)
How has your membership to
this forum/online community
impacted your Bruce-related
purchasing decisions?
Knowledge, desire, influence, reinforces loyalty,
ease, help, companionship, shared experience,
community, extreme, anticipation, love, addiction,
persuasion, information
Q5) (For non-US fans) What
about Bruce Springsteen
appeals to you and transcends
your specific cultural/
language differences?
Emotion, personal, feeling, hope, faith, universal,
relatable, community, addiction, influential, unique,
special, unexplainable, transcendent
The following responses emphasize these themes further:

23. 18
Q1 – How did you first find out about Bruce Springsteen, and what about
him/his music did you find appealing? The following respondent describes his
fandom as a hobby between he and his mother:
I first came in touch with his music when I was about 13 years old because my
mum was (and still is) a great fan of him. Bruce expresses in his songs a lot
more emotion than it is usual for my generation’s “disco music”. Bruce’s
songs is not only simple music, they are sung poetry. And, in addition, Bruce
is the great common hobby of me and my mum. Most time we meet each
other, we are three: Mum, I…and [B]ruce ;)
Another response illustrates this respondent’s introduction to Springsteen at
age 19 and subsequent lifelong fandom as communal, amazing, and worth the price of
admission:
Somebody took me to see one of his concerts in 1980 and I was just blown
away. I wrote in my journal that night that I'd never seen musicians
simultaneously work so hard and have so much fun. Bruce was a real
showman and when he told stories the 20,000-member audience was silent. It
was amazing! I'd been to a lot of concerts before him, but nobody ever
seemed to have so much fun or work for the audience - really bring the
audience in to be a part of the whole experience. I also loved his music,
especially his writing. My dad, a carpenter, had been out of work for almost a
year when [I] first saw Bruce and Bruce was the only musician writing about
what was happening in my house and to m family and me. That was also
amazing. That was all when I was 19, and now that I'm 51 I still love all that
about him and the E Street Band. I also still see his respect and care for his
fans. He still puts on a hell of a show and he doesn't charge nearly as much as
it is worth. That helps me bring my niece or a friend to his concerts and that
gives him new fans.
Q2 -- What makes you continue to be a fan and make Bruce-related
purchases (concerts, new releases, etc) into 2013 and beyond? The next question
dealt specifically with delight and loyalty. Regarding this question, it is noteworthy
that, while many of the respondents identify themselves as being big Springsteen

24. 19
fans, their reasons for being loyal vary based on the individual. This fan expresses an
unexplainable feeling:
I can’t say for sure but I think it is the feeling you get when you are there.
The energy, the camaraderie, the participation.
Another fan articulates a similar sentiment:
I am not really able to explain that. I grew up with Bruce and his music, with
many songs I associate certain situations in my life. He and his music is my
drug. I cannot stop.
The above response echoes the findings of Arnould and Price (1993) who
defined delight as “magical” when the customer has difficulty explaining their
emotions based on the experience. Another respondent uses that very word when
describing their fandom:
I still like the music. I keep buying albums because I trust that I will like
them, and I keep going to shows because I like live music (I go to lots of other
concerts too) and almost every show has some moment that makes it
special/magical.
While many responses denote a feeling that the respondents cannot precisely
describe, there are several fans who clearly articulate their delight and loyalty. For
example, this fan illustrates his motivation for being a repeat customer of Bruce
Springsteen as such:
Consistently high quality of output, the feeling of a community, both in the
band and among the fans, and the intellectual engagement of the work. Bruce
continually changes things up on tour, making every concert a fresh
experience. He seems genuinely interested in making his fans happy when
he's on stage, and I think this makes the fans eager to repeatedly see him live.
A number of respondents reinforce the notion of consistency and quality while
exceeding expectations. This reaffirms the findings of Oliver, Rust, and Varki (1997)

25. 20
who found that delight is achieved when the customer’s expectations are exceeded to
a surprising degree. One such fan credits his loyalty to the following:
The fact that I never know what I'm going to get from the man at a show each
time I attend. At Metlife this September for example, he played 63 different
songs out of the 90 he played total. It is also refreshing to see how much he
enjoys performing and feeding off of his fans, involving them as much as he
can in his shows.
Another fan provides a rich account of why she continues to be a purchasing fan:
I would say one of the major aspects is consistency. When I purchase a new
Bruce album or concert ticket, I can feel assured that I'm going to be satisfied
and it will be up to the usual standards I expect from Springsteen. In that sense
there's very little surprise; even relatively universally-panned things like the
Working on a Dream album gave me some enjoyment. So therefore, I
typically will buy anything he releases without ever thinking about it (to a
degree - I won't blindly buy something like a greatest hits album). It's gotten
to the point that there's never a question about "if" I'll see Bruce when he
announces a tour, it's just a matter of "when".
The other major reason is how dynamic things are (particularly with the
concerts), since each concert is a unique experience to me, completely
different from the other ones. I certainly would not see as many if the sets
remained static, and even though there is a relative structure to his shows (he's
certainly not as free form as Pearl Jam or Dave Matthews Band), there's
always the possibility he'll have a stroke of genius and deliver an incredible
audible-filled set, like the show I saw at Fenway Night 2 last year. Nights like
that are that "it" factor that Bruce has that make me want to see him
dramatically more than any of my other favorite acts.
There's a certain magic that happens with the right set, crowd, venue,
performance, camaraderie, etc that all lines up and is almost transcendent.
Shows like Fenway #2 and MSG 2009 #2 make me want to buy as many
tickets as possible, in the hope that I'll have a chance at catching another night
like those.
In reference to the above response, it is interesting to note that fans discuss
being surprised by how Springsteen will structure any given concert while still
anticipating a consistently delightful product based on previous experience.

26. 21
Researchers have made a distinction between two kinds of joy – “magic” joy and
“real” joy – in which the latter is credited to an ongoing experience that is evident in
the Springsteen fan community (Schactel, 1959; Kumar, Olshavsky & King, 2001).
One respondent describes her loyalty in this way:
The two words that come to mind are nostalgia and joy. Nostalgia for the
time, place, and people of my youth, and the joy of seeing him live. There is
no surer way to get 3-4 hours of pure joy and fun for $100.
Not only does the contributor acknowledge experiencing joy, she introduces
the concepts of nostalgia and value. Holbrook and Schindler (2003) identify
nostalgia as a considerable concept in marketing practice “whereby some object
evokes, symbolises, instantiates or otherwise captures some sort of lost but still-
valued experiences — namely, those associated with a set of pleasurable or at least
personally significant memories from the past” (Holbrook & Schindler, 2003, p.121).
Another respondent notes the following:
A mix of nostalgia and the continued level of musicianship and lyrics. There
just is no one else out there with the consistent quality. And the concerts
always surpass expectations and provide a cathartic, transforming experience.
With respect to value, many respondents have cited feeling pleased with the
value they receive from purchasing and experiencing a Springsteen concert. For
example:
He is amazing to see live and doesn’t charge a fortune unlike other bands at
his level.
Another fan had a similar response:

27. 22
He also keeps his ticket prices reasonable and tries to make it harder for
scalpers to get them. He also stands up for fans against places like
Ticketmaster.
Q3 -- What need would you say is being fulfilled by purchasing a Bruce
product? Would you call it an addiction? Of the one hundred twenty-two
participants who answered this question, fifty-seven described their fandom as an
addiction. In contrast, thirty-nine did not consider themselves addicted; rather they
used emotional words seen in Table 6:
Table 6.
Alternative Words to Addiction
Affection Loyalty
"Bruce feeling" Need
Collection Obsession
Desire Profession
Devotion "Pure Enjoyment"
Excitement Religion
Hobby Remembrance
"Joy and Happiness" Self-Satisfaction
Love Unexplainable
"…investment in my daily happiness"
One respondent provides much insight into his motivations in his answer:
I'm not a religious person in the slightest, but I often tell my closest friends
that going to a Bruce concert is like going to church for me. Not in the sense
that Bruce is some deity or anything in that sense, but it's almost like a
spiritually renewing experience for me. I leave a Bruce concert feeling
uplifted; for 3 hours or so, none of my troubles in the world matter and all my
worries are checked at the door.
And then there's the community aspect, the idea of 20,000 people chanting
Badlands in unison and cheering at once is intoxicating to me. That's why I
don't mind going to Bruce shows alone, since I got tired of trying to drag
people to go and I've met great people every time I do General Admission,

28. 23
some of whom I still keep in touch with months after the show. So in addition
to being a fantastic night of rock n roll from one of the greatest live bands I've
ever seen, Bruce concerts are this uplifting experience to me that's still fresh
night after night and just leaves me wanting more.
I would definitely classify myself as addicted! Being a Bruce fan is truly one
of the things that defines me; ask any of my friends to describe what I like to
do and "Bruce shows" will usually be in the first few words. It's gotten to the
point where I can just say Bruce without the last name, and anyone who I'm
even casual friends with will know who I'm referring to.
Like I mentioned earlier, there's never any question about whether I'll buy
concert tickets, his latest CD, box set, etc. The only constrictions would be
time and money. I've definitely shaped some parts of my life around Bruce
(particularly concerts), for better or worse. I decided to go on vacation to
Europe this summer to coincide with seeing him abroad, I work over 15 hours
a week in addition to being a full time student in order to save enough money
to afford going to his concerts, I'll adjust my schedule to work around a show
I'm trying to see. And while there are times where I question whether it's
worth it, the rush and "high" I get from a Bruce concert remind me that it's all
worth it (at least to me).
The feelings conveyed by the respondent introduce the themes of need
fulfillment and identity. The answer of another fan reinforces this:
It’s my religion-Bruce represents everything I believe in….empathy for fellow
man, faith in doing what[‘s] right, sharing my successes with those less
fortunate.
As a songwriter, recording artist, and live performer, Bruce Springsteen is
both the creator of consumable products and a service provider through his concerts.
That being said, there are a variety of ways that fans consume Springsteen and
express their feelings through their consumption. One female fan describes her
feelings of identity through Springsteen items she owns:
I have a nice small collection. Looking at the items brings me memories, and
makes me remember that I am more than just "mom"/wife/daughter etc etc
etc...my experiences and memories of concerts remind me of my true self.

29. 24
Another respondent articulates the many motivations he has for his consumption:
If a live concert is considered a product, then Bruce’s shows very much fill an
emotional need. They can be fun, or intense but uplifting. I enjoy going to
shows and talking to other fans, so there is also a need for community. In that
sense, I guess it is a bit of an addiction.(lol) I buy the physical product (CD’s,
albums) because I enjoy the music, but I am also a collector, thus I sometimes
seek out limited edition items and such.
Other fans detailed a feeling of escapism when attending a Springsteen
concert similar to that described by Kozinets (2001) in reference to Star Trek fans.
Kozinets (2001) notes that fans look for a way to escape reality and become
consumed by their interests. Further, his ethnographic study of Burning Man states
that such group consumption creates emancipation from real life that people yearn for
(Kozinets, 2002). For example, a fan states:
The need for escape from my everyday life, release, relaxation. Going to
shows can be feel like an addiction, trying reach that same feeling as the first
time you heard your favorite song. The want to try and replicate that escape
or pleasure/enjoyment.
Elements of community also emerged from the data. Springsteen fans
describe themselves as part of a community of fans, and express a longing to belong
to such a group:
I enjoy the communal aspect of his shows, it’s a nice escape and keeps me
feeling young.
In addition, another fan elaborately expresses a similar sentiment in her
response:
It's so much fun to get lost in the music and moved by music and laugh at and
with performers. It feels great to be out with friends who love his music as
much as I do, and in that way, we share the music and the feeling. Bruce's
music is about community and idealism. His fans are so idealistic it's kind of
funny. But it's nice for us all to be together and cheering on a guy who says

30. 25
he believes in a better world and that all of us can make or break it. Most
people are not that realistic and idealistic at the same time, and when you're
like that you tend to feel sort of alone all the time. Bruce's concerts are almost
like coming out parties for idealists! I'm not addicted in the sense of having to
see him night after night. But I always see him when he's in driving distance
of Chicago, and I've gone to other parts of the US and Europe to see him with
friends I've made on Bruce fan message boards.
Q4 -- How has your membership to this forum/online community
impacted your Bruce-related purchasing decisions? This question was specifically
targeted towards the members of BTX. Most of the eighty-two respondents who
answered this question said that BTX has increased their awareness and expanded
their knowledge of Springsteen. Moreover the respondents acknowledged a shared
experience and companionship among their fellow forum members. This data
supports the findings of Reynolds and Xun (2009) who found that “electronic word-
of-mouth” has an increasingly significant influence on the consumer’s decision-
making process on an online forum (Reynolds & Xun, 2009, pg. 17). For example:
Until I found BTX, I really didn't have any friends who shared my love of
Bruce, so it was great to find other fans who knew so much more than I did. I
learned a lot and was exposed to a lot of information I didn't know, and if it
wasn't for BTX, I don't think I would have become a diehard fan. So, it has
had a huge impact.
Another BTX member gives a detailed response worth noting:
Being a part of BTX has allowed me to greatly expand my knowledge of
Bruce and his music. Probably its most significant contribution was
introducing me to bootlegs, which brought me to a whole other level of
fandom and only strengthened my desire to see him live more often. The other
aspect about BTX that I value is that I feel part of a community of people
"who get it". Particularly since being a diehard fan of a 63 year old rocker
makes me something of a minority among my age group and something that
many of my peers don't really understand, it's refreshing to have a group that
shares that passion.

31. 26
Some fans use BTX as a way of reassuring themselves that their own
consumption habits are not as extreme as other fans. In a similar study of digital
camera customers on an online forum, researchers found that consumers invest a
substantial amount of time in searching for sources on the Internet to validate their
own judgments (Reynolds & Xun, 2009, p. 29).
While the BTX members acknowledge the usefulness of the online
community in encouraging their purchasing decisions, one such fan puts her fandom
in perspective:
I realize that there are still people who are worse than I am. And it also is a
little warning for me: don’t get too carried away. But without BTX (and
[I]nternet in general) I never would’ve seen so many shows in so many
countries. So it upped the number of shows I saw and actually increased my
‘need’ for more and more shows.
Another fan echoes the same attitude toward BTX, with added implications in
regards to her own spending:
I love BTX. It ensures there are people more addicted than me. I feel like a
casual fan when compared with so many of the folks on BTX. I've bought
several books and bootlegs after I learned about them on BTX. Their
excitement about upcoming shows has influenced the amount of money I'm
willing to pay for a GA ticket (e.g. Wrigley Field in 2012 was a tough GA
ticket to get. Each of my tickets was $360. I went both nights.) I've tried to
listen to the BTXers who say to never pay more than face value, but I feel
much better when I have a ticket in hand, regardless of the price.
These responses suggest that BTX has made them realize that their
consumption can lead to a level of excess, which they view to carry a negative
connotation. By observing the behavior of fellow fans, community members
recognize the methods of persuasion that can be likened to “peer pressure” in which
overspending can result in negative feelings towards oneself.

32. 27
In contrast, some fans claim that BTX has had no impact on their Springsteen-
related purchases (See Table 7).
Table 7.
Impact of BTX on Purchasing Decisions
Fan #1
BTX has had little to no influence on my Bruce related purchases. Like I
said above, I do to concerts when I can, buy his records, and pick up a t-
shirt here and there. These things I would do regardless of BTX.
Fan #2
Not at all. I don’t pick and choose what I buy/collect/acquire based on
other folks’ recommendations or reservations (sorry, no help here, anomaly
status ha ha)
Fan #3 Not much. I don’t pay much mind to the online comments.
Fan #4 Not much. I buy what I want, regardless of other opinions.
It is interesting to note that these respondents cite almost no persuasion from
being a part of this online community.
Q5 -- What about Bruce Springsteen appeals to you and transcends your
specific cultural/language differences? The goal of this question was to garner
insight into the fan experiences of the non-US customer and investigate whether or
not they experience delight in a different way. Sixty fans from twenty countries
answered this question in a variety of ways. A respondent from England states:
Just everything he says is applicable to anyone alive who has ever experienced
an emotion. He speaks directly to you from thousands of miles away no matter
where, who or how old you are.
Similarly, a German fan suggests that:
His way of expressing [themselves] shoots straight into the heart. He sings
about feelings and problems that exist in the whole world. A kind of American
dream dreams each of us. Disappointment about the society and politics, about
the personal life or relationships are felt all over the world. He gives hope and
appeals to the faith. That's what makes him great.

33. 28
Responses to this question largely involved respondents claiming to
experience little to no barriers to carrying out their fandom of Bruce Springsteen.
Rather, terms such as “universal”, “relatable” and “understand[ing] the human
condition” are prevalent in the fans’ reactions to the prompt. In reinforcing the idea
of fans as a strong community, a Canadian fan states:
Bruce's music and lyrics transcend cultural boundaries. They are common to
anyone's life experiences. They appeal to all ages. My children have heard,
known and liked his music since they were born (no choice). They have
created a bond for me with people I would have otherwise probably never met
or known.
Likewise, a Dutch respondent notes:
The songs he sings could just as easily be about the Netherlands. Only the
language is different and the [cities] he sings about are in the US but really he
sings about life. As [I] said, [it’s] more about seeing him perform live. You
really feel a part of it, to be there, at that moment, with friends old and new,
[knowing it’s] only there for just that moment...an addiction, but a healthy one
;)
One Greek fan goes so far as to express insult at the notion of a cultural
difference between him and Springsteen:
Wrong phrasing of this question: there are absolutely no cultural differences
between me & Bruce. You have to understand that Bruce has been the most
influential person in my life since I was a teen & in a way he "brought me up"
& passed on his ideals to me like an older brother would have. It all has to do
w/ who I am, what my life history has been. It's something unique & very
special & I can easily explain it but I'd need more space than this survey.
Anyway his music transcends borders & is universal. As for language
differences this doesn't apply to me- I'm bilingual as you can probably tell so I
can express myself in English as well, if not better, than I can in my native
Greek.

34. 29
Study One Conclusion
The findings of study one provide insight into the behavior of many delighted
and loyal Springsteen fans. When asked to discuss their fandom, the respondents
used emotional language to describe their feelings towards Springsteen as a person,
performer, and consumable product. Key themes for this research into customer
delight include joy, surprise, magic, passion, quality, loyalty, community, nostalgia,
anticipation, and fun. Other themes that were drawn from this study are noteworthy
for carrying both positive and negative connotations to fandom, and these include
addiction, escapism, habitual, obsession, and indebted. Finally, several respondents
referred to their fandom as their identity and their religion, which carry considerable
implications as it implies a moral dimension exists between Springsteen and his fans
(Manzoor, 2009).

35. 30
STUDY TWO – NETNOGRAPHIC OBSERVATIONS
The Backstreets Ticket Exchange – An Overview
As noted earlier, the Backstreets Ticket Exchange (BTX) is an online Bruce
Springsteen fan forum created in 1995 in connection to the online version of the fan
magazine Backstreets (www.backstreets.com). The Backstreets website has no
affiliation with Springsteen or his management, rather it is an online destination for
fans to seek information, news, an archive of past concert setlists, buy merchandise,
and connect with fellow fans through BTX. As of March 2014, BTX had nearly
200,000 members from around the world representing a wide variety of occupations,
income levels, and ages from teenagers up to adults in their sixties. At its inception,
the message board originally had three forums for fans to post and create discussion
threads. In 2014, BTX consists of eight forums with over 320 million total posts in
more than 71,000 topics. These forums are:
1. The Promised Land – “If you've been itchin' for somethin' to start, finally,
it's here: all Bruce, all the time. This is the forum for all Bruce/E Street-related
posts. It can be fun, it can be serious, but it's gotta be Boss;”
2. Ticket Sellers – “Post here if you have tickets for upcoming Bruce
Springsteen concerts that you are willing to sell for face value only (or less, if
need be);”
3. Ticket Needers – “Post here if you need tickets for upcoming Bruce
Springsteen concerts. If you have extra tickets, you can look below to find
someone in need before posting on the Ticket Holders forum. Needers, we
recommend you be as specific as possible as to which show(s) you're looking
for and what you'd be willing to take for seat location. And remember, ticket
sales on BTX are face value only -- posts offering to pay more will be
removed;”

36. 31
4. Ticket Traders - “Post here if you have extra Bruce Springsteen tickets
you'd like to trade for tickets to other shows;”
5. The Vineyard - “Music sharing at Backstreets;”
6. Political World - " ‘Hey, you got your patchouli in my weapons of mass
destruction!’ Red, blue, or purple, take your political debate, discussions, and
diatribes here;”
7. Where the Bands Are – “Want to talk about non-Bruce music? Here's your
place!”
8. Loose Ends – “The BTX community has a lot on their minds, and it ain't all
Bruce. From the spiritual to the mundane to the personal, have your non-
Springsteen discussions here.”
Due to the large quantities of data available on BTX, exploring the entire online
community is beyond the scope of this research. Therefore, five specific discussion
threads within one particular forum, The Promised Land, which is the most active of
the BTX forums, were chosen for this study.
Findings
Setlist Watching
A major communal activity of BTX involves the following of Bruce
Springsteen concert setlists in real time. When Springsteen is on tour a thread is
created by a designated member of the forum for every concert so that fans who are
not physically in attendance can follow and discuss the setlist that Springsteen plays
live as it is occurring through the updates of a fan who is actually present at the
concert. While this type of online fan engagement with live music has been studied in

37. 32
social media (Bennett, 2012), “setlist-watching” provides a controlled context to
examine in which Springsteen fans as a community are focused on a specific item.
The choice was made to restrict this study to observe five such concert setlist threads
over a twelve day period between February 21 and March 4, 2014, during Bruce
Springsteen’s tour of Australia and New Zealand. The five topics in question are
presented in Table 8:
Table 8.
Bruce Springsteen Concert Setlist Threads on BTX
Concert
Date
BTX Thread
Title
Date/Time
Posted
(EST)
Date/Time
of Last
Post (EST) Replies Views Pages
2/22/2014
Official
HUNTER
VALLEY #1
setlist thread
02/21/14 at
10:49pm
02/24/14 at
4:43pm 127 4097 9
2/23/2014
Official
HUNTER
VALLEY #2
setlist thread
02/22/14 at
11:54pm
02/25/14 at
3:13am 169 4858 12
2/26/2014
Official
BRISBANE
setlist thread
02/26/14 at
1:48am
03/01/14 at
9:53am 477 9166 32
3/1/2014
Official
AUCKLAND
#1 setlist thread
02/28/14 at
4:05pm
03/01/14 at
6:39pm 174 4844 12
3/2/2014
Official
AUCKLAND
#2 setlist thread
03/01/14 at
5:05pm
03/04/14 at
4:51pm 127 4821 9
As evidenced in Table 8, less than 5% of participants in the thread comment;
the rest are observing. That said, observing fan behavior within a setlist thread is a
unique way to study how the contributing members of this community express their

38. 33
opinions and interact with each other through a common interest. Conversations
within a setlist thread can vary from participants guessing what songs Springsteen
will play and in what order to discussions about Springsteen’s attire, which
sometimes induces bickering amongst the members. Also, fans who are at the
concert will sometimes contribute to the thread with live reports and post-concert
reviews. Table 9 highlights some key themes that arose from observing the five
setlist threads along with corresponding examples:
Table 9.
BTX Setlist Thread Observations
Theme Examples
Escapism Bruce set list therapy after a long day dwelling about an ex gf
that has moved on. Need a good show to lift the spirits, mind you
it's nearly 4am and I may have insomnia. C'mon E Street Band
Yeah, Bruce is distracting me from the great void too.
Surprise I don't think I have ever been more unsure about a setlist than I
am tonight :)
[In reaction to the first three songs played] Who saw that
coming, amazing threesome.
This is the most unpredictable start ever
Wow this is a setlist! Bravo! Very unique!
one of the big thrills about going to a Bruce-concert is not
knowing what he is going to play - but still knowing that no
matter what, it'll be great.
Joy/Excitement Love any setlist with 41 shots and murder Inc!!!!
How good is this tonight!!!
Wow. What I'd give to be in Brisbane now. Amazing.
Well that setlist made me spit out my cheerios. Unfreaking
believable.
Disappointment/
Disagreement
That [is] about as pedestrian a setlist as you are going to see.
Really inconsistent so far, but just from looking at the list, I don't
think I would have been very happy with this one.
For those of you who think this setlist was "epic" I suspect you
haven't been to that many shows. It was good, maybe very good,

39. 34
but hardly on the level of epic.
[It's] tragic he is doing these full albums all the time and covers.
[D]oes he really think people care about getting a whole album,
people just want entertainment and a night out most don't care or
don’t even realize
not [too] thrilled with tonight's set list. Pretty generic.
Anticipation/
Expectations
I have a feeling it will be a fantastic show…
"Stayin´ Alive"? Wow. That would be so unexpected and SO
FUN!
I have absolutely, positively, no idea what Bruce will play
tonight.
I'm hating sitting back home knowing I had every chance to go
to this. I had a friend who said I could stay with him when it was
announced he was coming back the 2nd time round. I loved
Melbourne, but him possible playing NYC Serenade or the entire
WIESS album is a killer. Really pissed off with myself right
now, every single ticket holder in Brisbane better damn well
appreciate what they get tonight.
Regret Many of us are regretting sitting behind our keyboards, one or
two hours away from this show by plane.
I'm heartbroken. I could have gone to this show…
In 2014, set list watching has arguably taken on a very considerable marketing
role for Springsteen as opposed to just as a casual fan activity, as Springsteen’s
management team is now making live recordings of every concert available to be
purchased and downloaded just a few days after the concert (Greene, 2014).
Consumers within an online community invest a great deal of time in searching for
sources to validate their preexisting judgments (Xun & Reynolds, 2010, p.28-29) and
the Springsteen setlists threads are an example of this. The netnography of the BTX
setlist threads indicate that fans are using this communal board activity to make

40. 35
educated decisions on whether or not to purchase the recording of a particular
concert. The following chart strengthens this observation:
Table 10.
BTX Setlist Thread Impact on Download Purchases
Fan A
The absolute must-have download so far. Please, Bruce inc., make it
available!!!!!
Fan B time to get the credit card out :lol: [I] think [I] just died a little on the
inside.
Fan C Wow, these last two nights have been amazing. Can't wait to buy them.
Fan D Now, that's something worthy of my $9.99!!!!
After a Springsteen concert is over, BTX members who were in attendance
will typically visit the corresponding setlist thread and post a review based on their
personal experience. The following fan described his experience at the February 23,
2014 concert in Hunter Valley, Australia:
I often come back from shows psyched and amazed. This combo of two show:
just totally stunned. So weird to think of looking other major fans in the eye,
and not feeling like I could begin to describe....
A lucky American traveling to Hunter Valley this weekend. My 3rd and 4th
Aussie shows -- and while Melbourne 2 and Sydney were fantastic, HV were
the best consecutive shows of the 93 in my life. 46 different songs. Come
on....
Tonight -- "the Springsteen of Springsteen shows" -- truly one of my top 5
ever (since '76). Stunning. Johnny 99 and Human Touch - like hearing for the
first time. Sound was stunningly perfect. As another poster wrote -- during I
Wish I Were Blind and solo acoustic TR -- nearly 20,000, with house lights
up, in rapt silent attention. When the crowd lights lit a little extra "... there's
magic in the night..." - it was "brucebumps" that were like Vail moguls.
The account by this fan above clearly profiles this individual as not being able
to explain the emotions he felt after attending this specific Springsteen concert. The
fan uses words like “amazed”, “stunned”, and “magic”, which harkens to the findings

41. 36
of Arnould and Price (1993) who defined delight as “magical” when the customer has
difficulty explaining their emotions. Similarly, another fan who attended the same
concert shared his/her experience:
Have seen all Aussie shows on this tour except Perth 1 and must say Hunter 2
was absolutely epic in every way imaginable. The opening covers for both
Hunter shows had to be the two best back to back cover openers I've ever seen
and Spill the Wine perhaps the single best. Unimaginable, completely
captivating and jaw dropping sound and execution. We left tonight shaking
our heads in disbelief at what we saw and heard. Definitely top two or three of
50 shows seen, with only the Wild and Innocent show at MSG better in my
book of the shows I've seen. The venue was absolutely top notch, with
incredible sound and the pit was small and intimate. Bruce took full advantage
of the Vineyard setting and I can't imagine ever seeing the full band at a better
venue anytime soon if at all. What a night. My best friend visiting from the
US for the last five shows saw three album shows plus 46 different songs in
the two Hunter shows and 80 or so unique songs over five shows. Just
remarkable.
There are many instances on BTX where fans will express their opinions and
be disputed by other forum members either politely or sarcastically. The following
screenshot (Figure 2) depicts such an occurrence, where one fan responds to two
other fans within a setlist thread in reference to their personal preference of songs:
Figure 2.

42. 37
Study Two Conclusion
This netnographic study supported previous research and built upon the
findings of study one, as similar themes reappeared. Such common themes include
joy, surprise, excitement, magic, community, escapism, and anticipation. Other
findings from study two point to fans expressing disappointment with the songs
played at a particular concert, disagreement with both the songs played and with the
opinions of fellow fans, and regret for not purchasing tickets to a particular concert
after having read the reviews. Such observations offer considerable insights into fan
behavior both as individual consumers and within the context of a community.

43. 38
STUDY THREE – SPRINGSTEEN & I DOCUMENTARY
Findings
Study Three involves the analysis of Springsteen & I, a 2013 documentary
made entirely from the stories, testimonials, and experiences of Bruce Springsteen
fans from around the world. The film was examined using a documentary research
method (Mogalakwe, 2006) as an alternative method to the qualitative survey, and
provided a fine compliment to the findings of Study One.
Interspersed between unedited stories from fans, the documentary featured
fans attempting to describe what Bruce Springsteen means to them in three words.
Data from these excerpts is presented in Table 11:
Table 11.
What Bruce means to me in three words
Fan Word #1 Word #2 Word #3
1 Joy Passion Memories
2 Hope Heart Perspective
3 Intense Passionate Earnest
4 Dazzling Tireless Loyalty
5 Power Relief Togetherness
6 Inspiration Joy "Salt of the Earth"
7 Happy Handsome Hot
8 Supernatural Divine Inspirational
9 A Local Legend
10 In Him We Trust
11 Passion Passion Passion
12 Poet Comfort Gluteus Maximus
13 Hope Assurance Redemption
14 Passion Desire Freedom
15 Working Class Hero

44. 39
According to the data collected, many of the fans’ responses touch on human
emotion. Words that appear more than once are “Passion” (6), “Joy” (2), “Hope” (2),
and “Inspiration” (2). Other words echo similar themes from study one, such as
religiosity, community, loyalty, and sex appeal.
The film also included many personal anecdotes from Springsteen fans that
have implications for this research. For example, a fan seems to support the findings
of Chitturi, Raghunathan & Mahajan (2008) in that delight can be achieved without
surprise:
A song by Bruce can stop me dead in my tracks, even a song I’ve heard over
and over again for 28 years.
This fan can be heard describing his fandom almost as having the effects of a
drug:
Whenever I’m feeling lonely or depressed I can always listen to one of his
songs or albums and it always helps me feel better and helps me get through
the day.
Similarly, another fan expresses her delight and loyalty as something that she
needs to include in her everyday life:
I can’t get through a day without listening to Bruce. His storytelling is perfect.
It helped me through serious highs and serious lows.
A different fan reinforces the idea of escapism as she read an open letter to
Springsteen:
It seems like every time I hit a bump in life I turn to you and your songs. They
pick me up and dust me off in a way that no one and nothing else can…Music
can be the best companion. Without you, I would be lost…Your music is a
story, and it bends and flows into the stories of everyone who listens to it.

45. 40
A Swedish fan detailed an experience he had with another fan at a concert in
Copenhagen as Springsteen was performing the song “Blood Brothers”:
During the last verse of the song, the guy next to me – I don’t know his name,
I’ve never seen him before, haven’t seen him since – he decides to put his arm
around me...it was one of those moments where it didn’t seem real at all.
This fan’s account harkens to literature that defines delight as “magic”. The
same Swedish fan, while acknowledging the communal feeling he experienced with
another fan, also goes on to describe his feelings toward Springsteen as an individual,
“I felt like I was the only one there. I felt like he was playing for me”.
Study Three Conclusion
In seeking to better understand the delighted and loyal fan both individually
and within the context of a brand community, the findings of study three give support
to those of studies one and two. Common themes of joy, religiosity, community,
loyalty, and addiction reemerge as being prevalent among the Springsteen fan
community. It would appear that Bruce Springsteen and his music have unifying
qualities that overcome his fans in such ways that they seem to enjoy speaking about
their personal experiences at great lengths. The ways in which fans have articulated
their delight and loyalty are critical to the goal of this study, offering new
considerations to marketing literature and practice.

46. 41
CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS, AND FUTURE RESEARCH
This research confirms past findings of delight as involving joy and surprise
(Plutchik, 1980; Oliver, Rust, & Varki, 1997; Barnes, Beauchamp, & Webster, 2010),
joy without surprise (Kumar, Olshavsky, & King, 2001; Chitturi, Raghunathan &
Mahajan, 2008) as requiring intense emotion (Bartl, Gouthier, & Lenker, 2013), as
magic (Arnould & Price, 1993), and as extreme satisfaction (Westbrook & Oliver,
1991; Kumar & Iyer, 2001) as evident within a brand community.
Furthermore, several characteristics emerge from the data that expand upon
this framework and point to even broader delight-related characterizations. Nostalgia
as related to delight and loyalty presents considerable marketing implications, as it
has been found that consumers base their purchase preferences on past experiences of
intense emotion and pleasure (Holbrook & Schindler, 2003). This echoes the findings
of Westbrook and Oliver (1991) and Bartl, Gouthier, and Lenker (2013) regarding
delight, suggesting that there may be a relationship between the two. Nostalgia can
be a powerful component of a brand’s image (Hunt & Johns, 2013) and has been cited
in this study as a quality of the delighted and loyal fan. Similarly, the notion of
anticipation, which is prevalent in the fans’ responses, also emerges as an attribute of
delight that may have implications for marketing management. Marketers recognize
that anticipation is a positive emotion that leads to customer engagement and
response (Friesen, 2010), therefore these concepts appear to overlap in a way that
warrants future research.

47. 42
In addition, several elements arose consistently from the data that are relevant
while not directly related to customer delight. The idea of escapism expressed by
many fans is considerable for marketing research as it could have both positive and
negative implications. Theses observations are relative to Kozinets’ ethnography of
Star Trek fans, in which he describes this subculture of fans as a “utopian refuge for
the alienated and disenfranchised” (Kozinets, 2001, p. 71). The same can be said
about addiction, as fans in this study have conceptualized their own loyal fandom as
having both positive and negative discourses of addiction (Hills, 2005) in that they
realize that they may be spending too much time and money on their fandom.
Subcultures of consumption leave much room for further research in analyzing the
roles entertainment, fantasy, stigma, legitimation, and utopia play in consumer
behavior and contemporary culture (Kozinets, 2001, p. 86).
Finally, themes of religiosity appeared repeatedly within the data. Religiosity
has been examined by researchers within brand communities (Muñiz & Hope, 2005),
fan communities (Booth, 2009), and in music fan communities such as that of
adoration of Elvis Presley (Duffett, 2003) and even Bruce Springsteen (Manzoor,
2009). In this study, members of this fan community have likened a Springsteen
concert to the same kind of conversion experience felt at a church service. In their
descriptions, fans have gone on to elevate Springsteen to almost messianic heights in
that he is acknowledged as both a “man of the people” and an iconized and revered
God-like figure. While this paper cannot adequately draw these conclusions, it bears

48. 43
noting that the same kind of language used in religious organizations is evident in the
data.
Future Research, Management Implications, and Limitations
This study of the Bruce Springsteen fan community has contributed to the
existing theoretical literature with substantial implications for business and research.
Still, it leaves great opportunities for further exploration and analysis. Marketers
should note the breadth of delight, which goes beyond joy and surprise, as it is
typically defined in the business media. Marketing managers should consider that
nostalgia is not only a brand connector but also indicates that it is something that can
generate customer delight. Further research on anticipation should also seek to
determine if the fulfillment of anticipated expectations leads to delight and loyalty.
In reference to escapism and addiction, it would be interesting for further
studies to delve deeper into the positive and negative effects of fandom and how they
relate to delight. While elements of addiction emerged recurrently through the three
studies, in particular in Q3 of Study One, the direct question may have skewed the
respondents in the direction of indicating addiction. Future studies should seek to ask
less suggestive questions in this regard. Additional research on fandom and
religiosity could prove considerable to marketing managers in determining the
specific attributes of their product or service that lead to this form of loyalty.

49. 44
Conclusion
Customer delight continues to be a topic of particular interest to academics
and marketers. Brand communities, more specifically fan communities, provide a
rich context for researchers and marketers to examine the delight and loyalty of its
consumer members. Past research has showed an interest in such communities due to
the large investment that fans show towards a specific product of interest (Kozinets,
2001). Marketers must realize that members of online brand communities, who have
both the ability to communicate amongst themselves and access to reliable
information on the web, hold considerable power over a company in expressing their
delight or disgust with a product or service (Denning, 2011).

50. 45
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VITA
Name Vincent P. Innocente
Date of Birth October 3, 1990
Elementary School St. Roch School
Staten Island, NY
Date Graduated June 2004
High School St. Peter’s Boys High School
Staten Island, NY
Date Graduated June 2008
Baccalaureate Degree Bachelor of Science
St. John’s University
Staten Island, NY
Date Graduated January 2011
Other Degrees Master of Business Administration
St. John’s University
Jamaica, NY
Date Graduated May 2014