The Influencing Chain of Flow: Antecedents and Consequences on Brand ...

A considerable amount of literature has been published on flow in different realms.  Embedding brands in video games is increasingly attractive for different stakeholders and an important source of profit. There is a lack of research, however, investigating the influencing chain of antecedents and consequences of flow with regard to brand placement efficacy in video games. Thus, the authors investigate different antecedents and their impact on different dimensions of flow and further on attitude and purchase intention toward the placed brands, partially mediated by attitude toward the game. The results, based on a total sample of 237 students playing a jump’n’run game and derived from SEM, emphasize the importance of considering the whole influencing chain of antecedents and consequences of the different flow dimensions in video game playing. Several possible implications of the results for the theory and practice of video game design and integrated brand placement are discussed.