Page 1 of 5
Archives of Business Research – Vol. 10, No. 6
Publication Date: June 25, 2022
DOI:10.14738/abr.106.12626. Ayyub, M. F., Asghar, A., & Arshad, H. M. J. (2022). The Role of Trust in Understanding the Impact of Social Media Marketing on
Brand Equity and Brand Loyalty. Archives of Business Research, 10(6). 203-207.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
The Role of Trust in Understanding the Impact of Social Media
Marketing on Brand Equity and Brand Loyalty
Muhammad Furqan Ayyub
Adnan Asghar
Hafiz Muhammad Jawad Arshad
INTRODUCTION
Social media marketing (SMM) is the augmentation to traditional and digital marketing
communication tools (Tuten& Solomon, 2017), which monitors and facilitates customer
communications, collaborations and interactions with the company, its brands and other
customers, and encourages their engagement. It also describes customers’ view of the
company’s multiple marketing activities on the social media platform (Yadav&Rahman, 2018).
SMM is a challenge to marketing managers, that can be used as a powerful driver to customers’
responses that can positively influence their intentions, behaviors, and purchase decisions
(Chen & Lin, 2019; Dann, 2010) and a major factor in brand building and creating long-term
customer relationship (Kim &Ko, 2010; Sano, 2014). The social media offer various
opportunities and benefits for successful brand management; a major challenge is measuring
the impact of marketing managers practices on social media (Godey et al., 2016; Schultz
&Peltier, 2013). Kim and Ko (2010) identify five major forces: interaction, entertainment,
trendiness, customization and word-of-mouth, that captures engaging consumers’ perceptions
of various marketers’ practices on social media and characterizes social media marketing
activities (Yadav&Rahman, 2018).
This study investigates the effects of social media marketing activities and consumer positive
behavioral responses toward the brand, in particular brand loyalty.
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Social media is defined as “a group of internet-based applications that build on the ideological
and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user
generated content.” (Kaplan &Haenlein, 2010, p. 61). In the online context, both social media
and social networks are used interchangeably, however, there are differences between them.
Social networking refers to the use of social media as a means to connect with people (Alalwan
et al., 2017). Social network is thus a channel in the community zone of social media that focuses
on the collaboration, conversation, and sharing among users. Although all social media channels
allow for networked relationship, however, interaction and collaboration ae the main theme of
social network. The social network sites are the online hosts that allow members to create their
own private profile such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn (Tuten& Solomon, 2017). There are
many forms of virtual existence on social network such as friendship between individuals,
group communities, and business relations between companies. People going online are
looking to share their experience and interests, build relations, and discuss ideas with others
(Zaglia, 2013). The social network theory postulates that human behaviors are embedded in
these online interpersonal relations (Granovetter, 1985), therefore, it is likely that the
Page 2 of 5
204
Archives of Business Research (ABR) Vol. 10, Issue 6, June-2022
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
behaviors of members are influenced by social network practices (Valck, van Bruggen,
&Wierenga, 2009). The speed of communication and the numerous information sources attract
marketers to shift from traditional media to social media to create awareness and stimulate
consumer preferences toward brands (Duffett, 2015).
Several attempts have been made to provide a definition of social media marketing; still no
collective agreement has been reached. Early in the literature, social media marketing was
defined as “brand communications placed in an online social networking context. Itis
characterized by social connectivity and user interactivity in the brand’ attempt to
communicate with its consumers and prospects” (Chi, 2011, p. 48). Also, Dwivedi, Kapoor, and
Chen (2015, p. 5) defined social media marketing as “as a dialogue often triggered by
consumers/audiences, or a business/product/service that travels in a circle amongst the stated
parties to set in motion revealing communications on some promotional information, or to
learn from one another’s use experiences,
eventuallybenefittingeitheroralloftheinvolvedparties”.Generally,social media marketing can be
defined as the process that utilizes social media technologies and channels to create,
communicate, and deliver marketing offerings that enhance the company’s stakeholders’ value
(Tuten& Solomon, 2017; Yadav&Rahman, 2017, 2018).
Brand Loyalty
Early views of brand loyalty focus on the behavioral perspective; the purchasing pattern or the
repurchasing probability (Srinivasan, Anderson, &Ponnavolu, 2002). However, this perspective
solely cannot measure loyalty, the purchasing action is a misleading indication of loyalty.
therefore, the other attitudinal aspect of loyalty is proposed to refer to consumer’s
psychological predispositions including attitudes, preferences and commitment toward a
brand. Therefore, attitudinal loyalty draws the factors underlying the biased behavior of repeat
purchase (Tatar &Eren-Erdogmus 2016). Focusing on the two perspectives, brand loyalty is
defined as the deeply held commitment toward rebuying the brand in the future regardless to
the situational factors (Chaudhuri& Holbrook, 2001). Based upon this definition, the behavioral
loyalty tends to lead to high market share, while the attitudinal loyalty leads to higher relative
brand value (Taylor, Celuch, & Goodwin, 2004). Several studies have addressed the drivers and
consequences of brand loyalty in the online context (e.g., Khadim et al., 2018; Srinivasan et al.,
2002; Tatar &Eren-Erdogmus 2016) The drivers of loyalty on the online environment are
unlike the traditional or the offline context, it requires the firm to focus on several factors
related to the online context such as connectivity, interactivity, customization, convenience or
ease of use, cultivation or relevance of online information and community (Srinivasan et al.,
2002).
Brand trust
The construct of trust involves a calculative process based on the role of anobject to continually
perform its role and the relationship between costsand rewards (Doney& Cannon, 1997). Brand
trust is defined as the will ingness of a consumer to rely on the ability of a brand to perform as
entitled. In the online context, the role of trust; an individual’s confidence, on thesocial media
platform has been addressed in a number of studies. the results of their study confirm that trust
plays animportant role on social media since it is related to users’ behavioralresponses such as
intentions to continue using the social network in thefuture and recommend it to others.The
construct of trust is measured by fivedimensions: benevolence, integrity, competence,
Page 3 of 5
205
Ayyub, M. F., Asghar, A., & Arshad, H. M. J. (2022). The Role of Trust in Understanding the Impact of Social Media Marketing on Brand Equity and
Brand Loyalty. Archives of Business Research, 10(6). 203-207.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.106.12626
identification, and concern.The interaction orientation of social media fosters the affective trust
more than traditional web sites (Calefato, Lanubile, &Novielli, 2015). These communications
eitherfirm-created or user-generated increase brand trust and enhance the relationship with
customers (Khadim, Hanan, Arshad, Saleem, &Khadim,2018The characteristics of online
environment are also considered driversof trust. In this essence, Kim and Park (2013) examine
the mediatingrole of trust in the relationship between social commerce attributes
andbehavioral intentions. The study provides a support that users tend totrust social commerce
if it provides a favorable online environment interms of communication, reputation,
transaction safety, size, informationquality, and word-of-mouth referrals. Also, Tatar and Eren- Erdogmus(2016), examine the impact of social media marketing in the sector oftourism on
brand trust and brand loyalty. The findings support thatsocial media experience is an important
driver of trust, this experienceis assessed by a clear website, online interactivity, website
security, andcollaboration.Khong et al. (2013) posit that trust on social media platform is also
builtthrough consumer empowerment or the presence of both psychologicaland structural
conditions though users’ perceptions of enhanced ability toshare information and simply access
and perform transactions on socialmedia.
Conceptual Framework
Page 4 of 5
206
Archives of Business Research (ABR) Vol. 10, Issue 6, June-2022
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
References
Alalwan, A. A., Rana, N., Dwivedi, Y., &Algharabat, R. (2017). Social media in marketing: A review and analysis of
the existing literature. Telematics and Informatics, 34(7), 1117–1190.
Berthon, P. R., Pitt, L., Plangger, K., & Shapiro, D. (2012). Marketing meets Web 2.0, social media, and creative
consumers: Implications for international marketing strategy. Business Horizons, 55(3), 261–271.
Bilgin, Y. (2018). The effect of social media marketing activities on brand awareness, brand image and brand
loyalty. Business & Management Studies: An International Journal, 6(1), 128–148.
Boyd, D. M., & Ellison, N. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer- Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210–230
x Bruhn, M., Schoenmueller, V., &Sch€afer, D. (2012). Are social media replacing traditional media in terms of
brand equity creation? Management Research Review, 35(9), 770–790.
Calefato, F., Lanubile, F., &Novielli, N. (2015).The role of social media in affective trust building in customer–
supplier relationships. Electronic Commerce Research, 15(4), 453–482
CAPMAS.(2019). Retrieved from https://www.capmas.gov.eg/Pages/ShowPDF.aspx?page_
id=https://censusinfo.capmas.gov.eg.Chahal, H., & Rani, A. (2017). How trust moderates social media
engagement and brand equity. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 11(3), 312–335.
Chan, N. L., &Guillet, B. (2011). Investigation of social media marketing: How does the hotel industry in Hong
Kong perform in marketing on social media websites? Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 28, 345–368
Choi, E.-K., Fowler, D., Goh, B., & Yuan, J. (2016). Social media marketing: Applying the uses and gratifications
theory in the hotel industry. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 25(7), 771–796.
CMO.(2018). The CMO survey.Retrieved from www.cmosurvey.org.Dann, S. (2010).Redefining social marketing
with contemporary commercial marketing definitions. Journal of Business Research, 63(2), 147–153
Doney, P. M., & Cannon, J. (1997). April). An examination of the nature of trust in buyerseller relationships.
Journal of Marketing, 61, 35–51
Dwivedi, Y. K., Kapoor, K., & Chen, H. (2015).Social media marketing and advertising. The Marketing Review,
15(3), 289–309
Gensler, S., Volckner, F., Liu-Thompkins, Y., &Wiertz, C. (2013).Managing brands in the € social media
environment. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 27(4), 242–256
Granovetter, M. (1985). Economic action and social structure: The problem of embeddedness. The American
Journal of Sociology, 91(3), 481–510
Jakic, A., Wagner, M., & Meyer, A. (2017).The impact of language style accommodation during social media
interactions on brand trust. Journal of Service Management, 28(3), 418–441
Kaplan, A. M., &Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media.
Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68
Khadim, R. A., Hanan, M., Arshad, A., Saleem, N., &Khadim, N. (2018).Revisiting antecedents of brand loyalty:
Impact of perceived social media communication with brand trust and brand equity as mediators. Academy of
Strategic Management Journal, 17(1), 1–14
Kim, A. J., &Ko, E. (2010). Impacts of J., &Ko, E. (2012). Do social media markeitng activities enhance customer
equity? An empirical study of luxury fashion brand.Journal luxury fashion brand’s social media marketing on
customer relationship and purchase intention. Journal of Global Fashion Marketing, 1(3), 164–171.
Kim, S., & Park, H. (2013).Effects of various characteristics of social commerce (s-commerce) on consumers’ trust
and trust performance. International Journal of Information Management, 33(2), 318–332.
Laroche, M., Habibi, M. R., Richard, M.-O., &Sankaranarayanan, R. (2012). The effects of social media based brand
communities on brand community markers, value creation practices, brand trust and brand loyalty. Computers
in Human Behavior, 28(5), 1755–1767.
Page 5 of 5
207
Ayyub, M. F., Asghar, A., & Arshad, H. M. J. (2022). The Role of Trust in Understanding the Impact of Social Media Marketing on Brand Equity and
Brand Loyalty. Archives of Business Research, 10(6). 203-207.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/abr.106.12626
Sano, K. (2014). Do social media marketing activities enhance customer satisfaction, promote positive WOM and
affect behavior intention? An investigation into the effects of social media on the tourism industry
Schultz, D. E.,&Peltier, J. (2013). Social media’s slippery slope: Challenges, opportunities and future research
directions. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 7(2), 86–99
Seo, E.-J., & Park, J.-W.(2018). A study on the effects of social media marketing activities on brand equity and
customer response in the airline industry. Journal of Air Transport Management, 66, 36–41.
Srinivasan, S. S., Anderson, R., &Ponnavolu, K. (2002). Customer loyalty in e-commerce: An exploration of its
antecedents and consequences. Journal of Retailing, 78(1), 41–50.
Tatar, S. B., &Eren-Erdogmus, I. (2016).The effect of social media marketing on brand trust and brand loyalty for
hotels. Information Technology & Tourism, 16(3), 249–263
Taylor, S. A., Celuch, K., & Goodwin, S. (2004). The importance of brand equity to customer loyalty. The Journal of
Product & Brand Management, 13(4), 217–227.
Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. (2017).Social media marketing.London, United Kingdom, Sage Publications Ltd. Valck,
K. d., van Bruggen, G., &Wierenga, B. (2009). Virtual communities: A marketing perspective. Decision Support
Systems, 47(3), 185–20
Yadav, M., &Rahman, Z. (2017).Measuring consumer perception of social media marketing activities in e- commerce industry: Scale development & validation. Telematics and Informatics, 34, 1294–1307.
Yadav, M., &Rahman, Z. (2018). The influence of social media marketing activities on customer loyalty: A study of
e-commerce industry. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 25(9), 3882–3905.
Zaglia, M. E. (2013). Brand communities embedded in social networks. Journal of Business Research, 66(2), 216–
223.