This study deeply analyzes the complex influence path of creators' social behavior on consumer brand awareness and ultimate brand loyalty in the rapidly
changing one-person media environment. Specifically, this research aims to empirically investigate...
This study deeply analyzes the complex influence path of creators' social behavior on consumer brand awareness and ultimate brand loyalty in the rapidly
changing one-person media environment. Specifically, this research aims to empirically investigate the roles of mediating variables such as brand awareness,
brand communication ability, brand trust, and brand profitability, as well as how
platform type, consumer gender, and age moderate these influence relationships.
Given that one-person media has emerged as a core medium powerfully influencing consumer behavior, this study aims to achieve theoretical expansion and
practical implications.
The results of a structural equation model (SEM) analysis, based on
large-scale survey data, show that brand social behavior, composed of content
quality, creator professionalism, trustworthiness, and interactivity, all significantly
influenced the formation of positive brand awareness. This suggests that when
consumers perceive a brand, the quality of content, the trustworthiness and pro-
fessionalism of the creator, and opportunities for two-way interaction play crucial roles.
More importantly, this study clearly revealed the multi-stage and sequential
roles of three mediating variables—brand communication ability, brand trust, and
brand profitability—in the process from brand awareness to brand loyalty. That
is, positively perceived brands, by demonstrating high communication ability,
solid trustworthiness, and providing actual value (profitability), ultimately build
consumer brand loyalty. This study deeply confirmed that brand social behavior
influences brand loyalty not only through direct paths but also through complex
mediating paths starting with brand awareness.
Furthermore, this study confirmed that platform type and demographic characteristics such such as gender and age have significant moderating effects on the
influence path of one-person media social behavior. This indicates that not all
consumers react identically to one-person media social behavior, and in specific
gender or age groups, certain elements of brand social behavior may have different impacts on brand awareness or mediating variables. In particular, younger
generations are more sensitive to interactivity, while consumers aged 40 and
above place more importance on creator professionalism and trustworthiness,
factors that contribute to building long-term loyalty. These moderating effects
emphasize the necessity of considering target consumer characteristics and
adopting segmented approaches when formulating one-person media marketing
strategies.
The findings of this study provide deep insights into the mechanisms of brand
awareness and loyalty formation in the one-person media environment, carrying
significant theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, this study expands
existing brand management theories by introducing the concept of brand social
behavior and elucidating its influence paths. Practically, it offers concrete guidance for businesses and marketers, including the importance of content quality
and creator selection, strategies to enhance communication ability, trustworthiness, and profitability after initial brand awareness, and the necessity of
customizing brand social strategies by considering gender, age, and platform
type. Ultimately, this research is expected to substantially assist businesses in
effectively communicating with consumers through one-person media and building long-term brand loyalty on a solid foundation of brand awareness.