The Effect of Instagram Marketing Activities on Customer Based Brand Equity

Abstract

Instagram is used as an effective and visual marketing channel for building brand equity in the minds of consumers. This research assisted in filling the gap by analyzing the effect of social media marketing activities on customer-based brand equity by applying the concept of brand equity to the Instagram marketing context based on clothing stores in Sri Lanka. Towards that, a quantitative method was used, and data were collected from 385 Instagram users who follow selected clothing store Instagram accounts in Sri Lanka. The survey was carried out with stratified random sampling method by taking selected six prominent clothing store Instagram accounts as strata. The results obtained through a Structural Equation Model revealed that Instagram marketing activities comprise only three dimensions: entertainment, customization, and advertisement while two dimensions: trendiness and interaction, do not have significant effect on customer-based brand equity in Sri Lankan context. Therefore, it can be recognized that Sri Lankan Instagram users who do not tend to pay attention to Instagram clothing stores when buying clothes online still have some confusion, uncertainties, unfamiliarity, and lack of knowledge about using this platform. This research suggested that Instagram platform should be promoted in Sri Lanka as a user-friendly platform and marketing plan of clothing stores should be accompanied by certain strategies in Instagram to expand brand networks, community development, and increase interaction between stores and customers.