Examining the antecedents and consequences of brand experience dimensions: implications for branding strategy
| Published date | 03 February 2020 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JABS-01-2019-0020 |
| Pages | 505-524 |
| Date | 03 February 2020 |
| Author | Dhananjay Bapat |
| Subject Matter | Strategy,International business |
Examining the antecedents and
consequences of brand experience
dimensions: implications for
branding strategy
Dhananjay Bapat
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of thisstudy is to explore the impact of advertising, brand-related-stimuli, on the
dimensionsof sensory, emotional and intellectualbrand experience.
Design/methodology/approach –The study is dividedinto two parts. In the first part, the objective is to
examine antecedents to brand experience dimensions for umbrella brandand product brand using an
experimental study; in the second part, the relationship among brand experience dimensions, brand
experience evaluation and brand loyalty was examined using structural equation modeling by
incorporatingthe measures after exposure to advertisementfor both types of brands.
Findings –Based on a 2 2 factorial design,the results confirm that the main effect of advertisement
exists on sensory, emotional and intellectual brand experience. For product brand, brand experience
evaluation was mediator between both intellectual brand experience and emotional brand experience
with brand loyalty. The effect of interaction between branding strategy and advertisement was not
significant. For an umbrellabrand, brand experience evaluation acted as a mediator betweenemotional
brand experience dimension and brandloyalty. For product brand, brand experience evaluation acted
as a mediator between both intellectual brand experience and emotional brand experience dimension
with brandloyalty.
Research limitations/implications –The research has implicationswith regard to the antecedents and
consequencesof brand experience and offers implicationsfor branding strategy.
Originality/value –The present study is integrated and comprehensive, as it covers various facets of
brand experience.
Keywords Advertising, Brand loyalty, Brand experience, Sensory brand experience,
Emotional brand experience, Brand experience evaluation,Intellectual brand experience
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Various concepts of experience, such as product experience, consumption
experience, service experience, aesthetic experience, shopping experience, and
customer experience, have emerged (Zarantonello and Schmitt, 2010), with brand
experience being the broadest experience construct, as both consumers and
prospects are related to it. Brand experience is conceptualized as subjective internal
consumer responses (sensations, feelings, cognitions) and behavioral responses
evoked by brand-related stimuli (Brakus et al., 2009). In recent years, the importance of
brand experience has been recognized in the literature (Brakus et al., 2009;Iglesias
et al.,2011
;Ramaseshan and Stein, 2014;Merrilees and Merrilees, 2016;Zenetti and
Klapper, 2016;Bapat and Thanigan, 2016). To create a differentiated competitive
Dhananjay Bapat is based
at the Indian Institute of
Management, Raipur,
India.
Received 22 January 2019
Revised 25 March 2019
16 September 2019
20 November 2019
Accepted 2 January 2020
DOI 10.1108/JABS-01-2019-0020 VOL. 14 NO. 4 2020, pp. 505-524, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1558-7894 jJOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES jPAGE 505
advantage, firms are keen to create an exciting brand experience that captivates the
consumers to consistently purchase from the brand and remain loyal to it. Brand
experience occurs when consumers are exposed to brand-related stimuli, which
include communication, packaging, product design, advertising, packaging and
distribution (Ramaseshan and Stein, 2014). After the development of scale by Brakus
et al. (2009), we have observed a renewed focus on various dimensions of brand
experience, and since then, studies have examined the relationship of brand
experience with outcomes such as brand satisfaction, brand personality, trust,
commitment and loyalty.
Payne et al. (2009) affirmed the importance of experience in the brand-building process.
Marketing managers and researchers have realized that customer experience is the key
issue to be managed (Pine and Gilmore, 1998;Schmitt, 1999). Although sources and
outcomes of brand experience have been discussed in the literature, empirical studies
covering both the aspects are scarce. Because advertisement is identified as an important
brand-related stimulus, the study on how advertising impacts various brand experience
dimensions can add value to the literature and can provide meaningful insights to brand
managers. The study applies the theory of brandexperience.
The study makes important contributions to brand experience literature. First, while
researchers and practitioners recognize the importance of measuring the effects of
advertising on consumer behavior, few studies are available that examine the
relationship between advertising and brand experience dimensions. In the past, it
appears that studies have considered brand experience while ignoring the impact of
brand-related stimuli on brand experience. Because advertising is an important brand-
related stimulus, our study intends to fill the literature gap by investigating the impact of
advertising on brand experience dimensions. Second, while Brakus et al. (2009) and
Iglesias et al. (2011) considered the aggregated dimensions of brand experience, we
study on individual brand experience dimensions, which is consistent with
recent studies (Nysveen et al., 2013). Third, our study is unique, as it takes an
integrated approach by investigating both antecedents to experience dimensions after
exposure to advertising as a brand-related stimulus and consequences of brand
experience. In addition to investigating the antecedents to brand experience
dimensions, the study also investigates the consequences of the brand experience
dimension on brand experience evaluations and brand loyalty. Fourth, most of the
research in the past on brand experience followed survey-based research. There is a
departure from past studies, as the present study applies the experimental method with
an objective to understand the relationship between advertising and brand experience
dimensions based on the rationale that experimental studies are suited to investigate
the relationship between causal variables and dependent variables. Fifth, as the study
covers both types of brands –product brand and umbrella brand –it contributes
toward analyzing major branding strategies. The study contributes by comprehending
the relationship between brand experience dimensions, brand evaluations and brand
loyalty after the treatment of advertisement. The analysis is undertaken using structural
equation modeling.
We present a discussion of the brand experience concept by focusing on its
importance and evolution and by exploring how the construct is different from brand-
related outcomes. Next, we discuss the evolution of brand experience scales and
propose conceptual frameworks and hypotheses. Thereafter, we present a
methodological approach and draw results based on a 2 2 mixed factorial
experimental design. Using structural equation modeling, the study analyzes the
relationship among brand experience dimensions, brand experience evaluation and
brand loyalty. The study concludes with managerial implications, limitations and further
research.
PAGE 506 jJOURNAL OF ASIA BUSINESS STUDIES jVOL. 14 NO. 4 2020
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