Proposal Title:
To Examine how Advertisement Activities on Social Media Affect Customer Brand Loyalty
Abstract
This study serves the purpose of studying the variables of advertisement activities on social media and their impact on customer brand loyalty. The study aimed to investigate the relationship that is present among the variables of advertisement activities and their effect on customer brand loyalty. Advertisement activities are numerous, and they affect social media in many respects. Social media has offered many possibilities for these activities. Two-way communication made possible by social media has increased its effectiveness. The study takes the case of advertisement activities on social media. Besides, it aimed to study if the brand loyalty of consumers can be influenced by making use of social media platforms for advertising and marketing purposes.
For studying the formulated research hypotheses, a sample of 200 participants would be selected, which included those people that had access to the internet and were more than 18 years old. The study has adopted quantitative research methods and has analyzed data using the questionnaire. The proposed study would find the impact of advertisement activities on social media to affect customer brand loyalty. The variables of the study are dynamic in recent years because the effect of advertisement activities has been changing due to the role of social media. It is worth researching to examine its impact on customer brand loyalty. The findings of this study would support the previous research studies and present some powerful implications for the fields of advertising and marketing promotions of goods and services that are offered by various brands.
Introduction
Advertising is one of the most fundamental methods in marketing to win customer brand loyalty. Advertisement and its related activities communicate with customers and prospects. They serve different purposes. For instance, they create demand among customers for products and services offered by a company. They also let customers know about products and services so that they can develop loyalty with them. Customer loyalty is an asset of the company that is possible only through advertising activities. Before the advent of social media, companies would use traditional media or less dynamic internet-based media. However, social media has increased the pace of communication as it has turned communication two-way. Customers and companies can both interact with each other, along with the activism of intermediaries. Therefore, winning customer loyalty through advertisement activities has become dynamic and interactive through social media. The contribution of social media can mediate the relationship between advertisement activities and customer brand loyalty [1].
Advertisement activities include various steps and initiatives from the company. They include posting ads, holding communication with customers, running promotions, and conducting activities with customers and prospects. These activities may be similar to traditional advertisement activities. However, they differ significantly because of the dynamism provided by social media. It has opened many possibilities and avenues for advertisement and has made these activities effective and interactive as well. Advertisement activities have one purpose at the center. It is to bring more sales from customers. In the context of this proposed research, it is worth explaining the meaning of customer loyalty. loyalty is to keep the customer with the company for long. Social media might contribute to this purpose by enabling feedback and immediate response between customers and organizations. Therefore, the research becomes significant and useful for research and practice so that these marketing terminologies get new meanings in the age of social media [2].
Outline of the proposed Research
The following sections comprise the outline for this research that is proposed. The outline consists of the background, purpose, and rationale of the research.
Background
Brand equity and brand loyalty are both considered to be an integral aspect of attracting and retaining customers [3]. Companies plan for substantial brand equity and brand loyalty so that the customers would become a tool of spreading the word about the offering of a brand. Thus, more customers would get to know about the presence of the company’s products and services for customers. Substantial brand equity and loyalty are, therefore, vital for ensuring high sales and ensuing competitive advantage in the industry [4].
Extensive and heavy use of the internet by people in their daily life has given rise to the internet and its related services and functions. The level of internet use by consumers is high, and the scale of high use motivates and attracts companies to adopt methods and ways involving the internet and related technologies [2]. The internet has increased the level of correspondence as well because it increases the communication and relationship between users on the internet. In this context, social media has come to the surface for making quick and efficient means of interacting with clients and customers [5].
Social media networking sites are popular among users over the internet because they serve various needs of their immediate interests. They offer exciting services, serve their interests of information, and help them interact with people of mutual interests and likes. Social media does not cost-based, or one has to pay for using it. It is free, and the scale of using it is limitless [6]. The convenience of having access without limitations of time and resources makes strong points of social media [7].
In this context, it becomes pertinent and relevant to conducting a study on social media and advertisement on it. The impact of advertisement on this medium has plenty of opportunities and possibilities for businesses and organizations. They can raise awareness and knowledge regarding products and services for customers. It then results in a high level of customer brand loyalty [8]. It also offers essential and valuable pieces of information because they have a direct and efficient relationship with customers. Active and lively relationship between customers and organizations through social media gets further height through advertisement. It provides both parties with excellent access to the information and enhanced relationship based on products and services [1].
Purpose
It is the fact that the current era has witnessed an unprecedented reliance on community and daily lives on the internet and related technologies. The advertisement on various social networking platforms and websites has become an exciting aspect of research for researchers. The research studies that are conducted regarding this topic do not add to the information. They are also known to help marketing professionals in their understanding of their importance and use.
Considering this significance, the prime objective of this research is to add to the market knowledge. It aims to investigate the link between the variables of the study that advertisement on social media affects customer brand loyalty. Besides, this study aims to study if the brand loyalty of consumers can be influenced by making use of social media platforms for advertising and marketing purposes. This study has aimed to examine the relationship between the variables of the study. The purpose of the research is to help businesses by establishing a link between the chosen variables.
Rationale
Social media has become a dominant factor in today’s business, where customers increasingly rely on it. It may have positive or negative points, but overall, it has extended many benefits to the business world. It is essential to study its impact on the business. Organizations advertise their business on social media platforms. It is worth considering the effects of this advertisement on customer brand loyalty. In the context of increasing social media use, it is very relevant research to undertake.
The methodology of the research is quantitative, as the following section explains it. It would generalize the results and would help the company how their advertising on social media affects their brands. Brand loyalty is an important determinant that helps analyze the customers’ association with the business. Therefore, the relationship between advertisement and brand loyalty is essential to investigate in the context of social media. The study would highlight the importance of social media for businesses and organizations. They can devise policies in light of the findings of this proposed research.
Research Topic and Central Research Question:
The research topic is easy to understand, using the context of social media. The advertisement over social media has given more opportunities to companies. Moreover, they have to follow the impact of the brand loyalty of customers. However, businesses may not have information about the effect. Therefore, the topic helps in understanding the relationship. The topic has practical importance because it deals with the topic of practical significance. In the following, the central research question helps guide the proposed research:
How advertisement activities on social media affect customer brand loyalty?
Methodological Approach
Scientists utilize two fundamental types of research philosophies for their investigations. These include positivism and Interpretivism. While both these philosophies have their particular upsides and downsides, they are considered reasonable for various types of studies.
The interpretive approach is embraced for research studies needing the accumulation of personal information as the understanding of the opinions of the study participants is required. Such information is hard to record and translate and requires additional time, effort, and besides, different assets, which can turn into a reason for limitations for the researcher
According to the philosophy of positivism, on the other hand, the entire population is explored. The studies conducted under this philosophy depend on the accumulation of information that is quantifiable. This quantitative information can be gathered and recorded is a nearly less complicated way and can likewise be translated into a significantly more advantageous path instead of the personal data.
This research study, therefore, follows the philosophy of positivism as the researcher has limitations of time and other resources into consideration. Besides, this study aimed to examine the variables of activities on social media advertisement and customer brand loyalty. And for the measurement of such variables, the use of quantitative data can give out more precise and reliable results in a research study [9]. It would help generalize the results of the study.
Research Design
The research strategy that was adopted for this study is the survey approach. The reason behind the choice of this strategy was that it provides a lot more convenience as compared to the other research strategies of interviews and experiment / observational studies. The survey strategy is also more comparable with the positivist philosophy as it relies on the collections of quantitative data. The other two approaches are based on the collection of qualitative data and are comparatively more effort requiring and time-consuming as well [10].
The research instrument that was used for data collection in this research study was that of a questionnaire. This questionnaire was specially prepared for the measurement of the variables of this study, which include advertisement activities on social media and customer brand loyalty. The questionnaire was based on a 5-point Likert scale in which the options were based on; 5 = Strongly Agree, 4 = Agree, 3 = Neutral, 2 = Disagree, 1 = Strongly Disagree. The questionnaire had a total of thirteen items for the motioned study variables.
The questionnaire included two sections; the first one of these sections was for the assessment of the demographic information of the participants, while the second section of the survey was in the measurement of the research variables. Demographic data included the necessary information of the participants, like their age, gender, qualification, and the use of social media platforms. The name of the participants was not compulsory to keep with the ethical considerations of this study.
Contribution
This proposal can contribute many valuable insights and input into the literature on the topic of social media advertisement. Various activities on social media advertisement may help reveal insights for the industry. Businesses and organizations are spending time and financial resources on ads on social media. They do so because they know its favorable effects for their businesses. However, they may not have actual and exact data about the positive impact of advertisement activities. Therefore, the outcome should be investigated. Customer brand loyalty is one variable that has significant insight into the effectiveness of any activity. If there is a positive impact of social media advertising activities on customers’ brand loyalty, it is worth following. This particular research adds to these variables, and as a result, organizations can modify their actions over social media. Theoretical contributions are also within the limit where literature would benefit from this research. These aspects make the research valuable and practically productive.
Proposed Time Scale
The following is the timeline of the research. The duration for each activity is on the y-axis, and it has been depicted in terms of weeks. Weeks are on the x-axis.
Literature References
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| [5] | T. Padoa, M Emerson, M King, and J. Milleron, Efficiency, stability, and equity: A strategy for the evolution of the economic system of the European Community. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. |
| [6] | Philip Kotler and L. Kevin Keller, Marketing Management, 14th ed.: Pearson Education Limited, 2012. |
| [7] | Marloes van Asperen, Pieter de Rooij, and Corné Dijkmans, “Engagement-based loyalty: The effects of social media engagement on customer loyalty in the travel industry,” International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 78-94, 2018. |
| [8] | E. Wright, N. M. Khanfar, C Harrington, and L. E. Kizer, “The Lasting Effects of Social Media Trends on Advertising,” Journal of Business and Economic Research, vol. 8, no. 11, pp. 73-80, 2010. |
| [9] | Christian Fuchs, “From digital positivism and administrative big data analytics towards critical digital and social media research!,” European Journal of Communication, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 37-49, 2017. |
| [10] | Jennifer B Ganz and Kevin M. Ayres, “Methodological standards in single-case experimental design: Raising the bar,” Research in developmental disabilities, vol. 79, pp. 3-9, 2018. |
