Emotional Branding as a Tool of Influence on Consumer Loyalty in the Restaurant Industry

Emotional branding is a marketing tool that induces an emotional response from consumers at all stages of customers’ behavior: decision-making, purchase, and consumption of the service. The restaurant industry, as a part of the hospitality industry, is characterized as hedonic, emotion-focused type of service. It is valuable to use consumer’s emotions as a driver of company’s performance by influencing consumer’s loyalty. The purpose of the study is to determine the variables that affect a customer's decision to come back. For this purpose, in-depth interviews with marketing experts in the restaurant industry will be conducted. An online survey of consumers of services in the restaurant industry will be used to confirm the insights found in qualitative research. This research will provide insights into the approach of emotional branding and its influence on loyalty in the restaurant industry. As a result, recommendations for loyalty improvement will be suggested.