Memory of Virtual Reality brand experiences: what consumers remember and why

Brands today are increasingly investing in virtual reality (VR). While extant research has explored the impact of VR experiences on consumer attitudes and behaviors, none to date has investigated how these experiences impact brand memories. In two studies (qualitative interviews and an online survey), this paper investigates consumer memories formed in VR brand experiences. It explores recalled senses, emotions, and cognitions, and VR-formed episodic and semantic memories of the brand. It further relates these memories to the past and future real-world brand interactions, contributing to the literature on brand experiences, consumer memories, and VR in marketing. In doing so, it studies complex brand experiences in a realistic marketplace setting, advancing marketers’ understanding of the multi-faceted consumer memories. The ensuing brand benefits of these experiences are also put forth, as part of consumers’ technology-infused journeys, thus providing managerial insight on the value of VR for brands.
Introduction