Brand Love: The Emotional Bridge Between Experience and Engagement, Generation-M Perspective

Brand love: the emotional bridge between
experience and engagement,

generation-M perspective
Muhammad Junaid
School of Management and Economics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China, and Department of Management Sciences,
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan
Fujun Hou
School of Management and Economics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, China
Khalid Hussain
School of Business, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China and Department of Management Sciences,
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan, and
Ali Ashiq Kirmani
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the impact on brand love of consumption experience at the dimensional level and to determine
whether brand love mediates between consumption experience and customer engagement in the context of Generation M.
Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 265 Muslim smartphone users responded to a structured questionnaire adapted from existing
literature. First, confirmatory factor analysis was carried out, and then data were analyzed through structural equation modeling using MPlus.
Findings – The findings indicate that hedonic pleasure and escapism directly, while flow, challenge and learning indirectly affect brand love and
that brand love mediates the relationship between consumption experience and customer engagement.
Practical implications – This paper explicates Generation M’s consumption experience, ascertains ways to supplement their love for brand and
engage them in gainful relationships and provides suggestions for further investigation. From a managerial perspective, the paper has implications
for the management of consumer experience, identifies the most valuable dimensions of consumption experience and proposes that managers can
develop customer-engagement strategies via brand love.
Originality/value – The paper validates the mediating role of brand love in the relationship between consumption experience and customer
engagement; is the first to investigate the relationship between all dimensions of consumption experience and brand love; is one of few studies to
investigate consumption experience, brand love and customer engagement in developing countries; and is one of first investigations to use a sample
of Generation M.
Keywords Relationship marketing, Socialization, Customer engagement, Brand love, Customer relationship management,
Consumption experience, Generation M, Interpersonal love
Paper type Research paper
Introduction enhanced functional quality of many mass-market products

now customers look beyond these products’ functional,
Globalization, a compelling truth in today’s business realm, has instrumental value to extract social, creative (Schmitt, 1999),
forged an intense atmosphere of competition between national absorbing (Holbrook, 2000), enjoyable and shareable
and multinational brands. Brands provide an unending array of experiences from products. Consumer research has revealed
offerings to grow and sustain their customer base, as attracting that customers may develop strong emotional bonds with some
a new customer costs six times what it costs to sustain one objects (Dwayne Ball and Tasaki, 1992), gifts (Mick and
(Rafi et al., 2011). The importance of sustaining customers has
been well-established by marketing experts, but recent shifts in
consumer preferences has revitalized the issue. With the This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of
China (Number 71571019). The authors are sincerely thankful to editorial
team and anonymous referees for giving us helpful suggestions that have
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on
enhanced the value of this paper.
Emerald Insight at: www.emeraldinsight.com/1061-0421.htm
Received 12 April 2018
Revised 12 April 2018
Journal of Product & Brand Management
8 July 2018
28/2 (2019) 200–215 11 September 2018
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421] 20 September 2018
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-04-2018-1852] Accepted 20 September 2018
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Brand love Journal of Product & Brand Management
Muhammad Junaid et al. Volume 28 · Number 2 · 2019 · 200–215
Demoss, 1990) and brands (Rafi et al., 2011; Thomson, 2006). in non-Muslim states as political problems. Pakistan is not
Marketers can capitalize on these emotional aspects of merely a developing state but also an appreciable sample of
consumption to address these opportunistic challenges. Generation M constituted of more than 207 million consumers
Marketing practitioners opine that brand love is the prime and is increasingly urbanized (PBS, 2017). Its young and
objective of brand management (Hegner et al., 2017). When diverse population offers great business opportunities for
Monster outsold Red Bull for the first time, Jamal Benmiloud, brands, as these consumers have a tendency to be loving and to
leader of Monster’s marketing team at the time, stated that this be actively engaged in modern ways. Cellular tele-density has
success was the outcome of their targeted efforts toward winning increased to 70.85 percent, with 139.78 million mobile
“love” for the brand, rather than going for general awareness. subscribers as of June 2017 (PTA, 2017). This study
They built a team of millions by following the philosophy, “Why determines the degree to which they are stimulated by brand
aim to be liked as a business, when you can be loved?” (Brown love and how to engage Generation M in an advantageous
et al., 2015), which was magic for them. Given the practical relationship.
importance of brand love, contemporary researchers also endorse The study’s findings can be generalized beyond Generation
it as the central point of consumer–brand relationships (Bagozzi M because they indicate the interrelationship, and consequent
et al., 2017; Kaufmann et al., 2016). direct and indirect effects on brand love of the dimensions of
The concept of brand love is not independent of experience consumption experience practitioners can work on to gain
(Garg et al., 2015), as it is a consumer’s emotive and passionate competitive advantage. The findings also serve smartphone
connection with a brand (Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006) that can be managers by suggesting ways to develop customer acquisition
strengthened through experience-based factors (Venkatesan and engagement strategies via brand love.
et al., 2018). Triantafillidou and Siomkos (2014), divided
consumption experience into seven sub-dimensions: hedonism, Literature review
flow, communitas, learning, escapism, challenge and
socialization. Recently, academics have elucidated the influence Brand love
of consumption experience on variables like behavioral intention Love is “something about passion, excitement, and a hunger to
and satisfaction, but most have scrutinized consumption lose the self or achieve union” (Aron and Aron, 1996). In the area
experience as a higher-order variable (Biçakcıoglu et al., 2016; de of emotive connection with brands, Shimp and Madden (1988)
Oliveira Santini et al., 2018; Huang, 2017). Without studying were first to establish the variable of brand love as a link between
these dimensions individually, researchers fail to clarify the love of consumption and interpersonal love. Brands with this
phenomenon in any depth, settling for a generalized, overall potency were first referred to as “love-marks” (Roberts, 2005)
assessment. and later labeled brand love (Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006).
Customers with such positive experiences that they are in Grounded primarily in the theories of para-social love
“love” with a brand are likely to cultivate strong outcomes like (Fetscherin, 2014) and interpersonal love (Batra et al., 2012;
customer engagement. Customer engagement is a construct with Langner et al., 2015), brand love has drawn considerable
escalating prominence because of its ability to affect consumer attention in diverse contexts (Bagozzi et al., 2017; Drennan et al.,
behavior positively (Venkatesan et al., 2018) and to augment 2015; Eilaghi Karvandi, 2016; Hegner et al., 2017; Huang, 2017;
brand performance (Harmeling et al., 2018). The Marketing Iyer et al., 2016; Kaufmann et al., 2016; Rauschnabel and
Science Institute (MSI) named customer engagement its key Ahuvia, 2014; Rodrigues, 2017; Roy et al., 2016; Wallace et al.,
research priority between 2010-2012 and 2014-2016. Even so, 2014). The construct of brand love has been regarded as
empirical research on this emerging construct remains nebulous comparable to humans’ interpersonal love (Ahuvia, 1993;
(Hollebeek et al., 2014). Lastovicka and Sirianni, 2011). Batra et al. (2012) critiqued the
This paper offers a more comprehensive investigation of extant research for assuming this similarity without testing it or
consumption experience at the levels of the dimensions of hedonic even considering possible areas of difference. They used a
pleasure, flow, communitas, learning, escapism, challenge and grounded theory approach to explore and explain the
socialization. Although consumption experience, brand love and phenomenon and found a high level of similarity between brand
customer engagement are prominent issues in marketing research, love attributes and those of interpersonal love.
few studies have investigated the interrelationships between them. Brand love refers to a strong sentimental inclination toward a
In addition, consumption experience, brand love and customer brand (Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006), the sum of cognitive
engagement have been points of discussion in developed countries, behaviors that are driven by fondness for a brand (Bergkvist and
but research in developing countries is scarce (Kudeshia et al., Bech-Larsen, 2010), and a set of “cognitions, emotions, and
2016; Sarkar and Sarkar, 2016), especially with reference to behaviors, which consumers organize in a mental prototype”
Generation M. (Batra et al., 2012). Brand love has multiple dimensions
“Generation M” refers to the new generation of Muslim (Thomson et al., 2005; Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006; Albert et al.,
millennials (Janmohamed, 2016) . Muslim millennials are 2008; Batra et al., 2008, 2012; Heinrich et al., 2008; Albert and
estimated to consume $3 trillion in food and lifestyle products Valette-Florence, 2010) because extant literature has led to
worldwide by 2021 (Reuters and Standard, 2016). These divergent views on brand love, but researchers have tended to
consumers wear haute couture, engage in an “eco-jihad” and value Carroll and Ahuvia’s (2006) operationalization above
drink halal beer while also going to the mosque for prayers, those of others (Huang, 2017; Huber et al., 2015;
being symbols of peace and following the basic doctrines of Vernuccio et al., 2015). Brand love is distinguished from other
Islam. These consumers are committed to being active parts of relational constructs that have significant impact on the
the world’s marketplace and have no desire to be seen by those consumer–brand relationship (Loureiro et al., 2017), but
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studies on brand love’s determinants and consequences remain feelings of pleasure, fun, excitement and enjoyment”. Hedonic
limited (Bairrada et al., 2018; Tsiotsou and Goldsmith, 2017). pleasure is regarded as a typical consumption outcome of young
people (Wilska, 2003), as entertainment is persistently among their
Consumption experience prime motives for smartphone use (Petruzzellis, 2010).
Industrial economies have transformed into consumer societies Brands with high levels of hedonic efficacy are effusive (Suh,
(Slater, 1997), and consumers increasingly explore and are 2009), variably experienced (Babin et al., 1994) and assessed
involved in consumption experiences as something of a need intuitively (Suh, 2009). Earlier research proposed that hedonic
(Lindgreen et al., 2013). This fundamental economic and pleasure plays important role in building loyalty (Babin et al.,
cultural shift has made researchers keen to improve their 1994) and hedonic efficacy boosts consumers’ tendency to love
understanding of consumption experiences (Carù and Cova, the brand (Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006; Chaudhary, 2018;
2013; Venkatesan et al., 2018), particularly in developing Huang, 2017; Huber et al., 2015). Hence, we hypothesize that:
countries (Wang et al., 2017). Some researchers have studied the
effect of experiences on subsequent variables, such as behavioral H1. The hedonic pleasure dimension of the consumption
intentions, loyalty and satisfaction, but they have considered experience positively impacts brand love.
consumption experience as a single variable (Biçakcıoglu et al.,
2016; de Oliveira Santini et al., 2018; Loureiro, 2014), assuming Flow
that the impacts of the dimensions are similar. However, Memorable experiences offered by products or services that lead
consumption experience is a multifaceted concept that consists of to complete immersion or absorption can be termed flow.
dissimilar dimensions and must be studied at the dimensional Csikszentmihalyi et al. (1977) defined flow as “the holistic
level to understand it fully (Gentile et al., 2007; Huang, 2017). sensation that people feel when they act with total involvement”.
Consumption experience has been operationalized as the Flow is a harmonious, unforced state that lengthens the time one
cognitions, sensations, sentiments and behavioral reactions can concentrate and reduces the sense of time passing. Flow
educed by the brand-specific stimuli set up in brand design, results in controlling psychic energy and living entirely in the
brand packaging and the brand’s environments (Khan and present moment. Csikszentmihalyi (2008) reported that people
Rahman, 2015). Schmitt (1999) divided consumption often describe it as a top form of experience: “It was like floating”
experience into five sub-dimensions – sense, feel, think, relate and “I was carried on by the flow”.
and act – while Gentile et al. (2007) studied consumption Flow has been investigated in multiple contexts, including
experience as a construct consisting of five dimensions – sensory, sports (Swann et al., 2015), shopping (Niu and Chang, 2014),
cognitive, emotional, pragmatic and relational – and Rose et al. computers (Harmat et al., 2015), websites (Chen et al., 1999)
(2011) proposed two sub-dimensions, cognitive state and and mobiles phone. Multiple studies have treated flow as a
affective state. Nambisan and Watt (2011) investigated prime dimension of experience (Han et al., 2017; Sirgy, 2001;
consumption experience as a variable with pragmatic, hedonic, Triantafillidou and Siomkos, 2014; Tuunanen and Govindji,
sociability and usability dimensions, and Zhang et al. (2014) 2016; Wang et al., 2015; Zarantonello and Luomala, 2011),
proposed the three dimensions of social support, social presence reporting that consumers perform in these experiences with
and flow. Triantafillidou and Siomkos (2013) came up with the higher levels of attention and focus and may lose track of time.
most comprehensive view, dividing this higher-order construct Enhanced flow experiences by users is the primary requirement
into seven sub-dimensions: namely hedonism, flow, for a successful information system (Tuunanen and Govindji,
communitas, learning, escapism, challenge and socialization. 2016). Mauri et al. (2011) found that Facebook users love it
McGinnis et al. (2008) suggested that interrelationship between because of the flow experience it offers. Consumers who are
these dimensions of consumption experiences be investigated. immersed in the brand experience are more likely to love the
The hypotheses development is supported by the relationship brand. Therefore, the following hypothesis emerges:
theory (Fournier, 1998) – which states that a love relationship is
the outcome of multiple cognitive, emotional and behavioral H2. The flow dimension of the consumption experience is
experiences – and the theory of engagement (Pansari and positively related to brand love.
Kumar, 2017), which states that partners in a relationship that
Some scholars have conceptualized flow as a process (Wu and
is characterized by satisfaction and emotional connectedness
Liang, 2011) whose final stage is pleasure (Drengner et al., 2018).
become engaged with each other. The implication is that
Consumers who experience flow are more likely to experience the
consumption experiences – hedonic pleasure, flow, escapism,
enjoyment (Iwasaki and Havitz, 2004) that is expected to affect
challenge, learning, socialization and communitas – lead to
brand love. Therefore:
brand love as an emotional outcome that results in positive
customer engagement. H2a. The relationship between flow and brand love is
Hedonic pleasure mediated by hedonic pleasure.
The “entertainment realm” of experiences (Pine and Gilmore,
1998) is evident in multiple consumption settings, including Escapism
tourism (Otto and Ritchie, 1996), gambling (Loroz, 2004), hiking Escapism is “to take mind off things” (Masur et al., 2014). It is
(Chhetri et al., 2004) and camping (Schouten et al., 2007). This the “tendency to escape from reality, the responsibilities and
property of fun and positive feelings is called hedonism (Holbrook routines of real life, especially by unrealistic imaginative
and Hirschman, 1982). On parallel lines, Triantafillidou and activity” (Woodruff, 1985). The escape dimension of the
Siomkos (2014) define hedonic experience as a set of “positive consumption experience has a strategic role in affecting a
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desirable consumer response (Mason and Paggiaro, 2012). intent to operate (and control the situation). Thus, smartphone
Objects can take customers away from reality for a while users are expected to have a positive challenge experience.
(Holbrook and Hirschman, 1982). Consumers may use Smith and Ellsworth (1985) found that consumers also connect
products just to break their routine and relax for a time – even challenge with confidence, that is, a belief in their ability to
the consumption of chocolate may lighten one’s load for a while succeed despite the effort required.
(Zarantonello and Luomala, 2011). They usually play an active Extant literature suggests that people consume not only to
role in escapist experiences (Pine and Gilmore, 1998) and have fun and improve their mood but also to face a challenge
move away from their reality within their imagination into (Bartsch and Hartmann, 2017; Hofer et al., 2014; Knobloch-
different places or roles (Hosany and Witham, 2010). Fairy tale Westerwick et al., 2013), we hypothesize that:
scenarios are not the only example of escapism; being engaged
with something that is outside of one’s routine is also part of H4. The challenge dimension of the consumption experience
escapism (Loroz, 2004). positively impacts brand love.
Escapism is related to forgetting one’s issues and problems
According to Csikszentmihalyi and Csikszentmihalyi
temporarily and being refreshed by involvement in an
(1988), challenge is the antecedent of flow experience. It
experience (Hirschman, 1985). As consumers may look to
must be freely chosen and compatible with consumers’ skills
distance themselves from their routines and embrace activities
(Novak et al., 2000) or it will result in concern and/or
and brands to escape (Hosany and Witham, 2010; Mody et al.,
boredom (Ellis et al., 1994). Consumers expect to face
2017), our next hypothesis is formulated as:
positive challenges (e.g. mobile games) frequently and
H3. The escapism dimension of the consumption experience negative challenges (e.g. a bugged phone book) rarely.
is positively associated with brand love. Positive challenge, then, is expected to kindle the flow that
may lead to brand love via escapism (H3a). Therefore:
Consumers seek experiences to escape their routines
(Loroz, 2004) and to forget their problems temporarily H4a. The challenge dimension of consumption experience
(Hirschman, 1985). These diversions help them to refresh and indirectly affects brand love.
give them pleasure (Tuan, 2000), so they appreciate the
sources (e.g. the brands) that provide these experiences. Learning
Therefore: Intense experiences offer learning opportunities for consumers
(Hosany and Witham, 2010) that can inspire creativity and
H3a. The relationship between escapism and brand love is involve consumers in inventive thought processes, thus adding
mediated by hedonic pleasure. to their intellect and problem-solving abilities. A number of
studies that have explored and measured experiences have also
Flow-inducing experiences are efficient ways to escape from
considered the facet of learning in their models (Kim et al.,
oneself, one’s surroundings and one’s problems (Sadlo, 2016).
2012; Loureiro, 2014). Tanner (2007) argued that a preference
Consumers who are absorbed in the brand experience are more
for learning could have played a major role in voters’ selection
likely to love the brand than are those who are not so absorbed.
in the 2007 Australian elections.
Therefore:
The self-expansion model (Aron and Aron, 1996) posits that
H3b. Escapism mediates the relationship between flow and people look to expand learning as they seek cognitive
brand love. complexity through insight and knowledge. Learning can be a
sturdy driving force; consumers love activities and objects
Challenge which contribute to the personal understanding of their
identities (Ahuvia, 2005). Therefore, we hypothesize:
Consumers vary with respect to their abilities and skills, which
means their experiences differ in terms of difficulty when they H5. The learning dimension of the consumption experience
use a product or service. This difficulty is termed “challenge” in positively affects brand love.
the consumer’s experience and is a major dimension of the
consumption experience (Tamborini et al., 2010). The The learning experience can be enjoyable and may stimulate
perception of challenge is rooted in stress appraisal theory excitement. Packer (2006) and Mills et al. (2013) opined that
(Folkman, 2013). A negative appraisal of stress results in the consumers prefer learning experiences that offer pleasure, such
stress’s being perceived as a threat, while a positive evaluation as playing Quest Atlantis (Barab et al., 2005) and PD trivia
results in the stress’s being perceived as a challenge. Consumers (Kennedy, 2006). Therefore:
sense challenge when they are in a situation in which they may
fail in doing a task, so pleasurable feelings of risk, danger and H5a. The relationship between learning and brand love is
adventure are elicited (Triantafillidou and Siomkos, 2014). In mediated by hedonic pleasure.
their study of kayaking experience, for example, Hopkinson
and Pujari (1999) suggested that danger induces the feeling of Communitas and socialization
challenge of an experience that involves risk and a high level of A detailed investigation of consumption experience cannot
thrill because of the individual’s limited control. The ignore the social settings within which these experiences are
smartphone experience (e.g. built-in software and voluntarily shaped and lived. From the social perspective, experience has
installed applications and games) offers a context in which two distinct facets, socialization and communitas, which
consumers are expected to use their abilities with a positive Huang and Hsu (2010) called people and family. They also
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proposed a basis for the evaluation of the efficacy of and/or indirectly (Pansari and Kumar, 2017). Customer
experiences: whether the specific consumption experience engagement is a psychological outcome of interactive and co-
induced consumers to interact with new people with shared creative experience with a brand (Brodie et al., 2011) and the
interests and whether the consumption experience customer’s motivational, contextual state of mind that leads to
strengthened consumers’ relationships with their family sentimental, perceptive and behavioral involvement in brand
members. According to Turner (1969), communitas is “an encounters (Hollebeek, 2011).
undifferentiated, homogeneous whole, in which individuals In today’s business environment, customer engagement is
confront one another integrally, and not as ‘segmentalized’ into regarded as a tactical imperative for improving brand
statuses and roles” that is in line with the second factor of performance, competitive advantage and profitability (Sarkar,
Huang and Hsu (2010). Arnould and Price (1993) defined 2014). It emerged as a vital marketing phenomenon (Brodie
“communitas” as the fellowship felt by individuals who et al., 2013), but its antecedents have not been fully examined
participate in a consumption opportunity together. (Hapsari et al., 2017). Customer engagement is a function of
Socialization refers to new social relationships created by the customer’s emotive and cognitive senses (Bowden, 2009a).
consumers through their consumption activities. As Belk Frequent interactions have been linked with consumers’ love
(1988) stated, “Relationships with objects are never two-way for their brands (Batra et al., 2012), while Sarkar and Sreejesh
(person-thing), but always three-way (person-thing-person)”. (2014) saw it as an outcome of brand love. Likewise, instilling
Consumers use brands as means by which they form and bridge an emotional bond is proposed as a tool with which to engage
relationships with other consumers (Ahuvia, 2015). They look customers (Harmeling et al., 2018). Therefore, we hypothesize:
to create memories with desired products or services by sharing
H8. Brand love positively impacts customer engagement.
them with their peers and recalling them later.
Aron et al. (2000) found that a couple’s shared participation
in intense experiences strengthens their relationship. Bergkvist Extant research has advocated the mediating effect of brand
and Bech-Larsen (2010) also found a significant relationship love on consumers’ positive responses, including satisfaction
between a sense of affiliation and brand love. According to the (de Oliveira Santini et al., 2018), loyalty (Huang, 2017),
self-expansion model (Aron and Aron, 1996), people look to forgiveness (Hegner et al., 2017), commitment, self-identity
expand their social identity through relationships with family, (Maxian et al., 2013) and brand trust (Delgado-Ballester and
friends, their nation and so on. The relationship among friends Luis Munuera-Alemán, 2001). Therefore, we hypothesize that:
and family is likely to be strengthened after sharing similar
experiences (Aro et al., 2018), as is the case of other consumers H9a, b, c, d, e, f, g. Brand love mediates the relationship
with similar interests. The desire to socialize is one of major between customer engagement and
reasons behind shopping (Arnold and Reynolds, 2003), seven dimensions of consumption
cruising and carnivals (Chang et al., 2013). Against this experience: (a) hedonic pleasure, (b)
backdrop, the next hypotheses are: flow, (c) escapism, (d) challenge, (e)
learning, (f) socialization and (g)
H6. The socialization dimension of the consumption communitas.
experience positively impacts brand love.
Method and measures
H7. The communitas dimension of the consumption
Data were collected using a non-probability convenient
experience positively influences brand love.
sampling technique with the help of a self-administered,
According to Iwasaki and Havitz (1998), a strengthened structured questionnaire from a sample of 450 young (age 15-
relationship with family and friends boosts the confidence and 30) Muslim smartphone users. Of these 450 questionnaires,
sense of security that helps one to socialize. McGinnis et al. 276 responses were received (61 per cent response rate), among
(2008) also advocated that communitas does not relate to which were 11 questionnaires with incomplete information, so
leisure directly so much it relates to participation with and the the analysis was done with 265 complete responses.
amity of other participants. Therefore, we hypothesize that: Respondents’ demographic profile is presented in Table I. The
respondents were students in a variety of universities and were
H7a. The relationship between communitas and brand love selected randomly using convenience sampling technique.
is mediated by socialization. Respondents had to have owned a smartphone for a minimum
of 12 months (Castaño and Eugenia Perez, 2014). They were
asked to mention their smartphone’s brand name first and then
Customer engagement to answer questions using a given scale and keeping their
The construct of customer engagement was originally experience with that brand in mind.
conceived as a consumer’s psychological association with a Smartphone brands (e.g. Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Oppo,
specific trade name (Brodie et al., 2013). In human resource HTC, Google and Qmobile) are the context for the study
management, it is a psychological association that enhances because of their popularity with target customers (i.e. those 15-
employees’ loyalty toward their organization (Schaufeli et al., 30 years of age) and because smartphones are designed to
2002). The literature has suggested that customer engagement kindle and gratify consumers’ use experience, in addition to
refers to a psychological mechanism that forms loyalty among meeting their functional needs. In particular, these smartphone
new and repeat customers (Bowden, 2009b), and the brands strive to acquire customers using mass media (e.g.
mechanisms by which customers add value to the firm directly television), social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter), and word-of-
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Table I Demographic profile of respondents Confirmatory factor analysis

The model fit indices show that there is an acceptable fit
Category (%)
between the data and the proposed measurement model, as the
Gender values of the Comparative Fit Index (CFI = 0.848), Tucker–
Male 64 Lewis Index (TLI = 0.832), Standardized Root Mean Square
Female 36 Residual (SRMR = 0.066), Root Mean Error of
Approximation (RMSEA = 0.064) and Chi-square to Degree
Age
of Freedom Ratio ( x 2/df = 2.08) are all under the cutoff
15-18 19
criteria, so the values of the fitness indices meet the
19-22 38
recommended criteria for model fitness (Hair et al., 2010; Hoe,
23-26 29
27-30 14
2008; Schumacker and Lomax, 2004). Typically, the values of
the fitness indices range from 0 to 1, but researchers have
Qualification argued that, for good model fit, the CFI and TLI values should
Intermediate-level 26 be greater than 0.95, and for acceptable fit, these values should
Bachelors-level 43 be greater than 0.90. While the values here are near 0.9,
Masters-level 24 representing adequate model fit, Shah and Goldstein’s (2006)
PhD 7 review of 93 research articles had revealed that researchers
report adequate fitness indices that are closer to 0.7, so there is
some flexibility in reporting adequate fitness indices.
mouth and to retain them by establishing deep relationships Furthermore, the RMR and RMSEA values should be less than
like brand love through their marketing efforts. 0.1 for good model fit, and the ratio of Chi-square to degree of
Young consumers were the focus of this study because they freedom ( x 2/df) should be less than 3.0 for acceptable fit
are valuable for the Pakistani market and for the international (Hair et al., 2010; Hoe, 2008; Schumacker and Lomax, 2004).
market because of their size and rising buying power (Nusair These values in the present study, then, fall into the category of
et al., 2013). These young people are more sensitive to fashion acceptable fit.
than older generations are (Sönmez, 2010), and their love for Confirmatory factor analysis of this study’s data was used to
consumption and growing numbers have a significant impact measure reliability, convergent validity and discriminant
on markets (Lee Taylor and Cosenza, 2002). validity. The reliability of the measurement scales was
All of the measures were drawn from existing literature. The measured with the help of Cronbach a, a widely used indicator.
study uses 31 items developed by Triantafillidou and Siomkos The results of this test, as shown in Table II, indicate that the
(2013) – adapted to a 32 item scale because one of the items data for all the variables are reliable, as the Cronbach’s alpha
that measures escapism was fragmented into two items – to values are greater than 0.7 for all variables. The results of the
measure the consumption experience. Brand love was gauged confirmatory factor analysis reveal that the data also conform to
using ten items from Carroll and Ahuvia (2006), and the four the requirements of convergent and discriminative validity. For
items that measure brand engagement were adopted from convergent validity, the standardized factor loadings of all the
Bergkvist and Bech-Larsen (2010). All items were evaluated items in a measurement scale should be greater than 0.5
using five-point Likert scales ranging from 1 (“strongly (Fornell and Larcker, 1981; Hair et al., 2010). Our study met
disagree”) to 5 (strongly agree). this criterion, as the values of standardized factor loadings for
almost all of the measurement scales are greater than 0.5
Results and discussion (Table II). The items that did not meet the cut-off criteria –
three items from the brand love scale, one item from the
The statistical analysis for this study was performed with the hedonic pleasure scale, and one item from the challenge scale –
help of MPlus (Version 8.1) and SPSS (Version 22.0). We were dropped from the analysis.
adopted a two-step approach for data analysis (Anderson and Discriminant validity is used to confirm that the
Gerbing, 1988), first analyzing the data for validity and measurement scales are distinct from other measures used in
reliability with confirmatory factor analysis and then analyzing study. Discriminant validity was measured by comparing the
the data for the hypothesized paths using structural equation average variance extracted (AVE) with squared inter-scale
modeling. correlations. For discriminant validity to be ensured, the AVE
should be greater than the squared inter-scale correlations
Common method bias (Fornell and Larcker, 1981; Hair et al., 2010). As shown in
The issue of common method bias was addressed before data Table 3, the AVEs of all of the measurement scales are greater
collection and again after data collection. In preparing the than their respective squared inter-scale correlations.
participants to take the survey, we clearly stated that there were Therefore, it established that all the measurement scales used
no right or wrong answers, that their responses were in the study differ from each other, so the data used in our study
confidential and that they should rate the questions honestly. fulfills the requirements of convergent and discriminant validity
Then we exposed the collected data to Harman’s single-factor and is suitable for further analysis.
test (Podsakoff et al., 2003) and found that a single factor
explains only 26.89 percent of the variance, which is well under Structural model
the cut-off criterion of 50 percent. Therefore, common method Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the
bias is not an issue for this study. hypotheses, using MPlus-8.1. As the proposed model contains
205
Table II Confirmatory factor analysis

Scale Items Factor loadings Cronbach’s alpha
Hedonic pleasure I experience joy while using this smart phone 0.583 0.795
Using this smart phone is fun 0.607
It feels good when I use this smart phone 0.541
I feel cheerful while using this smart phone 0.672
Using this smart phone is an ideal experience 0.654
I enjoy using this smart phone as a whole 0.587
Flow I totally get involved/engaged while using this smart phone 0.676 0.806
I totally absorb while using it 0.639
I totally focus on it while using 0.643
I feel it deeply 0.724
I think of nothing else while using it 0.653
Socialization Using this smart phone helped me to meet new people 0.734 0.860
Using this smart phone helped me to make new friends 0.879
Using this smart phone helped me to interact people with similar interest 0.739
I talked to new and varied people because of its use 0.710
Learning The experience of this smart phone was educational to me 0.479 0.731
The experience of using it had made me more knowledgeable (about different software) 0.570
It stimulated my curiosity to learn new things (Applications etc) 0.652
Experience of this smart phone encouraged me to search 0.677
Communitas I’m satisfied being one of this brand users 0.586 0.725
Using this phone makes me feel closer to my family and friends 0.705
Using it makes me feel (similar or) in harmony with others 0.724
Challenge Using this smart phone was challenging 0.459 0.785
It feels like using this smart phone tests my skills 0.809
It feels like using this smart phone tests my knowledge 0.840
During the experience I tested my limits 0.709
Escapism During using my smart phone it feels like I’m living different life 0.742 0.843
During using my smart phone it feels like I’m living in a different time 0.852
During using my smart phone it feels like I’m more than what I’m 0.824
Using it lets me imagine being someone else 0.804
Brand love This is a wonderful brand 0.806 0.926
This brand makes me feel good 0.765
This brand is totally awesome 0.773
This brand makes me very happy 0.763
I love this brand 0.824
This brand is a pure delight 0.801
I’m very attached to this brand 0.819
Customer engagement I always try to follow the news about the brand 0.723 0.818
I frequently talk about the brand to others 0.758
I frequently visit the brand’s website 0.726
I am always interested in buying products with this brand name on it 0.769
Table III Squared inter-scale correlations and average variance extracted

Scale 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
1. Hedonic pleasure 0.371
2. Flow 0.297 0.446
3. Socialization 0.094 0.119 0.589
4. Challenge 0.093 0.128 0.153 0.518
5. Learning 0.360 0.173 0.066 0.084 0.360
6. Communitas 0.343 0.266 0.082 0.147 0.319 0.454
7. Escapism 0.189 0.248 0.118 0.203 0.103 0.218 0.650
8. Brand love 0.411 0.144 0.026 0.061 0.148 0.259 0.227 0.629
9. Customer engagement 0.121 0.179 0.116 0.112 0.039 0.084 0.239 0.461 0.554
Note: Italic values on diagonal axis represent Average Variance Extracted (AVE)
206
mediation, the SEM technique was used to analyze all of the on brand love via escapism. Challenge has significant indirect
paths simultaneously (Alavifar et al., 2012; Hoe, 2008; impact on brand love following the path of flow to hedonic
Iacobucci et al., 2007). The model fit indices for the structural pleasure (H4a; b = 0.073, p = 0.007) and from the path of flow
model are under the cutoff criteria: Comparative Fit Index to escapism (H4a; b = 0.064, p = 0.003). In respect to the
(CFI = 0.825), Tucker–Lewis Index (TLI = 0.812), “uses and gratification” theory, an audience-centered
Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR = 0.103), approach, researchers have also revealed that the need to
Root Mean Error of Approximation (RMSEA = 0.068) and escape from reality, negative mood and boredom are among the
Chi-square to Degree of Freedom Ratio ( x 2/df = 2.221). prime motivations of smartphone use (Smetaniuk, 2014). For
The results of structural model are shown in Table 4 and example, for young consumers, the type and level of use of a
Figure 2. The SEM statistics show that hedonic pleasure (H1) smartphone has been shown to be a manifestation of social
positively impacts brand love ( b = 0.841, p = 0.000), identity (Walsh et al., 2009). These findings have also been
suggesting that smartphone users experience feelings of supported by other evidence related to younger consumers that
stimulation, relaxation and excitement during its use and that has shown Smartphones as status symbols (Aoki and Downes,
these feelings lead them to love their brands of choice. This 2003; Vanden Abeele et al., 2014). Mody et al. (2017) also
finding is in line with the results of Loroz (2004) and Sarkar found that escapism experiences elicit favorable behavioral
et al. (2012). Sarkar (2014) also found that brand love is a intentions among consumers. The dimensions of consumption
significant outcome in hedonic product categories. The effects experience (i.e. hedonic pleasure, escapism, flow, challenge
of flow (H2a; b = 0.170, p = 0.003) and learning (H5a; b = and learning jointly) explain 45 percent of the variance (R2 =
0.263, p = 0.000) also lead to brand love via hedonic pleasure. 0.448) in brand love. However, hedonic pleasure and escapism
Clearly, then, hedonic pleasure is one of significant drivers of are the leading drivers of brand love, as they directly explain the
brand love. The results of hypothesis H3 reveal that escapism variance in brand love, whereas flow, escapism, learning and
has significant positive impact on brand love ( b = 0.251, p = challenge are indirect but significant contributors that instigate
0.000). Flow (H3b; b = 0.148, p = 0.001) has significant effect customers’ love for selected brands.
Table IV Results of structural model; direct effects

Hypotheses Causal path b S.E B T p
H1 Hedonic Pleasure ! Brand Love 0.841 0.185 0.533 4.541 0.000
H2 Flow ! Brand Love 0.054 0.095 0.050 0.567 0.571
H3 Escapism ! Brand Love 0.251 0.070 0.277 3.596 0.000
H4 Challenge ! Brand Love 0.036 0.103 0.025 0.348 0.728
H5 Learning ! Brand Love 0.162 0.197 0.089 0.820 0.412
H6 Socialization ! Brand Love 0.076 0.058 0.083 1.312 0.190
H7 Communitas ! Brand Love 0.270 0.150 0.184 1.802 0.072
H8 BLove ! CEngagement 0.682 0.077 0.671 8.875 0.000
Notes: N = 265; P < 0.05; Brand Love (R2 = 0.448); Customer Engagement (R2 = 0.450)
Figure 1 Theoretical framework
Consumpon Experience
Dimensions
Challenge
Flow
Hedonic Pleasure
Customer
Brand Love
Engagement
Escapism
Socializaon
Communitas
Learning
Note: The dotted lines represent indirect effects
207
Figure 2 Structural model
0.073**
Challenge
0.064**
Flow
0.170** —0.036
—0.054
Hedonic
Pleasure 0.841***
0.073 R2 = 0.448 R2 = 0.450
0.251***
Escapism Brand Love 0.682*** Customer
Engagement
—0.076
Socializaon
0.270
—0.028
—0.162
Communitas
0.263***
Learning
Note: The dotted lines represent indirect effects
However, H2 (flow), H4 (challenge), H5 (learning), H6 differences specifically in studies on brand love. Schlobohm
(socialization) and H7 (communitas) are rejected on the et al. (2016) international comparison of brand love – its
grounds of significance level, as the SEM results show that similarities and dissimilarities, the impact of cultural framing
these hypotheses’ beta values are not significant. But most of and the intensity and duration of brand love – found significant
them, that is, flow, challenge and learning have significant differences among countries and stressed the key role of
indirect effects. There may exist several reasons for these culture. Flow (H2) and challenge(H4) also have insignificant
insignificant direct effects of flow, challenge, learning, direct effect for the level of smartphone use in the present
socialization and communitas. For instance, consumers study’s sample, perhaps because of lower immersion and
primarily use their smartphones for intrinsic factors like contest offered by smartphone experience as compare to
entertainment (H1) and escapism (H3), while learning is a kind mountaineering (Pomfret, 2006) and river rafting (Wu and
of instrumental and goal-oriented factor, which may be why H5 Liang, 2011) but their indirect effects significantly contribute
(learning) was insignificant. But if the learning experience is to the consumers’ experience and play important role in
pleasing, then it adds to consumers’ experience and drives building love for brand.
positive emotions (H5a; b = 0.263, p = 0.000). Joo and Sang Brand love significantly influences customer engagement
(2013) found the significant direct relationship between ( b = 0.682, p = 0.000), and this relationship helps to explain
learning and positive emotions for Korean consumers, as they the indirect effects of hedonic pleasure and escapism on
were more motivated by instrumental and goal-oriented factors customer engagement via brand love. It is evident from the
than by pleasure-oriented factors. Only socialization and results of mediation analysis (Table 5) that hedonic pleasure
communitas have insignificant direct (H6, H7) and indirect ( b = 0.358, p = 0.000), flow ( b = 0.114, p = 0.004), escapism
(H7a) effects on brand love, possibly because Pakistan is a ( b = 0.186, p = 0.001), challenge ( b = 0.049, p = 0.008) and
Muslim state with a collectivist culture that values family learning ( b = 0.177, p = 0.000) indirectly influence customer
systems, close bonding and frequent personal interactions engagement. As noted earlier, the impacts of flow, challenge
among friends and clans. In addition, Islam advises Muslims to and learning lead to customer engagement via hedonic
say greetings (may peace be upon you) to everyone, familiar pleasure/escapism and brand love. Together they explain 45
and stranger alike and to give time to their families and go to the percent of the variance (R2 = 0.450) in customer engagement
mosque for prayers five times a day. All of these practices build through brand love, suggesting that brand love plays a critical
an environment of interaction, sharing and care. Therefore, its role in maintaining customer engagement and is central to the
societies may be less dependent on smartphones and social customer engagement models. However, hypotheses H9f and
websites for socialization (H6) and communitas (H7) than is H9g are rejected on the basis of significance level, as they were
the case in other cultures. Joo and Sang’s (2013) result again not significant at the p < 0.05 level. Therefore, socialization
highlights the role of culture in moderating behaviors, which and communitas do not have indirect relationship with
may be exactly why Garg et al. (2015) suggested culture as customer engagement. The mediation analysis is carried out
moderator and Voorn et al. (2015) stressed the study of cultural with Mplus, which uses the delta method, an alternative to the
208
Table V Standardized regression weights; indirect effects

Hypotheses Causal path B S.E T p
H2a Flow ! Hedonic Pleasure ! BL 0.170 0.057 2.980 0.003
H3a Escapism ! Hedonic Pleasure ! BL 0.073 0.044 1.660 0.097
H3b Flow ! Escapism ! BL 0.148 0.043 3.423 0.001
H4a Challenge ! Flow ! Escapism ! BL 0.064 0.022 2.697 0.003
Challenge ! Flow ! Hedonic Pleasure ! BL 0.073 0.027 2.697 0.007
H5a Learning ! Hedonic Pleasure ! BL 0.263 0.065 4.050 0.000
H7a Communitas ! Socialization ! BL 0.028 0.023 1.261 0.207
H9a Hedonic Pleasure ! BL ! CE 0.358 0.067 5.338 0.000
H9b Flow ! BL ! CE 0.034 0.059 0.569 0.570
Flow ! Hedonic Pleasure ! BL ! CE 0.114 0.039 2.916 0.004
H9c Escapism ! BL ! CE 0.186 0.051 3.649 0.000
Escapism ! Hedonic Pleasure ! BL ! CE 0.049 0.030 1.643 0.100
H9d Challenge ! BL ! CE 0.017 0.049 0.349 0.727
Challenge ! Flow ! Hedonic Pleasure ! BL ! CE 0.049 0.019 2.644 0.008
Challenge ! Flow ! Escapism ! BL ! CE 0.043 0.015 2.888 0.004
H9e Learning ! BL ! CE 0.060 0.073 0.821 0.412
Learning ! Hedonic Pleasure ! BL ! CE 0.177 0.045 3.905 0.000
H9f Socialization ! BL ! CE 0.056 0.042 1.324 0.185
H9g Communitas ! BL ! CE 0.123 0.071 1.740 0.082
Communitas ! Socialization ! BL ! CE 0.019 0.015 1.256 0.209
Sobel test that has similar robustness and statistical rigor (Oliver, 1999), such as display (Samsung Galaxy Note8) and
(MacKinnon, 2008). Therefore, the results do not need further photography (Google Pixel 2 XL). They also seek rich
validation through a Sobel test. experiences that can help them fulfill their desire to escape
reality (VR Box – HTC Vive, Samsung Gear VR)
Conclusions, implications and recommendations (Fullwood et al., 2017). Flow has an indirect effect but is key to
for future studies the smartphone experience because it enriches the hedonic
pleasure and escapism (iOS12, Android 8.0 Oreo)
This study concludes that hedonic pleasure, escapism, flow, (Tuan, 2000) that is required for a consistent flow experience.
challenge and learning are key drivers of love for the Learning experience is not the primary objective of smartphone
smartphone brand, and other dimensions – socialization and users, but if it is offered in an entertaining way, then they attach
communitas – have no insignificant role. Hedonic pleasure and high value to it (Mills et al., 2013). In particular, a learning
escapism directly, while flow, challenge and learning via experience that is coupled with hedonic pleasure (e.g. Scrabble,
hedonic pleasure and escapism drive consumers into love Funglish, Chess – Play and Learn) can enhance the consumer’s
relationship. The study also establishes that brand love experience. Challenge, too, is not among the top experiences in
mediates the relationships between five dimensions of consumers’ priority list, although consumers often seek it, and
consumption experience (i.e. hedonic pleasure, escapism, flow, it can contribute significantly to the overall consumption
challenge and learning) and customer engagement. Based on experience if flow, hedonic pleasure and/or escapism are part of
its empirical evidence, the study has valuable implications for it (e.g. Angry Birds) (Bartsch and Hartmann, 2017). A
academicians and practitioners. smartphone brand that provides a holistic experience, catering
to all of consumers’ experiential needs, strengthens the
Theoretical implications emotional bond between the user and the brand. Therefore,
The study provides theoretical groundwork for further this study argues that the hedonic pleasure, escapism, flow,
investigation of Generation M by classifying the consumption challenge and learning dimensions of the consumption
experiences Generation M seeks in their smartphone use, experience are plausible reasons for a consumer’s love for
ascertaining ways to rouse their love for a smartphone brand brand.
and offering ways to engage them in a rewarding relationship. While some researchers have discussed associations between
Theoretically, this empirical work adds to the body of brand experience and emotional responses (Ding and Tseng,
knowledge by incorporating brand love, customer engagement 2015), to our best knowledge, our findings are unique to the
and the dimensions of consumption experience in an integrated marketing literature. The finding that brand love is a primary
model, explicates that how dimensions of consumption force in achieving customer engagement indicates that brand
experience mediated through one another before getting to love alone may be an adequate predictor of customer
brand love. By combining the positive roles of hedonic engagement. This result is opposite to what Sarkar and
pleasure, escapism, flow, challenge and learning in augmenting Sreejesh (2014) claimed in their study, but it echoes Bergkvist
brand love, the study shows that consumers look for and Bech-Larsen’s (2010) finding. One reason for the variance
smartphone attributes that can meet their standards of pleasure in findings may be the differences in the samples, an
209
explanation that endorses the suggestions about consumers’ invigorate deteriorated relationships by, for example, designing
demographics from Islam and Rahman’s (2016) and Kudeshia a sophisticated and fashionable product and equipping their
et al.’s (2016) brand love studies. smartphones with exciting and entertaining features that build
The present research also validates the mediating effect of customers’ brand love.
brand love in the relationship between customer engagement and
the hedonic pleasure, escapism, flow, challenge and learning Limitations and future recommendations
dimensions of the consumption experience. Prior work has rarely Like all studies, this study has some limitations, the first of which
reported these roles of brand love as mediator between concerns generalization because its unit of analysis is smartphone
dimensions of consumption experience and engagement users and data was collected using convenience sampling
relationships. This study recommends a new customer method. Future research should study the proposed model using
engagement model that adds to the literature by clarifying the other product categories and a diverse range of users and use
process of shaping smartphone users’ engagement. other sampling techniques. Another limitation of this study has to
do with how experiences are measured. This study is deductive in
Managerial implications nature, and it used a structured questionnaire to measure
The smartphone industry has gone through radical changes experiences. However, consumer experiences are subjective in
that make it particularly important for managers to understand nature, so our quantitative approach has limitations in terms of
users’ experience. While Apple found unprecedented success their measurement. In-depth interviews or other qualitative tools
among smartphone users, Nokia lost its market share, perhaps might be used to overcome this limitation. Future researchers can
because Nokia ignored the vitality of the consumers’ apply experimental designs to authenticate the causality of this
experience. In contrast, Apple realized the importance of the model or examine phenomena like consumer well-being in
user experience and developed smartphones that provide a relation to brand love, consumption experience and consumer
platform, or ecosystem, comprised of services and experiences engagement. In addition, Generation M Muslims often take
that address the core value proposition of smartphone users. religion and culture into account before making consumption
Because of this failure of understanding, Nokia later sold its choices, so the moderating effect of religiosity and culture could
smartphone unit to Microsoft. Given that Nokia ruled the be useful.
global smartphone market for a decade, it was a dramatic
outcome. The present research may help managers to better
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& Applied Social Psychology, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 225-240. Technology, China. He is a Lecturer at COMSATS
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flow experience in china tourism E-commerce market”, Superior University Lahore, Pakistan. His research interests
Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management, Vol. 8 include relationship management and entrepreneurial
No. 2, pp. 349-364. marketing.
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Brand Love: The Emotional Bridge Between Experience and Engagement, Generation-M Perspective

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Brand love: the emotional bridge between

experience and engagement,

Introduction enhanced functional quality of many mass-market products

Table I Demographic proﬁle of respondents Conﬁrmatory factor analysis

Table II Conﬁrmatory factor analysis

Table III Squared inter-scale correlations and average variance extracted

Table IV Results of structural model; direct effects

Figure 1 Theoretical framework

Note: The dotted lines represent indirect effects

Figure 2 Structural model

Note: The dotted lines represent indirect effects

Table V Standardized regression weights; indirect effects

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