Influence of social media communication on consumer purchase decisions: do luxury hotels value perceived brand authenticity, prestige, and familiarity?

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to examine the influence of social media communications, particularly firm-generated content (FGC) and consumer-generated content (CGC) on predicting consumer purchase decisions (CPD) through the lens of perceived brand authenticity (PBA). This paper also investigates the moderating influence of brand prestige (BP) and brand familiarity in the luxury hotel sector. Design/methodology/approach This study collected data from 390 consumers who were regularly using social media platforms, traveled frequently and stayed in luxury hotels. Following stringent data filtering, 371 responses were analyzed via structural equation modeling. Findings The findings indicate that FGC and CGC significantly strengthened PBA. However, CGC was the effective driver that directly influenced CPD. Likewise, PBA directly and indirectly substantially impacted CPD. Finally, BP’s direct and moderating effects significantly influenced CPD in the luxury hotel sector. Originality/value This novel study contributes to signaling theory, social media communications and branding literature in the luxury hotel sector.

Does firm-created social media communication develop brand evangelists? Role of perceived values and customer experience

“…This study employed a snowball sampling technique, resulting in responses from the most relevant and qualified participants. The snowball sampling technique comprises picking an initial set of participants from a target population and leveraging their referrals to enroll further participants (Qing et al, 2024). A survey team was recruited to collect data from prospective customers.…”

“…Marketing researchers have insinuated the potential research gap regarding firm-created social media communication in services, particularly in the luxury hotel sector (Creevey et al. , 2022; Qing et al. , 2024; Veloso and Gomez-Suarez, 2023b).…”

“…Scholars have revealed that previous studies have paid less attention to firm-generated content (FGC) in the context of social media (Veloso and Gomez-Suarez, 2023b). FGC is a dynamic communication strategy for many marketers on social media, but it remains largely untapped (Qing et al. , 2024; Santiago et al.…”

“…The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/0263-4503.htm the luxury hotel sector (Creevey et al, 2022;Qing et al, 2024;Veloso and Gomez-Suarez, 2023b). Previous scholarly research on luxury has focused mostly on tangible products, while the luxury services in firms' social media communication remain largely unexplored (Creevey et al, 2022;Heng Wei et al, 2023;Luna-Cort es et al, 2022).…”

“…Scholars have revealed that previous studies have paid less attention to firm-generated content (FGC) in the context of social media (Veloso and Gomez-Suarez, 2023b). FGC is a dynamic communication strategy for many marketers on social media, but it remains largely untapped (Qing et al, 2024;Santiago et al, 2022;Veloso and Gomez-Suarez, 2023b). FGC helps businesses build and improve customer relationships by publishing social media updates regarding products, services, and promotions (Heng Wei et al, 2023).…”