Branded content experience in social media settings: a consumer culture theory perspective

Social media has become a primary medium for brands to engage their customers. Brands are continually looking for ways to provide favourable experiences to engage customers on social media platforms. Despite the prolific research on social media in the marketing context, the consumer experience concept in social media remains underexplored to date. This paper addresses this gap by understanding consumer experience with the social media branded content using theoretical underpinnings of consumer culture theory and presenting a precise conceptualisation of consumer experience with the social media branded content. An accurate understanding of branded content experience will help practitioners enhance consumer engagement with their brands in social media. This study concludes with managerial implications and future research directions related to consumer experience in the social media context.