The relationship between gamification, brand engagement and brand equity

Abstract

Many companies are increasingly attempting to build and manage brand communities that increasingly resemble games and game communities and believe that this gamification can increase the engagement and loyalty of consumers to the brand. However, currently, there is a dearth of empirical evidence supporting these expectations in the realm of marketing beyond the pervasive hype around gamification. Therefore, in this study, we investigate the relationship between gamification features, brand engagement and brand equity among consumers (N=824) from both of Xiaomi and Huawei online brand communities through a psychometric survey. The results indicate that achievement and social-related features are positively associated with emotional, cognitive and social brand engagement. Immersion-related features are positively associated with social brand engagement. Furthermore, all dimensions of brand engagement are further positively associated with brand equity. The results imply that there is a positive chain relationship between gamification, brand engagement and brand equity, and that, gamification appears to be an effective tool for brand management.