Effects of brand experience, brand image and brand trust on brand building process: The case of Chinese millennial generation consumers

Brand researchers have been in their quest for understanding how consumers evaluate brands and react to branding practices. The purpose of this study is to validate the importance of brand experience in brand building process with high-and low-involvement products of global brands in China. Four global brands (Nike, Kappa, Ferrero, Meiji) were selected for the analysis, and 1,100 participants of the millennial generation consumers participated in the online survey. The findings suggest that both rational perception and emotional feelings of consumers play important roles in the process of brand building among Chinese consumers. The relationship between brand image and brand trust, which is the initial stage of brand building process plays a vital role in consumers' purchasing decisions. Concurrently, brand experience positively influences brand image and attachment, leading to consumers' purchasing decisions. The findings also provide insights regarding different paths in the brand building process for high and low involvement product categories, suggesting the importance of differentiated branding strategies for various product categories in China.