The impact of social media marketing on brand perception and purchase intention of South African consumers

dc.contributor.authorNdlovu, Nondumiso
dc.date.accessioned2025-03-27T07:38:04Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.descriptionA research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration to the Faculty of Commerce, Law, and Management, Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024
dc.description.abstractThis study examines the use of social media marketing (SMM) tactics employed by businesses and how these impact consumer perceptions of brands and purchase intentions within the South African context. Grounded in the Uses and Gratifications model, the Theory of Reasoned Action and De la Roche’s conceptual model, the study aims to explore the intricate relationships among social media marketing activities (SMMAs), consumer brand perception (CBP), and purchase intention (PI). The intention was to collect quantitative data from a minimum of 100 participants, primarily university students, utilising a convenience sampling technique to ensure varied perspectives from a demographically diverse population sample. As part of the data collection process, participants received self-administered online questionnaires via email invitation. The research hypotheses sought to reveal a positive correlation between SMMAs and consumer brand perception (CBP), consumer brand perception (CBP) and purchase intention (PI), as well as between SMMAs and consumer purchase intention (PI) with CBP as a mediator. The study results suggests that CBP is positively impacted by SMM efforts, particularly through electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Moreover, CBP significantly impacts purchase intention. That being said, it's important to highlight that brand perception only mediates the relationship between eWOM and purchase intention. The outcomes of this research will contribute valuable insights to the existing body of information on SMM, and consumer behaviour and brand management. This will empower businesses to make informed decisions when formulating their SMM strategies.
dc.description.submitterMM2025
dc.facultyFaculty of Commerce, Law and Management
dc.identifier.citationNdlovu, Nondumiso. (2024). The impact of social media marketing on brand perception and purchase intention of South African consumers [Master’s dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg].WireDSpace.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/44461
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
dc.rights© 2025 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
dc.rights.holderUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
dc.schoolWITS Business School
dc.subjectSocial Media Marketing
dc.subjectBrand perception
dc.subjectPurchase intention
dc.subjectUCTD
dc.subject.primarysdgSDG-8: Decent work and economic growth
dc.titleThe impact of social media marketing on brand perception and purchase intention of South African consumers
dc.typeDissertation

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