The first memorable encounter between a consumer and a brand and its influence on their relationship: an exploration through a qualitative phenomenological enquiry

International audienceUnderstanding how consumers discover, adopt and develop relationships with brands is of increasing interest in consumer research (Fournier, 1994, 1998, Fournier & Yao, 1997 ; Kates, 2000 ; Ji, 2002 ; Aaker, Fournier, & Brasel, 2004). A relationship being a series of interactions, key interactions between consumers and brands, especially the first one, because it can generate biases (expectancy confirmation biases and self-fulfilling prophecy biases), cast their influence all over the course of the consumer-brand relationship. In line with Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) principles, this article presents the results of a qualitative phenomenological inquiry exploring configurations of first encounters, defining what a memorable encounter is, its facets, antecedents and consequences on the relationship course