The role of brand interactivity and involvement in driving social media consumer brand engagement and brand loyalty: the mediating effect of brand trust

Purpose This study explores central questions related to the connections between brand interactivity and involvement on brand-related outcomes (brand trust and loyalty) through understanding the role played by customer brand engagement (CBE) through social media platforms. Design/methodology/approach Using an online survey, the data for this study were collected from 353 participants who follow Royal Jordanian Airlines on their Facebook page. A cross-sectional research approach was implemented using a partial least squares path modeling approach. Findings The study finds that perceived brand interactivity and involvement are positively associated with social media CBE. The authors also find that social media CBE is positively related to brand trust and that brand trust is positively associated with brand loyalty. Consequently, the authors observe that social media CBE is positively related to brand loyalty. Originality/value This study investigates the impact of perceived brand interactivity and involvement on social media CBE while accounting for the mediating role of brand trust through which social media CBE influences brand loyalty of airline brands in the Jordanian context. Finally, the findings have noteworthy theoretical and managerial implications.