Missing link in ‘new-normal’ for higher education: nexus between online experiential marketing, perceived-harm, social distancing concern and university brand evangelism in China

Chinese universities were the first to experience the massive shock waves of the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted higher education globally. Despite extensive research on higher education in the ‘new normal’, empirical evidence on the potential role of online experiential marketing and university brand evangelism is still little to none. To address this critical research gap, the present study is the first to explore university brand evangelism in China and how it is influenced by online experiential marketing. In addition, the moderating effects of perceived harm and social distancing concern on the relationship between online experiential marketing and university brand evangelism were also tested. Based on a sample of university students in China (N = 242) and covariance-based structural equation modeling (CB-SEM), the findings revealed that online experiential marketing (including sense, feel, think, act, and relate dimensions) significantly magnifies university brand evangelism in China. Interestingly, this relationship becomes more strengthened when the Chinese students have a high intensity of perceived harm of COVID-19 and social distancing concerns. These novel findings provide new insights to both policymakers and marketers globally about the powerful medium of online experiential marketing to successfully promote university brands (during and after the global pandemic) using university brand evangelism more strategically.