Social Media Marketing and Brand Awareness: Measuring Digital Campaign Effectiveness
Bachelor's Thesis · ~70 pages · English
Abstract
This thesis investigates how social media marketing activities drive brand awareness and purchase intention among millennials and Generation Z consumers. Using a survey-based research design with 412 respondents and structural equation modeling, the study tests relationships between platform-specific content types (organic posts, influencer partnerships, paid advertising, and user-generated content), brand awareness dimensions (aided and unaided recall, brand recognition, and brand associations), and behavioral outcomes. The research finds that authenticity perception, content relevance, and platform-audience fit are stronger predictors of awareness outcomes than content frequency or advertising spend alone.
1. Introduction
Brand awareness—the extent to which consumers can identify a brand across different conditions—is foundational to marketing strategy, influencing purchase consideration, price premiums, and long-term customer relationships. Social media platforms have fundamentally altered the brand awareness building process, enabling direct consumer relationships, viral content amplification, and precision targeting at scales previously unavailable to most brands.
This thesis examines how social media marketing activities translate into brand awareness outcomes, with particular attention to the mechanisms through which different content types and platform strategies affect consumer cognition and behavior.
2. Theoretical Framework
The research integrates three theoretical frameworks:
Brand Equity Framework (Keller, 1993) - Brand awareness as the foundation of consumer-based brand equity, creating the nodes in memory to which brand associations attach.
Elaboration Likelihood Model - Central (high-involvement, argument-based) and peripheral (low-involvement, cue-based) processing routes differentially apply to social media content engagement.
Social Influence Theory - Social proof mechanisms, parasocial relationships with influencers, and community belonging motivations drive social media engagement with brand content.
3. Key Findings
Structural equation modeling reveals:
• User-generated content (UGC) has the strongest effect on unaided brand recall (β = 0.42), outperforming paid advertising (β = 0.19) and branded content (β = 0.27) • Influencer content effectiveness is moderated by perceived authenticity; micro-influencers (10K-100K followers) show higher authenticity scores and comparable or superior awareness effects to macro-influencers • Platform-audience fit matters: Instagram and TikTok outperform Twitter/X for visual brand categories; LinkedIn is optimal for B2B brand awareness • Content consistency across platforms produces compounding effects on brand recognition
Marketing implications include prioritizing UGC programs, investing in micro-influencer partnerships, and maintaining consistent visual identity across platforms.
References
- [1]Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketing, 57(1), 1-22.
- [2]Godey, B., Manthiou, A., Pederzoli, D., Rokka, J., Aiello, G., Donvito, R., & Singh, R. (2016). Social media marketing efforts of luxury brands: Influence on brand equity and consumer behavior. Journal of Business Research, 69(12), 5833-5841.
- [3]Bruhn, M., Schoenmueller, V., & Schäfer, D. B. (2012). Are social media replacing traditional media in terms of brand equity creation? Management Research Review, 35(9), 770-790.
- [4]Voorveld, H. A. M., van Noort, G., Muntinga, D. G., & Bronner, F. (2018). Engagement with social media and social media advertising: The differentiating role of platform type. Journal of Advertising, 47(1), 38-54.
This is a sample excerpt. Full papers include complete chapters, verified citations, and downloadable formats.
Free to try · No credit card required · Free to start, 3 credits/day