Eliciting consumer-engagement and experience to foster consumer-based-brand-equity: moderation of perceived-health-beliefs

Although consumer-brand-engagement (CBE) and consumer-brand-experience (CBX) are identified as important research priorities, empirically-based insights regarding their relationship with tourism-consumers’ resulting consumer-value cocreation (CVC), emotional-attachment and consumer-based-brand-equity (CBBE) remains scant, particularly during COVID-19 pandemic. In responding to this research gap, following Service-Dominant-Logic and Protection-Motivation-informed theories, we propose and test a model that explores the influence of CBE and CVC on CBX, which consequently effects emotional-attachment and CBBE with tourism service-brands. To explore such issues, we recruit a sample of 318 customers by using PLS-SEM. PLS-SEM-results indicate that CBE has a positive impact on CVC and CBX. Second, findings reveal CBX’s positive influence on emotional-attachment and CBBE. Third, results corroborated the CBE’s and CVC’s indirect effect on emotional-attachment and CBBE, as mediated through CBX. Finally, findings illustrated a negative moderating influence of perceived-severity and positive moderating effect of self-efficacy among projected associations. We offer significant theoretical/managerial implications that develop from this study.