Abstract:
Purpose:
Aviation industry has been neglected in Pakistan for its relevance and contribution in the gross
domestic product (GDP). Specially, the marketing campaigns of the domestic airlines have
seldom been probe and analyzed. In the age of globalization, social media has emerged as an
essential tool for establishing closeness with the consumer and attaining competitive advantage
through capturing market share by skewing consumer behavior in favor of the brand. All
business, leading brands and airlines have social media handles. This purpose ofthis study is
to determine the effectiveness of current social media (Facebook) marketing efforts of the
domestic airlines. P1A has been chosen because it is the national carrier, Air Blue has been in
the market for more than a decade while Air Sial is a new entrant in the market space. The
study evaluates ihe impact offour independent variables namely, content quality, frequency of
visits, user experience and online C2C information over customer’s purchase intention. This
study provides insight for interactive, digital, and social media marketers to re-strategize their
marketing efforts and make innovative content to create positive e-WOM which renders
purchase and future purchase intention.
Methodology:
SPSS is utilized to analyzed the collected and examine the stated hypotheses. Reliability,
Pearson correlation and Regression analysis tests are used for statistical examination of data.
Findings:
Content quality, User Experience, Frequency of Visits and Online C2C Information are
positively related to the consumer’s purchase intention. PIA Facebook page has bettei brand
among the domestic population while Air Blue and Air Sial Facebook page has awareness
under-performed.
Implications:
Pakistani market has promising future for the airlines. While new entry in the business is
difficult, existing airlines can change the face of domestic competition by intensifying their
marketing efforts and maintaining active online presence. In this regard, social media as a cost
effective and important marketing tool has to be utilized to skew positive consumer behavior
towards the airline.
