The brand gap: A framework for brand experience analysis

Abstract

Companies need to focus their innovation activities on the generation of unique and memorable brand experiences to gain sustainable and significant competitive advantages. Existing brands already have certain products and services that generate a particular experience in customers’ minds. Every time customers interact with any of the brand’s contact points, they form an idea about this brand. This is how a brand experience is built. However, distortions exist between what the brands want to communicate and what the customer perceives. This is called a brand gap. Understanding the brand gap and its origins might help companies to open up new innovation opportunities to strengthen the brand experience. This article presents a theoretical framework to better comprehend the brand gap.