Traditionally, marketing was about delivering the right product to the consumer at the right place and set at the right price. In recent years, experiential marketing has increased in popularity among companies that aim at delivering holistic experiences to be enjoyed by their consumers. With the technology explosion and the level of development the past number of years, marketers have become more and more focussed on different ways and methods to reach consumers. The use of experiential marketing as a means of getting consumer buy-in and attention is gaining in momentum - with Apple leading the way. This study made use of a mixed-method approach to determine the relationship between experiential marketing and brand advocacy through brand loyalty. Qualitative research was utilised to deduce themes for brand advocacy for Apple, which was incorporated into the quantitative research in the form of a web-based questionnaire completed by consumers of Apple products. Apple consumers found the experiential marketing efforts by Apple to have an influence on their feeling of loyalty toward the brand. As that feeling of loyalty increased, these consumers displayed a high tendency toward becoming brand advocates for Apple.

Apple consumers are well known for their loyalty. Unlike ordinary computer or mobile device users, Apple consumers do not simply buy the products; they become fans. Besides word-of-mouth recommendations the Apple advocates tend to have an emotional connection with the brand they love, they defend the brand and could overlook dissatisfaction. This study made used of qualitative research to explore and gain insights into the characteristics of the Apple brand advocates. The researcher made use of informal conversations to collect data on two Apple community blogs. The data was analysed by using content analysis and six main themes emerged from this study. Apple brand advocates make use of word-of-mouth to recommend and have a sense of trust with the brand. They believe Apple products meet their expectations and find the functionality and design of the products useful. They also enjoy being in an Apple community and find that Apple is irreplaceable by other competitive products.