Social Media Advertising Influences Customers' Purchase Intention in Generation Z

Abstract

Spending on social media advertising is expected to reach $207.10 billion in 2023, according to Statista forecasts. This growth in advertising investment in social networks means that brands are changing their global advertising plans in order to increasingly promote their products and services through online advertising, directing their communication to the Z generation that was born to consume content available on social media. This research aimed to investigate how the importance of advertising moderates the relationship between advertising on social networks and consumers' purchase intention. Advertising on social networks is a strategy that can be used to increase the credibility of a brand's promotional message, making advertising more persuasive and credible. The study included 919 respondents, aged between 18 and 26 years, most of whom were female (51.3%). To measure the purchase intention, a composite variable was created, consisting of the four items developed by Duffett (2015). Data analysis revealed that advertising on social networks and the importance given to advertising significantly influence consumers' purchase intention. This data is important for brand managers, advertisers, and marketers because it is clear that purchase intent tends to increase when consumers consider advertising on social networks to be important. Keywords: Social media advertising, purchase intention, advertising importance, Generation Z.