Consumer engagement behavior perspective in social media: Mediating role and impact on brand equity

This study analyzes the impact of marketing communication (MC) in social media (SM) on brand equity (BE), seeking to identify the mediating role of consumer engagement behavior (CEB) between generated functional and hedonic content on brand equity (BE). The CEB is divided into three levels: consuming, contributing, and creating. A survey-based empirical study with 401 respondents was conducted in the Eastern Europe country of Lithuania. The five control variables that were implemented disclosed new mediation tracks and the good fit of the model. The main findings of the research are that CEB occurring via SM platforms mediates the relationship between marketing communication and BE. These outcomes suggest that companies seeking to make an impact on BE through CEB in level creation should develop company-created utilitarian content which may engage consumers, extending the reach of their content and helping to facilitate long-term brand loyalty.