The Impact of Brand Experience on Downtown Success

Eric Beckman, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Archana Kumar, Montclair State University
Youn Kyung Kim, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Abstract

Many cities have begun to use experiential marketing in order to create cohesive place branding messages that appeal to different potential visitors, both tourists and locals. By identifying the brand experiences that influence place dependence and positive outcomes such as word-of-mouth and revisit intention, the success of a city downtown can be measured. This study surveyed visitors (locals and tourists) in three city downtowns (Asheville, North Carolina, Nashville, Tennessee, and Chattanooga, Tennessee). After testing the structural equation model for each visitor group, potential strategies for improving downtown success are discussed.