Experiential Marketing to Gen Z: Fine-Tuning Brand Experience Through Virtual Reality

Abstract

Market research highlights Generation Z’s increasing demands for digital brand experiences that inspire word-of-mouth sharing. Virtual reality (VR), an immersive affordances technology, holds promise for experiential marketing due to its power to transform experiences. Yet, limited research has examined how VR influences different facets of brand experiences that empower brand engagement and word-of-mouth. In Study 1, a laboratory experiment demonstrates that VR prompts higher sensory, intellectual, and behavioral brand experiences and word-of-mouth compared to static images and 360° tours, with equal brand engagement as a 360° tour. Study 2 corroborates these findings through a thematic analysis of qualitative insights from Generation Z consumers. This research underscores VR’s vital role in fine-tuning brand experience and brand engagement in the experiential marketing context.