Beyond Hedonic Consumption: The Role of Eudaimonic Value in Consumer–Brand Relationships: An Abstract

Abstract

Marketing academics and practitioners have traditionally associated a product’s hedonic value with experiential consumption. However, there is a growing stream of research in the area of positive psychology that suggests that the scope of experiential consumption goes beyond merely hedonic value. The objective of this study is to expand the conceptualization of brand value to not only include hedonic (enjoyment) benefits but also to incorporate the crucial dimension of eudaimonic (meaningfulness) brand value. Furthermore, this study also aims to examine the dual role of both hedonic and eudemonic brand benefits in developing key consumer–brand relationship constructs. We hypothesize that both hedonic and eudaimonic brand value are positively related to brand experience. We also hypothesize that brand experience is positively related to the outcome variables of brand love and brand trust. We thus argue that brand experience mediates the relationship between brand value (hedonic and eudaimonic) on the one hand and brand trust and brand love on the other. A survey instrument was developed to measure the theoretical constructs in the study. Two-hundred and thirty-five undergraduate students from a Southeastern public university participated in the study by attempting to complete the self-administered survey in return for extra course credit. The survey instrument utilized measures and scales whose reliability and validity were established in prior literature and were used in prior branding and happiness research. A sequence of statistical tests were performed to evaluate the characteristics of the measurement scales and to test for unidimensionality, reliability, and discriminant validity. A measurement model (CFA) and a structural model were developed and assessed using SPSS AMOS 23.0. The results of the structural model lent support to our hypotheses indicating that importance of brand value in the form of both hedonic and eudaimonic benefits lead in the creation of a positive brand experience. Furthermore, the results show that brand experience is positively related to both brand love and brand trust.