FROM SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION TO BRAND LOYALTY: THE MEDIATING ROLES OF VALUE CO-CREATION AND BRAND LOVE

Abstract

This study examines the impact of social media communication marketing activities on brand loyalty, with particular emphasis on the mediating roles of value co-creation and brand love. Data were collected from 445 consumers in Ho Chi Minh City and analyzed using a two-stage Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The results reveal that social media communication marketing activities have significant positive effects on value co-creation, brand love, and brand loyalty. Both value co-creation and brand love are found to play important mediating roles in these relationships. Furthermore, the study identifies a positive effect of brand love on value co-creation, contributing to a deeper understanding of the emotional–behavioral mechanisms underlying digital marketing communication. The proposed model is empirically validated in the context of the Vietnamese milk tea industry, providing both theoretical insights and practical implications for enhancing social media communication strategies and fostering brand loyalty among young consumers.