The Role of Experiential Marketing and Digital Marketing on Brand Loyalty with Electronic Word Of Mouth as a Mediating Variable

Abstract

Healthcare services play an important role in ensuring the welfare of the community, with hospitals and clinics striving to provide high-quality and professional medical services. Amidst increasing competition in the healthcare sector, especially in specialized hospitals, brand loyalty is crucial to maintaining a strong patient base. This research examines the role of experiential marketing and digital marketing in shaping brand loyalty, with electronic word of mouth (eWOM) as a mediating variable. This research uses a quantitative methodology using a structured questionnaire distributed to 180 patients from a specialized heart hospital in West Java, Indonesia. The collected data was analyzed using SmartPLS 4 software to evaluate the relationship between the variables under research. The findings confirm that experiential marketing and digital marketing significantly influence eWOM and brand loyalty. In addition, eWOM plays an important mediating role, increasing the impact of marketing strategies on patient loyalty. The results show that a positive patient experience greatly enhances eWOM, which, when combined with effective digital marketing, fosters stronger brand loyalty. These findings have significant theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, this research contributes to the literature on healthcare marketing by highlighting the interaction between experience-based marketing, digital marketing, eWOM, and brand loyalty. Practically, these insights can help hospital management refine their marketing strategies to increase patient loyalty through improved service quality and digital engagement. Policymakers can also leverage these insights to develop regulations that support a modern and adaptive healthcare marketing approach.