Brand Experience Scale

What it measures

Measures the subjective, internal consumer responses (sensations, feelings, cognitions) and behavioural responses evoked by brand-related stimuli including design, identity, packaging, communications, and environments. Sensory experience captures stimulation of the senses by the brand. Affective experience captures emotional states and sentiments evoked by the brand. Intellectual experience captures the degree to which the brand stimulates curiosity and creative thinking. Behavioural experience captures bodily experiences, actions, and lifestyle behaviours associated with the brand. Brand experience is distinct from brand attitude (evaluation) and brand involvement (personal relevance) — it captures the richness and depth of the sensory-cognitive-emotional response the brand evokes. One of the most cited Journal of Marketing papers of the 2000s, the BES is foundational to experiential marketing research.

Response format

Likert (1–7, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

Scale items

Sensory — brand makes an impression on the senses (Likert 1–7, strongly disagree to strongly agree)

• This brand makes a strong impression on my visual sense or other senses.
• I find this brand interesting in a sensory way.
• This brand does not appeal to my senses. (R)

Affective — brand induces feelings and emotions

• This brand induces feelings and sentiments.
• I feel very emotional when I see this brand.
• This brand is an emotional brand.

Behavioural — brand encourages physical and body actions

• When I encounter this brand, I engage in physical actions and behaviours.
• This brand results in bodily experiences.
• This brand is not action-oriented. (R)

Intellectual — brand engages thinking and problem-solving

• I engage in a lot of thinking when I encounter this brand.
• This brand does not make me think. (R)
• This brand stimulates my curiosity and problem solving.

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

Four subscale scores. Affective experience is the strongest predictor of brand loyalty and satisfaction. Sensory experience is strongest for product categories with high tactile, visual, or olfactory salience. The BES has been extensively used in luxury brand, flagship store, service brand, and digital brand experience research. Widely adapted for online brand experience contexts.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Brakus, J.J., Schmitt, B.H., & Zarantonello, L. (2009). Brand experience: What is it? How is it measured? Does it affect loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 73(3), 52–68.

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