We remember brands for different reasons. Sometimes it is what we see. Sometimes it is what we feel. Often, it is the experience of doing something that makes a brand relevant to our lives.
For marketers, this raises a deceptively simple question: what makes an interaction a brand experience rather than another moment of exposure?
Experience is more than stimulation
A frequently cited paper in the Journal of Marketing offers a useful starting point. Brakus, Schmitt and Zarantonello (2009) describe brand experience through four dimensions: sensory, affective, intellectual and behavioural.
This framework expands the brief beyond visual impact. What does an audience notice? What does an encounter make them feel? What new understanding does it invite? And what opportunities does it create for participation?
A brand environment can be visually striking and still have little relevance to the people experiencing it. Conversely, a simple conversation or thoughtful demonstration can influence how someone understands a brand. The design challenge is not to maximise stimulation; it is to create appropriate, purposeful responses.
What does the evidence say about loyalty?
More recent academic work adds perspective. A 2024 meta-analysis by Desveaud, Mandler and Eisend synthesised 1,261 effect sizes from 557 studies, finding that brand experience and consumer–brand bonding were linked with customer loyalty within an integrated model.
That is substantial evidence for considering experience within brand strategy. But it does not mean that attending a live event automatically produces loyalty. Brand experience in this literature includes multiple touchpoints, not only activations or conferences, and meta-analytic relationships are not an event-by-event causal ROI estimate.
Design backward from the intended change
The practical implication is to begin with an objective, not a format. If the goal is understanding, build opportunities for exploration and explanation. If the goal is connection, create space for authentic interaction. If the goal is confidence, make a brand promise tangible through a useful demonstration.
At VOQIN’, our Emotional Thinking Methodology asks us to consider perception, feeling and post-event action together. The academic literature supports examining multiple dimensions of experience.
The next era of brand experience is not about adding more sensory layers for their own sake. It is about giving every detail a reason to matter.
Ready to build connections through emotion? Get in touch!
