THE IMPACT OF USER INTERACTIONS IN SOCIAL MEDIA ON BRAND AWARENESS AND PURCHASE INTENTION: THE CASE OF KATINAT FACEBOOK PAGE

The increasing of new digital communication channels has utterly changed the face of marketing. In turn, scholars have tried to explain the phenomena of digital media that influence both consumers and businesses. The goal of this article is to explore how users' interactions with activities related to brands on channels, in this case, Katinat's Facebook page, influence customers' perceptions about brands and, finally, their purchasing decisions. Using the hierarchy of effects theory as a basis, findings from an online poll of Facebook fans of the company try to demonstrate how fan page interaction increases customers' propensity to buy, word-of-mouth activity, and brand awareness. The paper clarifies the possibility of value enhancement in social media advertising and show how this new channel of communication affects brand perception. This study is useful for brand managers since it demonstrates that social media activity benefits brands by helping them control purchasing. The study advances knowledge on the importance of social media for brand awareness in brand marketing.