A model of transformative brand experience for pilgrimage tourism

Abstract

The aim of the study is to explore how transformative experiences (TE’s) act as a catalyst for consumers in the tourism space, between brand salience and brand resonance. Specifically, we investigate the relevance of a current understanding of brand to the transformation of tourist to brand advocate. The brand development will adopt Keller’s (2009) model and will use a combination of experiential (Kolb, 2014) and transformative (Mezirow, 1997) theories to unpack the types of transformative impact pilgrims receive when experiencing the phenomenon. This study will adopt a phenomenological qualitative approach, which is considered to be the most suitable when exploring complex phenomena (Pernecky and Jamal, 2010). The findings suggest that Keller’s model provides a useful framework but needs to be adapted to explain the process of transformation to brand resonance in tourism. The context used for this research is the pilgrimage to Gallipoli, Turkey, a site of significant Australian battle in World War 1. The findings will have relevance for other tourism experiences that involve pilgrimage or immersion.