“Brand Experience” Article by Brakus et al.

In their article, Brakus et al. (2009) address the concept of brand experience, literally posing their research question in the work’s title: What is it? How is it measured? Does it affect loyalty? Defining brand experience as “sensations, feelings, cognitions, and behavioral responses evoked by brand-related stimuli that are part of a brand’s design and identity, packaging, communications, and environments,” authors underline the significance of its investigation (Brakus et al., 2009, p. 52). First of all, understanding how customers experience brands is highly essential for the development of efficient market strategies for services and goods. Although previous studies dedicated to the description of brand experience were made, neither a conceptualization nor a scale for the measurement of brand experience has not been developed. At the same time, brand experience is an independent concept that should not be mixed with other brand measures, such as brand involvement, brand evaluations, brand personality, brand attachment, and customer delight. In this case, the paper’s objectives are to conceptualize brand experience, develop a particular scale for its measurement, and assess its impact on customer loyalty.

First of all, the authors reviewed marketing and consumer research dedicated to experiences, such as product, shopping and service, and consumption experiences, when they occur, and their impact on attitudes, judgments, and other manifestations of consumer behavior. Subsequently, Brakus et al. (2009) distinguished brand experience dimensions and developed a brand experience scale through reviewing the literature in cognitive science, philosophy, and applied management. Later, they examined the scale’s psychometric properties using the standards procedures of scale validation and tested how brand experience impacts consumer loyalty and satisfaction. According to their findings, the concept of brand experience refers to consumers; subjective responses evoked by particular brand-related experiential attributes. In addition, the study discovered that brand experience may be divided into four dimensions, including sensory, intellectual, affective, and behavioral ones (Brakus et al., 2009). Although the scale consists of only twelve items, it is easily manageable, reliable, valid, and consistent. Finally, the researchers found out that through brand personality associations, brand experience affects clients’ loyalty and satisfaction both directly and indirectly.

As previously mentioned, the significance of this study is determined by the necessity of brand experience perception for the development of market strategies as it explains how customers search for and consume brands. This question is particularly important for marketers as the understanding of brand experience through its dimensions helps them create an emotional connection through consistent and continuous positive experiences (Brakus et al., 2009). In this case, consumers who feel emotionally connected with particular brands demonstrate their loyalty and satisfaction.

In general, this research has both theoretical and practical contributions. First of all, it encourages further research dedicated to the brand experience scale. For instance, studies may explore the concept of experience and the occurrence of particular patterns for experience dimensions (Brakus et al., 2009). Moreover, they may aim to develop measures for the assessment of whether brand experience is positive or negative. In addition, further research may develop the scale for its ability to predict behavioral outcomes or focus on brand experiences’ long-term consequences. At the same time, this research contributes to the managerial application of findings as well. In marketing practice, a developed scale may be used for planning, assessment, and tracking purposes by marketers for the understanding and improvement of their brands’ experience provided for consumers.

Reference

Brakus, J. J., Schmitt, B. H., & Zarantonello, L. (2009). Brand experience: What is it? How is it measured? Does it affect loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 73, 52-68.