How Brand Engagement Shapes Brand Equity: Insights from Smartphone Users with Brand Love as a Mediator

Abstract

Samsung is one of the major smartphone brands in Indonesia. However, Samsung's brand index has been experiencing a downward trend from 2020 to 2024. The total brand index for Samsung has declined by 13.8% over the past five years. Currently, consumer preferences in purchasing smartphones heavily depend on brand strength, necessitating that this research is complemented with appropriate marketing communication strategies. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to determine the extent of the influence of Brand Engagement on Brand Equity through Brand Love in high-end Samsung smartphones in Indonesia. This research is a quantitative study with descriptive and causal analysis. The purposive sampling method applied in this study resulted in data from 275 individuals who have been high-end Samsung smartphone users in the last three months. This research utilizes the PLS-SEM analysis method. The findings of this investigation reveal a significant and positive influence, both directly and indirectly, of the variables brand engagement and brand love on brand equity. Future research could use the same object but in different regions and consider adding other variables that could enhance brand equity, such as brand experience.