Brand experience effects on brand attachment: the role of brand trust, age, and income

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine how brand attachment is related to brand experience. The model tests the partial mediating role of brand trust and the moderating role of age and income.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 334 participants consuming brands with an experiential offering completed an online questionnaire in a cross-sectional study. The data were analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and advanced methods such as the heterotrait–monotrait ratio and the Henseler’s multigroup analysis were used.

Findings

Brand experience is positively related to brand attachment, more so for younger consumers. This relationship holds for both hedonic and utilitarian brands. Results demonstrate the partial mediation of brand trust in this relationship, especially for utilitarian brands, and with a weaker indirect relationship for high-income consumers.

Research limitations/implications

The research was conducted in one country (Peru). Generalizability of results should be established by carrying out additional studies in other settings or countries.

Practical implications

Experiential marketing both as a positioning strategy and through marketing operations may help brands to increase consumer attachment. This may be managed both through the direct effect of favoring positive experiences and through the enhancement of brand trust. This is particularly the case for target markets composed of young and low-to-medium-income consumers.

Originality/value

Results confirm the impact of brand experience on brand attachment for both utilitarian and hedonic brands, and establish both the mediating role of brand trust and the moderating role of age and income. These are new insights on the process itself and on boundary conditions of an important established relationship.

Citation

Huaman-Ramirez, R. and Merunka, D. (2019), "Brand experience effects on brand attachment: the role of brand trust, age, and income", European Business Review, Vol. 31 No. 5, pp. 610-645. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-02-2017-0039