AN EXPLORATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING FEATURES AND BRAND LOYALTY IN THE FAST FOOD INDUSTRY

The key objective of this research was to test the role of social media marketing features (interactivity, perceived relevance, entertainment, and informativeness) in affecting brand loyalty in the fast-food industry. The required data was obtained through a quantitative survey from customers of fast-food brands in the United Arab Emirates. The findings revealed that most of the social media marketing features positively influence brand loyalty. In detail, it was found that interactivity and perceived relevance positively affect brand loyalty. However, contrary to expectations, it was found that the impact of entertainment on brand loyalty is insignificant. Finally, the outcomes confirmed that informativeness is a significant predictor of brand loyalty. This research adds to the existing marketing literature on this topic through the examination of selected social media marketing features and brand loyalty in a Middle East country as the empirical research on this topic, particularly, in this region is scarce.