Immersive pathways to create value: a dual perspective on branding strategies and consumer well-being in VR metaverse experiences

In a historical era characterized by rapid change, the metaverse is emerging as a transformative environment where brands seek to leverage advanced technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), to engage consumers in innovative experiences. This new landscape presents two fundamental challenges for brands: to harness technological opportunities to achieve strategic branding objectives, and to do so in a way that respects and enhances consumer well-being. Despite growing relevance, research addressing these dual imperatives - brand objective gains and consumer well-being enhancement - remains predominantly conceptual and fragmented. This doctoral thesis aims to address this gap by empirically investigating how VR-based metaverse platforms generate value for both brands and consumers through four interconnected essays. From a brand perspective, it reveals how technical factors (hardware and software) and perceptual dimensions (telepresence, social presence of brand avatars, and immersion) drive outcomes such as brand anthropomorphism, brand–self connection, and brand love. From the consumer perspective, VR experiences foster both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, while also revealing potential physical, psychological, and social discomforts. Technology acceptance perceptions - including perceived usefulness, ease of use, and attitudes toward VR - emerge as key mechanisms moderating these effects and differentiating consumer segments. Together, the essays depict a virtuous cycle of dual value creation in the metaverse: brands strengthen branding outcomes, while consumers achieve meaningful well-being benefits. By integrating technological, perceptual, and individual variables, this research offers a unifying theoretical framework that advances the literature at the intersection of branding, technology acceptance, and consumer psychology. From a managerial perspective, it calls for a responsible branding approach, balancing and integrating strategic branding objectives with consumer well-being.