Trust is Not Enough, Advocacy Matters! The Moderated Mediation Role of Brand Evangelism and Social Media Interaction in Purchase Decisions

This study examines the indirect effect of brand trust on purchase intention through the mediating role of brand evangelism. It also examines how social media interaction as a moderating variable shapes the effect of brand evangelism on purchase intention. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional survey of 478 university students (mean age = 21.38 +/- 2.48) enrolled at the Faculty of Sports Sciences at a public university in Turkey. The data obtained were analyzed using "Model 14" of the SPSS Process Macro developed by Hayes in order to test the moderating mediation effects between the variables. As a result of the analyses, significant and positive relationships were found between the variables. The results show that brand trust has both a direct effect on purchase intention and an indirect effect through brand evangelism. It is also concluded that social media interaction significantly moderates the relationship between brand evangelism and purchase intention. These results highlight the importance of brands centering consumer interaction in their social media strategies.