The Effect of Social Media Marketing on Service Adoption Intention: The Mediating Role of Brand Trust and Image a Case Study of Abay Bank S.C
| dc.contributor.advisor | Zelalem G/Tsadik | |
| dc.contributor.author | Redieat Melaku | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-11-06T07:57:57Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-11-06T07:57:57Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2026-06-23 | |
| dc.description.abstract | The main aim of this research was to explore the structural relationship between customers' service adoption intention and social media marketing initiatives in the Ethiopian private banking sector with a particular focus on Abay Bank S.C. The research was developed based on the Stimulus-Organism Response (S-O-R) paradigm and aimed to study how digital customer touch points affect the adoption of services through the help of parallel mediating mechanisms (brand image and brand trust) through social media marketing. To achieve this objective, the researcher used an explanatory research design, quantitative research approach to collect primary data via a structured survey from an electronically accessible sample of active Abay bank selected branch customers who reside in Addis Ababa. Using a convenience sampling technique and with the use of a validated final sample of 383 respondents, the researcher was able to conduct an empirical analysis of the survey data. The analysis of the data was done using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique as facilitated by the use of Smart PLS software, which allowed the researcher to evaluate both the measurement and structural pathways simultaneously. The results of the study indicated that social media marketing has a positive, highly significantly and direct effect on service adoption intention. Additionally, the digital marketing stimulus had a very strong and direct effect on both corporate and image and customer brand trust. Indirect effects of both brand reputation and brand reliability acted as two different routesthateachestablishedastructuralformofpartialmediation between each other. In addition to this, since the direct effect of trust upon the ultimate customer intentions was greater than the effect of visual brand reputation upon such intentions, financial institutions should move from a passive mode of digital broadcasting to an interactive, user-focused ecosystem of content. Banks should use automated chat interfaces to attract immediate consumer attention and support a dedicated track of communicating bank safety and reliability to lower perceived risk of finance. Digital strategies must strategically balance creative aesthetic with operational efficiency of back-end delivery in order for online commitments to be realized through demonstrated flawless delivery of the agreed upon services to the end consumer. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/9411 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Addis Ababa University | |
| dc.subject | Social Media Marketing | |
| dc.subject | Brand Image | |
| dc.subject | Brand Trust | |
| dc.subject | Service adoption intention | |
| dc.subject | Abay Bank S.C. | |
| dc.title | The Effect of Social Media Marketing on Service Adoption Intention: The Mediating Role of Brand Trust and Image a Case Study of Abay Bank S.C | |
| dc.type | Thesis |