Sensory Branding and Brand Loyalty: Mediation Analysis of Brand Love and Brand Trust in the Consumer-Brand Relationship Context

branding

products or services produced by the company (Kim & Sullivan, 2019).Advertising design that creates a sense of empathy in consumers is a general demonstration of the implementation of an emotional branding strategy so that consumers feel that there is affinity or congruity between the consumer and the product or service.Research conducted by (Hong, 2016) proves that consumers' purchase interest after watching television advertisements that can produce an emotional response is three times better than television advertisements that cannot create an emotional response.
Consumers' emotional responses to television advertising are important for understanding a brand's message (Cartwright et al., 2016).Effective advertising must create the right response to develop consumer and brand relationships (Mehta & Purvis, 2006).An advertisement that has an emotional appeal will be preferred (Stout & Leckenby, 1986), thereby increasing memorability, induce consumers to utilize the brand or product (Keller et al., 2008).
Previous research related to emotional branding strategy has shown that this construct has a role in creating brand loyalty.However, the research results by (Kim & Sullivan, 2019b) provide an opportunity to observe emotional branding strategy as a multi-dimensional construct consisting of four constructs: sensory branding, storytelling, cause branding, and empowerment.This opportunity arises because, in several previous studies, emotional branding strategy was still observed as a unidimensional construct.Through observations in multi-dimensional constructs, it can be described how each unique technical implementation of an emotional branding strategy creates brand loyalty.
Emotional branding is defined as forming brand relationships with consumers utilizing the emotional side.Even though brand technicalities may not be easy to remember, consumers remember how a brand moved them.According to research by Kim & Sullivan (2019), emotional branding can be implemented using a Sensory Branding strategy.Due to the shift in marketing from products to creating consumer experiences, sensory branding that triggers and engages consumers' senses (i.e., sound, sight, touch, smell, and taste) is considered capable of eliciting an emotional response to a brand.
In the point of view of the Stimulus, Organism, Response (S-O-R) theory developed by Mahrabian and Russel in 1974 it focuses on the process of how external stimuli influence organisms and cause certain responses.Emotional branding creates an emotional connection between the brand (stimulus) and the consumer (organism).The two main aspects of the organism involved in human responses and reactions to certain stimuli or situations are cognitive and affective.Cognitive organism refers to an individual's part associated with cognitive processes or rational thinking.Affective organism, on the other hand, refers to an individual's emotional or feeling aspects.
Companies can stimulate cognition of a product or brand through advertising and promotions to provide information about the product or brand to target consumers.Product or brand information with a positive impression on consumers can produce various forms of affection towards the product or brand.Positive affection for a product or brand will then create positive behavior, such as loyalty to the product or brand.At the cognitive stage, companies need not only to determine what information regarding products or brands consumers need to know but also to determine advertising designs that can create a positive impression and positive affection in consumers.Trust or love is the form of affection for a product or brand.After passing through the affection stage, behavior towards a product or brand can be shown as loyalty (Back & Parks, 2003).
Through the two theoretical perspectives discussed previously, researchers developed a conceptual model framework that shows the forming of brand loyalty.The conceptual model framework is built based on forming brand loyalty from an Emotional Branding perspective and the Stimulus, Organism, Response (SOR) theory.Based on these two theoretical perspectives, researchers suspect that there is an important role for sensory branding, brand trust and brand love in determining consumer brand loyalty in Indonesia.

LITERATURE REVIEW S-O-R
Mehrabian and Russell (1974) proposed a framework that focuses on how external stimuli influence organisms and cause certain responses.According to the S-Stimuli, O-Organism, and R-Response paradigm, the environment influences humans (e.g., temperature, aroma, color, and light) and elicits emotional reactions to stimuli with a combination of three influencespleasure, dominance, and arousal (Im & Ha, 2011).
The organism stage of the SOR model refers to a person's internal evaluation of a stimulus, which can include cognitive and affective evaluations (Kang et al., 2020;Proshansky et al., 1983).Cognitive evaluation involves analysis based on beliefs, knowledge, and affective evaluation refers to an individual's feelings about a stimulus (Forgas & George, 2001;Kang et al., 2020).

Emotional Branding
Emotional branding is a strategy used to connect a brand with consumer emotions.Strong emotional ties to a brand will stimulate affective conditions that increase consumer loyalty (Kim & Sullivan, 2019).In a deep and long-term emotional relationship, consumer involvement will create a special trust-based relationship to develop a holistic emotional experience (Morrison & Crane, 2007).These relationships can only be built if the brand communicates appropriate messages and connects with consumers' emotions (Singla & Gupta, 2019;Thompson et al., 2006).
Emotional branding focuses on the most pressing aspects of human character: the desire to obtain material satisfaction and experience emotional fulfilment (Gobe, 2010).Emotional branding offers a stronger meaning and is integrated with consumers' lives because it relates to passion, life stories, memories and experiences (Akgün et al., 2013;Pogorzelski, 2018).

Sensory Branding
Sensory branding is a construct for marketing products using consumer psychology (Gilani & Ahsaan, 2023) and involving and triggering consumer senses (namely, sight, sound, feel, taste and smell) (Kim & Sullivan, 2019;Krishna, 2012).The goal is to create a stronger emotional connection with consumers (Hussain Sharafat, 2019).Sensory memory creates an emotional bond with the recipient and generates a desire to purchase the brand/product.Previous research has proven that sensory branding can increase loyalty (Kim & Sullivan, 2019;Wala et al., 2019;Jamaluddin & Hanafiah., 2018).Based on previous research findings, researchers suspect that the relationship between sensory branding and brand loyalty can be analyzed comprehensively.Therefore, a hypothesis is proposed: H1: Sensory branding has a significant effect on brand loyalty Sensory branding is important for creating and strengthening associations between brands and consumers by stimulating the human senses and evoking emotions (Dissanayake, 2023).Sensory branding is a new trend where marketers stimulate the five human senses and create emotional attachment in the consumer's mindset towards the brand (Hussain Sharafat, 2019).Consumers make purchasing decisions based on brand perceptions formed from a collection of stimuli originating from sensory receptors.A strong brand is a brand that can utilize the human senses, which can enhance, affirm, and create trust with consumers (Rupini & Nandagopal, 2015).Therefore, a hypothesis is proposed: H2: Sensory branding has a significant effect on brand love H3: Sensory branding has a significant effect on brand trust

Brand Love
Brand love is a construct to measure the level of emotional attachment and passion satisfied consumers have towards a particular brand (Carroll & Ahuvia, 2006;Palusuk et al., 2019).Brand love is a combination of emotions and passion that interact and arise from consumers' affective responses (Khamwon & Niyomsart, 2016).Gultekin and Turgut (2015) stated that love is essential in establishing the quality of brand relationships for customer.Besides, Fournier (1998) states that brand love develops beneficial word of mouth (Fournier, 1998), influences willingness to pay higher prices (Thompson et al., 2006) and guides to positive evaluations of brand, even when negative information exposes consumers (Ahluwalia, 2000).Previous research findings state that brand love affects loyalty of brand (Khamwon & Niyomsart, 2016;Zhang et al., 2020).Therefore, the hypothesis is proposed: H4: Brand love has a significant effect on brand loyalty

Brand Trust
Trust is a construct that refers to consumers' positive beliefs about a product, service or brand (Atulkar, 2020;Park & Kim, 2016).Brand trust is an expression of consumer trust when connected with a brand with the thought that the brand can be satisfying and reliable (DAM, 2020).When a company promises to provide quality products and succeeds in keeping its promise, it will develop trust towards consumers (Ahmad Mabkhot et al., 2017;Nawaz & Usman, 2008).Portal et al. (2019) andMcAllister (1995) state that there are two types of trust: emotional trust and rational or cognitive trust.So the two important aspects of trust are affective (intention and integrity) and functional (behavior and reliability) (Portal et al., 2019).Several previous studies reveal that brand trust has a positive influence on brand loyalty (Ahmad Mabkhot et al., 2017;Atulkar, 2020;Nguyen et al., 2011) and motivates consumers to show confidence in themselves and maintain long-term relationships (Lin et al., 2017).Therefore, the hypothesis is proposed: H5: Brand trust has a significant effect on brand loyalty

Brand Loyalty
Brand loyalty is a construct that calculates attachment of consumers to a certain brand by showing consistent purchases (Atulkar, 2020;Coelho et al., 2018).The concept of loyalty represents a repeat purchase index and other indicators, such as attitudes and behavior (Jahmani et al., 2020;Parasuraman & Zeithaml, 1996).Loyalty will increase if driven by emotional branding, leading to higher sales (Kim & Sullivan, 2019).Sensory branding is one implementation of an emotional branding strategy.Sensory branding relates to how significantly the appeals of brandto sight, touch, taste, sound, and smell and whether the brand strongly impacts the consumer's five senses (Rodrigues & Brandão, 2021).Huang (2017) states that experience of sensory is the main driver of brand love, which will later impact desire to use, stronger brand loyalty, and enthusiasm to invest more resources to buy product or brand.

H6: Brand love mediates the influence of sensory branding on brand loyalty
Sensory memory is significant because it allows buyers to memorize the quality of experiences and at the right time to recreate and associate with certain brands, situations, people or products (Wala et al., 2019).Consumers will gain trust if they receive quality that matches the company's promises.(Ahmad Mabkhot et al., 2017;Nawaz & Usman, 2008).Previous research findings conducted by Syed Hasnain Alam Kazmi, Muhammad Khalique (2019) and Urban et al. (2001) stated that brand trust leads to solid relationships with consumers and brand loyalty.Therefore, the hypothesis is proposed: H7: Brand trust mediates the influence of sensory branding on brand loyalty

Sample
The samples used in this research were consumers who watched food and drink advertisements.Sample selection was done using a purposive random sampling method by distributing questionnaires to 220 respondents.The survey was conducted in June-July 2023.
Sampling used a questionnaire with a Likert Scale, which was distributed electronically via Google Forms.

Analysis
Testing of the reliability and validity of the conceptual framework in describing the relationships between the designed constructs was tested through SEM (Structural Equation Modeling) analysis with the PLS (Partial Least Square) method.The data that has been collected will be analyzed using the SmartPLS 3.2 statistical data processing tool.The results of descriptive statistical analysis revealed that women dominated the research respondents.Of the 220 data collected, female respondents were 54%, while male respondents were 46%.This distribution showing a higher number of women illustrates that the female group has a greater tendency to respond emotionally to advertisements that use sensory branding designs.Advertising with this approach relies on emotional elements that are very sensitive to feelings and experiences, such as brand images that can arouse feelings or messages with strong emotional appeal.
Furthermore, the age distribution of respondents shows an interesting pattern, with the majority of respondents aged over 44 years, reaching 49%.Meanwhile, the 25-34 year and 18-24 year age groups accounted for 20.5% and 19.5%, respectively, while the 35-44 year age group reached 11%.These results indicate that FNB product advertising is more effective in attracting the attention of more mature age groups.The implication is that there is a need for a marketing strategy that emphasizes emotional elements that provide traditional values, quality or long-term enjoyment.Nevertheless, it is crucial to focus on the younger age groups (25-34 years and 18-24 years), as they also have the potential to be a significant target market.
Educational qualifications show more respondents with Bachelor's degree at 48%, Master's at 34%, Doctorate at 3%, Vocation at 1% and Senior Highschool at 12%.Most higher-educated respondents may indicate they are more skilled in understanding marketing messages and more critical in product selection.In the context of FNB product marketing, this information can help design more informative and trustworthy messages to meet respondents' understanding.
Knowing that most respondents have an income of between 1-3 million rupiah (35%), 28% of respondents have an income of 4-6 million rupiah per month, and 20% have an income above 6 million rupiah per month.This income data reflects variations in purchasing data among respondents, which can influence pricing strategies and market segmentation.Respondents with high incomes are more responsive to products with premium prices.In contrast, respondents with lower incomes are more sensitive to price and are more interested in products with affordable prices.

Reliability Test
The

Convergent Validity
The assessment of convergent validity depends on the outer loading and AVE values (Götz et al., 2010).The observed variables in the research model must be able to illustrate more than 50% of the variation corresponding to other variables to indicate reliability.Therefore, the outer loading value exceeds 0.7 to be deemed adequate.Hair et al. (2010) proposed that AVE should exceed 0.5.Table 3

T Statistics (|O/STDEV|) P Values Results
Sensory Branding -> Brand Love -> Brand Loyalty 5,623 0,000 Significant Sensory Branding -> Brand Trust -> Brand Loyalty 4,698 0,000 Significant The research hypothesis was examined through SEM (Structural-Equation-Modeling) analysis employing the PLS (Partial-Least-Square) method.Figure 2 illustrates the structural model derived from the PLS output, and its details are outlined in Table 6.The findings of the study indicate that sensory branding (β= -0.117; p< 0.05), brand love (β= 0.541; p< 0.05), and brand trust (β= 0.426; p< 0.05) all exert a significant influence on brand loyalty.Notably, sensory branding is the sole factor that exhibits a significant negative impact on brand loyalty.Nevertheless, the intriguing aspect of these research outcomes is that brand love emerges as the most influential mediating variable, enhancing the association between sensory branding and brand loyalty (β= 0.329; p< 0.05), surpassing the effect of brand trust (β= 0.275; p< 0.05).The influence of the mediating variables of brand love and brand trust is stronger than the face-toface influence of sensory branding on loyalty of brand.This implies that sensory branding's ability to foster brand loyalty is closely linked to the strength of brand love and trust, and their relationship is directly proportional and robust.

DISCUSSION
This research develops a conceptual model framework that shows the forming of brand loyalty.The conceptual model framework was built based on the Emotional Branding perspective and the Stimulus, Organism, Response theory in creating brand loyalty.The research results show that sensory branding directly and indirectly influences brand loyalty.It exhibits that sensory branding is an essential factor in forming brand loyalty.Academic research has shown that using the five senses will have different impacts on consumer behavior and perceptions of a service or product (Hultén, 2011).The sensory aspect consisting of the five senses (Sight, Touch, Smell, Sound, and Taste) has an extraordinary and robust effect on brand loyalty.Through sensory branding, restaurants can create unforgettable consumer experiences (Ifeanyichukwu & Peter, 2018).Lindstrom (2005) explains that the more senses are stimulated when establishing a brand, the greater the memories generated by those senses and the stronger the relationship among brand and consumers.
Proper sensory branding can increase consumer loyalty in the restaurant and F&B industry.Aspects of sensory stimuli such as ambient conditions, room layout and decoration have been proven to increase the overall assessment and evaluation of restaurants, encouraging consumers towards positive behavior, namely loyalty (Hwang & Hyun, 2012;Hyun, 2010).Apart from that, taste, aroma, appearance of food and the physical environment can also stimulate consumers' five senses.This study found that aroma has the most significant influence on the formation of sensory branding.This differs from research conducted by (Chang & Cheng, 2023), which suggests that taste significantly influences sensory brand experience.
Consumers will increasingly seek brand experiences with sensory stimulation and emotional appeal (Zarantonello & Schmitt, 2010).For example, the delicious taste of food can also trigger positive emotions.The tempting aroma of food can trigger appetite and lure consumers to return.An attractive visual appearance can arouse feelings of hunger and consumer interest.The sound of interaction between fast food restaurant servers is delightful and can create peace and happiness.Consumers who feel good when eating at a particular restaurant are more likely to have an emotional connection to the brand and return for more.It causes consumers to especially connect emotionally with the restaurant.Memorable experiences tend to increase consumers' chances of returning.
Furthermore, sensory experience is a crucial driver of brand love (Huang, 2017).A restaurant's visual appearance, including interior and exterior design, can influence how consumers experience the brand.Strong sensory branding can make it easier for consumers to identify fast-food restaurant brands among many choices.When consumers experience certain sensory stimuli, such as seeing a logo or smelling a distinctive aroma, they immediately associate it with the brand (Moreira et al., 2017).This identification can trigger unique feelings towards the brand.Sensory branding can deepen this connection by consistently stimulating positive emotions (Hultén, 2011;Wiedmann et al., 2018).Therefore, a restaurant needs to maximize the value provided to consumers until they feel satisfied to generate greater emotional attachment (Shen et al., 2021).Consumers who feel emotionally connected to a brand tend to be more loyal.Consumers may be more likely to choose the brand again and provide recommendations to others.Sensory branding will create memories that allow consumers to remember.Sensory memory creates an emotional bond with the recipient and generates a desire to purchase a brand or product (Wala et al., 2019).In fast food restaurants, sensory branding creates a solid and positive consumer experience through sensory elements such as visual appearance, food aroma, sound and taste.Consumers trust their senses and like the opportunity to interpret sensory input (Hagtvedt et al., 2008).When consumers experience consistent and positive sensory branding, they tend to develop a sense of trust in something (Rupini & Nandagopal, 2015).Consumers feel that the fast-food restaurant is a reliable brand and provides a consistent experience.Trust in a brand is essential in forming consumer loyalty (Abdullah, 2015;Ahmed et al., 2014;Kwon et al., 2020).Consumers with decent level of trust for a certain brand are likelier to continue choosing that brand rather than trying another one.Consumers trust that the brand will meet their expectations and provide the expected quality.

IMPLICATION
Finally, the findings of this study align with earlier research conducted by (Kim & Sullivan, 2019), which revealed that sensory branding significantly influences brand loyalty.This study found that aroma has the most significant influence on the formation of sensory branding.These findings support the conclusion of (CHETAL, 2015) that aroma is the most accepted element in a restaurant.The delicious aroma of food will attract consumers to enter the restaurant.Apart from that, the aroma of food will increase consumers' appetite, so fast-food restaurants must ensure that none of the cooked food has the possibility of becoming stale.
Furthermore, the author recommends that marketers pay attention to brand love as a significant marketing tool influencing brand loyalty.Hopefully, these findings will provide valuable insights and suggestions for policymakers in the fast-food restaurant industry, for example, by focusing on creating an emotional attachment to consumers through unforgettable experiences for consumers (Ifeanyichukwu & Peter, 2018).Especially for consumers of the female gender, it will be easier if a fast-food restaurant takes an approach that relies on emotional elements that are very sensitive to feelings and experiences, such as brand images that can arouse feelings or messages that have a solid emotional appeal to build and increase consumer brand loyalty.
In addition, this research also confirms that consistent sensory branding in all aspects of the consumer experience, including visual appearance, aroma, sound and taste, is critical.This consistency will help build and maintain brand trust, which in turn will increase brand loyalty.Inconsistent changes in sensory branding can damage consumer trust and reduce their loyalty.Sensory branding requires investment in creating distinctive sensory elements that describe the brand identity well.Fast food restaurants must spend time and resources to ensure their sensory branding elements reflect their values and image.Fast food restaurants must continue conducting consumer research to understand how their sensory branding influences perceived brand trust and consumer loyalty.With a better understanding of consumer preferences and expectations, they can adapt their sensory branding strategies as needed.It will help build strong brand trust.

LIMITATION
This research has limitations like other research, which can be an opening for further research.First, the main focus of this research is on the fast-food restaurant industry, which may hinder the generalization of the findings to other contexts.Therefore, future research is expected to re-examine these research variables in other industrial contexts.In addition, fast food restaurants can be influenced by various external factors, such as food trends and conditions, which can significantly impact brand loyalty.Lastly, demographic differences in consumer behavior in the fast-food restaurant industry sector can be a determining factor in implementing emotional branding strategies.Demographic variables are fundamental variables and are easily targeted by marketers and thus have been used to identify consumer segments (Kim et al., 2014).

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This

Table 2 .
Reliability Test