How to improve destination brand identification and loyalty using short-form videos? The role of emotional experience and self-congruity

In the new media era, although the short-form video has become an essential tool for destination brand marketing, few empirical studies have concentrated on how to use it to improve destination brand identification and brand loyalty. The conceptual model of short-form video features, consumers and destination brands was constructed based on the stimulus-organism-response framework. A total of 523 valid survey responses were collected, and the mechanism of short-form video feature attributes to destination brand identification and loyalty was empirically examined in this study. It focused on verifying the mediating effect of emotional experience and the moderating effect of destination brand self-congruity. Results indicate that the sensory attractiveness, content vividness, and character interactivity of short-form destination videos are important factors in improving emotional experience, which subsequently promotes consumers’ identification and loyalty toward destination brands. However, this promotion is weakened along with the enhancement of destination brand self-congruity. These findings provided several implications for Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs) in improving consumers’ destination brand identification and brand loyalty using short-form videos. Meanwhile, this study is helpful for DMOs to understand the importance of satisfying the emotional experience and spreading brand ideas in short-form destination video marketing better from a theoretical perspective.