The Role of Social Brand Engagement, Brand Awareness, Brand Association, Brand Trust, and Purchase Intention for Brands

Abstract

The rapid advancement of social media platforms has significantly transformed the contemporary marketing landscape by reshaping how consumers interact with brands and make purchase-related decisions. Social media has evolved from a traditional one-way communication channel into an interactive digital environment where consumers actively engage with brands through activities such as liking posts, commenting on content, sharing brand-related information, and participating in online brand communities. This shift has encouraged organizations to move away from conventional promotional strategies toward engagement-based approaches that emphasize relationship building and long-term value creation. As a result, social brand engagement has emerged as a critical concept in understanding modern consumer behavior in digital contexts. The primary objective of this study is to examine the impact of social brand engagement on consumers purchase intentions within a social media environment. Specifically, the study investigates the mediating roles of brand awareness and brand association in explaining how social brand engagement influences purchase intentions. In addition, the study explores the moderating role of trust in strengthening the relationship between brand association and purchase intentions. By integrating both mediation and moderation mechanisms into a single research framework, the study aims to provide a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the underlying process through which engagement on social media translates into consumers intention to purchase. Grounded in consumer engagement theory and brand equity theory, this study argues that active engagement with brands on social media enhances consumers cognitive, emotional, and behavioral connections with brands. Social brand engagement increases consumers exposure to brand-related content, which enhances brand awareness by improving brand recognition and recall. At the same time, repeated interactions and meaningful engagement contribute to the development of strong brand associations, including perceptions related to quality, credibility, and emotional value. Trust is considered a particularly important factor in online environments, where consumers often face uncertainty and information asymmetry. Even when consumers possess favorable brand associations, trust plays a vital role in determining whether these perceptions are converted into actual purchase intentions. To empirically test the proposed research model, this study adopts a quantitative research approach. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to social media users who actively engage with brand-related content. The measurement items for all constructs, including social brand engagement, brand awareness, brand associationtrust, and purchase intentions, were adapted from previously validated scales in existing literature to ensure reliability and validity. The questionnaire employed a Likert-scale format to capture respondents perceptions and attitudes. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data, as it is particularly suitable for predictive research models involving multiple mediators and moderators. The analysis involved a two-stage assessment process. First, the measurement model was evaluated to examine indicator reliability, internal consistency reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Second, the structural model was assessed to test the hypothesized relationships by analyzing path coefficients, significance levels, and mediation and moderation effects using bootstrapping procedures. This analytical approach ensured the robustness and credibility of the study findings. The results of the study reveal that social brand engagement has a significant positive impact on both brand awareness and brand association. These findings suggest that consumers who actively engage with brands on social media are more likely to recognize brands and develop stronger mental connections and favorable perceptions toward them. The results further demonstrate that brand awareness and brand association both have a significant positive influence on purchase intentions, highlighting their importance in shaping consumers decision-making processes. Moreover, the mediation analysis confirms that brand awareness and brand association serve as important mechanisms through which social brand engagement influences purchase intentions. This indicates that social brand engagement does not affect purchase intentions directly alone; rather, its impact is transmitted through enhanced brand-related perceptions. In addition, the moderation analysis shows that trust strengthens the relationship between brand association and purchase intentions. When consumers have higher levels of trust in a brand, positive brand associations are more likely to result in stronger purchase intentions, emphasizing the critical role of trust in online and social media environments. From a theoretical perspective, this study contributes to existing marketing literature by integrating social brand engagement, brand awareness, brand association, trust, and purchase intentions within a single moderated mediation framework. The findings extend prior research by offering deeper insights into the mechanisms through which social media engagement influences consumer behavior. From a practical perspective, the study provides valuable implications for marketers and brand managers by emphasizing the importance of creating engaging social media strategies, strengthening brand-related perceptions, and building consumer trust to enhance purchase intentions. Overall, this study enhances the understanding of consumer brand interactions in social media contexts and offers meaningful insights for both researchers and practitioners seeking to improve the effectiveness of social media marketing strategies.