How Affective Evaluation and Tourist Type Impact Event Marketing Outcomes: Field Studies in Experiential Marketing

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-10-2021

Publication Title

Journal of Advertising

First page number:

1

Last page number:

12

Abstract

Events and experiential marketing are a standard for many brands in practice, but they remain relatively underaddressed in the academic literature. While advertising and marketing scholarship has examined some experiential marketing and branded events, it is not typically done from a tourist consumer perspective. Thus, through the theoretical lens of the Mehrabian–Russell (M-R) model and the concept of perceived value, the current research examines event marketing and branded experiences using two field studies conducted in a leading U.S. tourist destination city (an aquarium experience, n = 340, and a retail brand–sponsored fashion show, n = 396). Study 1, with a tourist sample, takes a pre-event perspective. Findings demonstrate that prior to experiencing the event, consumers’ affective evaluation of the event environment impacts both expected event entertainment (EEE) and perceived event quality (PEQ). However, only PEQ enhances tourists purchase intentions (PI) toward the event sponsor. Study 2 adopts a post-event perspective and demonstrates a boundary condition of tourist type (locals, domestic tourists, and international tourists). Findings suggest that the relationship between actual event entertainment (ACEE) and PI is stronger for international tourists, but the effect of product knowledge on PI is stronger for domestic tourists and locals (versus international tourists).

Keywords

Consumer behavior; Entertainment marketing; Event marketing; Experiential marketing

Disciplines

Marketing | Tourism and Travel

Language

English

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