The story of experiences – the evolution of the interdisciplinarity of branding

Purpose
This study aspires to contribute to the literature on the evolutionary stages of the concept of branding through the acknowledgement of its connection with sensory (tangible) and philosophical (intangible) experiences. The concept of branding is planned to be understood from a two-fold perspective on experiences, palpable and non- physical.

Design/methodology/approach
In this qualitative research, a wide set of sources on the concept of branding lied the grounds for a historical methodology focused on providing a thorough insight into branding and its relatedness to tangible and intangible experiences.

Findings
This paper offers comprehensive views on the historical developments associated with the concept of branding. Through this investigation, a plethora of phenomena on the tangible and intangible character of branding has been unearthed confirming the complexity of branding and the experiences it evokes. This study demonstrates that understanding the concept of branding with its multi-faceted nature could offer a valuable source of support toward bettering a cognizance of the future of a brand and its reputation in a marketplace.

Originality/value
This investigation employs the approach of brand experience as sensations, feelings, cognitions and behavioural responses introduced by Brakus, Schmitt and Zarantonello (2009) and builds upon their call for more research on experiences.
This exploration is original in its approach as it considers a two-fold character of experience and its presence in branding. The investigation’s novel character is embraced by distinguishing those two types of experiences against branding and simultaneously integrating both, tangible and intangible, occurrences as a stream of intrinsic characteristics of the essence of branding.