INTEREST IN PURCHASING PRODUCTS WITH BRAND CONTENT LOVE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine the influence of brand love, fostered by social media content, on the desire of consumers to engage with brand communities on social media, ultimately leading to purchase intentions. Method: The research employed a non-probability random sampling procedure for data collection. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was utilized to test research hypotheses through models formulated using R Studio. Result and Discussion: The findings indicate that both brand passion and brand affection significantly affect social media engagement and brand purchase intention. Brand affection notably influences brand purchase intention through engagement with social media brand communities, while the impact of brand passion on brand purchase intention through such engagement was found to be insignificant. Research Implications: The research underscores the pivotal role of brand love in stimulating transactional desires through engagement within social media communities, thereby providing valuable insights for brands to enhance their future social media marketing strategies. Originality/Value: To enhance brand purchase intention for skincare products in Makassar City, Indonesia, this research found that brand passion must be elevated first. This can be achieved by creating positive experiences in every interaction between the brand and consumers. Consequently, brands need to build social media communities that resonate with the affections of skincare consumers. Managers should concentrate on identifying relevant consumer expectations to cultivate an appropriate social media environment for the target audience.