The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Consumer Purchase Intention: Brand Image as a Moderator

Abstract

The era of technology has transformed various dimensions of human life, and marketing has not remained unaffected by these developments. Today, companies actively engage in advertising through diverse social media platforms. Social media serves not only as a tool for communication and interaction but also as an effective medium for shaping consumer preferences and strengthening brand positioning in the marketplace. Accordingly, this study seeks to examine the impact of social media marketing and brand image on consumer purchase intention, as well as the moderating role of brand image in the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention. The research method is descriptive, with the population consisting of all residents of Kabul province. Cluster random sampling was employed, selecting participants from five districts of Kabul. Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire and analyzed through SPSS version 27. The findings reveal that social media marketing has a positive and significant effect on consumer purchase intention and brand image. However, results indicate that brand image does not moderate the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention. Based on these findings, marketing managers are advised to invest simultaneously in both social media marketing and brand image development. The study rejects the assumption that strengthening brand image reduces the need for social media marketing, emphasizing the necessity of concurrent investment in both areas.