Abstract:
Purpose
The purpose of the marketing campaign of any service brand is to obtain high value of the
brand as well as powerful and positive customer response. In today’s world of increasing
digitalization, social media is a key tool used by marketers in all industries to drive high
brand equity. Despite the increasing popularity of Social Media and the underlying
importance of the response of customers, the effect of Social Media Marketing Activities
(SMMA) on customer response, with the mediating effect of equity of the brand in the
service industry was a topic yet to be explored. The objective of this study is to identify the
effects of Social Media Marketing Activities (SMMA) on Brand Equity and its overall effect
on customers response.
Methodology & Design
A cross-sectional research design has been used in this study, questionnaire was adopted and
had already established valid scales. The data was self-administered and primary and was
collected from 344 users of ride-hailing services in Karachi, Pakistan. The testing of
hypotheses was done using Jamovi statistical software which is a new “3rd generation
“statistical spreadsheet.
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Findings
The results of this study showed that there is direct effect of SMMAs on customer response
and there was also an evidence of partial mediating effect of equity of the brand on the
response of customers.
Limitations
This study used convenience sampling in which data was collected from Karachi, Pakistan
only which is very specific so there is a missing element of generalization in this study.
Recommendations
It is recommended that when marketing strategies ofride-hailing service brands are planned,
they should especially take into account the factors of Marketing done through Social Media
highlighted in this research in order to have positive brand value. The fact that positive
response of customers can only be obtained by building a strong brand equity should be kept
in mind by marketers of such industries
