O MARKETING EXPERIENCIAL E SUA INFLUÊNCIA NOS SERVIÇOS EDUCACIONAIS EM UMA INSTITUIÇÃO DE ENSINO SUPERIOR NO SUDOESTE DE GOIÁS

Abstract

Changes in the way consumers purchase their products and services have contributed to the emergence of a new focus on companies. Memorable experiences associated with products and services become critical in organizations for continued customer relationships. Higher education institutions have also been impacted by this new way of consuming, and many are looking for ways to provide these memorable experiences that can result in satisfaction and recommendation (positive WOM). The objective of this paper was to analyze the relation of the five dimensions of experiential marketing, defined by Schmitt (1999) with the constructs satisfaction and satisfaction with the recommendation (positive word of mouth) of Higher education service consumers in an IES in the southwest Goiano. Based on the information collected through the 5-point Likert scale questionnaire for a sample of 243 undergraduate students, the structural equation model was estimated using the Structural Equation Modeling Software (EQS). The results showed that experiential marketing influences student satisfaction and all dimensions proposed by Schmitt (1999) confirmed this relationship, with cognitive and affective experiences having the greatest influence. Satisfaction was strongly related to the recommendation (positive WOM). The results may help Higher education institutions to invest in memorable experiences that provide satisfaction and turn students into brand advocates recommending services, and differentiate themselves from the competition