From clicks to connection: how AI marketing fuels brand evangelism through passion and personality in quick commerce

Purpose The study explores the effects of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled marketing practices in shaping brand experiences and subsequently leading to brand evangelism among Gen Z and millennial consumers in India’s fast-evolving q-commerce industry. It uniquely also examines brand passion as a mediating variable and Big Five personality traits as moderating variables in the relationship between brand passion and brand evangelism. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative design was used for data collection pertaining to 311 digitally active Gen Z and millennial consumers. SEM and Hayes’ PROCESS macro were applied to test hypothesized relationships and moderator mediation effects between AI marketing, brand experience, brand passion, personality traits and brand evangelism. Findings AI marketing impacts brand experience, which, in turn, influences brand passion and evangelism positively. Passion is shown to mediate the connection between experience and evangelism. The personality traits of extraversion, agreeableness, openness and neuroticism moderate the strength and direction of the passion–evangelism relationship, while conscientiousness was not a significant moderator. Originality/value The research helps fill important gaps in literature and investigate the emotional and psychological consumer–brand interaction mediated by AI technologies in the dynamic and high-growth Indian q-commerce landscape, an area less explored in emerging markets. The study contributes to Experiential Marketing Theory, Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love and Trait Theory by examining emotional branding and consumer advocacy, facilitated by AI, within the digital economy. The moderated mediation model contributes to the theoretical understanding of how personality traits influence brand relationships established by AI. On the practical side, it gives marketers actionable recommendations to develop emotionally engaging personalized AI marketing programs across diverse and fast-changing digital markets such as India.