The dramaturgy of interactive marketing: a conceptual framework for immersive consumer engagement

Abstract

Purpose This conceptual article develops a dramaturgical framework to explain how immersive experiences in interactive marketing foster deeper consumer engagement. By integrating insights from immersive theatre and consumer psychology, the model links experiential design elements with psychological mechanisms to produce outcomes such as brand attachment and value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach The article synthesizes interdisciplinary theories and proposes a model comprising four immersive design elements (spatial immersion, narrative co-creation, sensorial atmosphere, participatory agency) and four psychological mechanisms (presence, flow, empathic engagement, meaning-making). These components are mapped to key consumer outcomes, including affective engagement and brand loyalty. Findings The framework posits that consumer outcomes arise not from discrete stimuli, but through the synergistic interplay of design elements, which activate a cascade of interdependent psychological mechanisms (e.g. presence enabling flow, deepening empathic engagement). This process-oriented perspective challenges static stimulus-response models and emphasizes the transformative nature of immersive brand journeys. Originality/value This study advances interactive marketing theory by (1) shifting from a technology-centric to a human-centric view of immersion grounded in narrative and participation, (2) proposing a dynamic model of consumer engagement that accounts for psychological interdependencies and (3) offering a concrete set of constructs and research directions to guide future empirical inquiry.

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