Understanding Gen Z Consumer Emotional Responses to Branding Strategies in Athletic Apparel

Abstract

The study aims to investigate how Nike’s emotional branding influences Generation Z’s emotional connections, brand loyalty, and purchasing behavior. Objectives include analyzing the effectiveness of Nike’s strategies, identifying key emotional drivers, and offering recommendations for optimizing engagement with Generation Z. The study investigates how Nike's emotional branding influences Generation Z, a digitally native and value-driven demographic. It examines the effectiveness of Nike's strategies in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of this generation. The study uses a positivist philosophy to quantitatively assess the impact of Nike's emotional branding on Generation Z, utilizing structured questionnaires and statistical analysis for reliable results. The research focuses on evaluating emotional connections, brand loyalty, and key emotional drivers through methods like SPSS for robust data interpretation and insights. Analysis of 500 survey responses indicates a mean sentiment score of 4.2 out of 5, suggesting a predominantly positive emotional engagement with Nike’s campaigns. A slight deviation from normality was observed, with male respondents averaging a score of 4.0 and female respondents averaging 4.4, highlighting gender-based differences in emotional. The campaign's effectiveness in engaging Generation Z is illustrated by a 78% positive sentiment rate. Nike’s emotional branding strengthens brand loyalty and engagement with Generation Z through effective emotional appeals. The study’s positivist approach and use of theoretical frameworks validate these findings, highlighting the impact of emotional branding while acknowledging some limitations.