How Users Make Sense of Brand Communication through Digital Experience: Evidence from M-Smile
Abstract
Mobile banking applications have become important digital touchpoints through which organizations communicate their brand identity beyond conventional marketing channels. However, existing studies primarily examine mobile banking from technological and usability perspectives, with limited attention to how users interpret brand communication through digital experience. This study explores how users make sense of Bank Mega's brand communication through their interactions with the M-Smile mobile banking application. Using a qualitative interpretive approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews with two internal stakeholders responsible for brand strategy and application development and nine active M-Smile users, complemented by observations of user interactions with the application. The findings reveal that users construct brand meaning through recurring digital experiences rather than explicit corporate messages. Perceptions of maturity, trust, and helpfulness were reinforced by clear information, reliable interactions, and practical banking services, whereas visual complexity and interaction friction weakened perceptions of professionalism and reliability. Innovation was recognized only when users clearly understood and experienced the practical value of application features. The study contributes to digital brand communication literature by demonstrating that mobile banking applications function not only as service delivery platforms but also as communicative interfaces where users continuously construct, negotiate, and reinterpret brand meaning through digital experience
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