THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ACTIVITIES ON BRAND EQUITY AND CUSTOMER RESPONSE OF TAXI SERVICE INDUSTRY

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. i 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