Investigating social media’s role in brand equity and purchase intentions for non-alcoholic beverages in the Philippines: A descriptive-correlational study
Sandra D. Panugayan-Sy & Fernando L. Trinidad
Abstract
This study examines how social media influences consumer perceptions of non-alcoholic beverage brands, focusing on social media engagement, brand equity, and purchase intention. It highlights the role of digital engagement, brand communication, and consumer interactions in shaping purchasing decisions and brand loyalty. Despite the growing use of social media by Philippine beverage companies, little is known about how social media engagement affects consumer behaviour in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) non-alcoholic beverage sector, particularly considering cultural, platform-specific, and economic factors. Using a descriptive-correlational quantitative research design, data were collected from 394 respondents based on Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) table and analysed using partial least squares–structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Results indicate that social media marketing positively influences brand equity, social media engagement, and purchase intention. Brand equity mediates the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention positively, while social media engagement acts as a suppressor, suggesting that engagement alone does not directly increase purchase intention. These findings advance theoretical understanding of the complex relationships among social media marketing, engagement, brand equity, and purchase intention, and provide practical guidance for beverage companies to design social media strategies that strengthen brand value, cultivate consumer loyalty, and effectively influence purchase behaviour.
Keywords
social media marketing, consumer engagement, FMCG, brand equity, consumer behavior, purchase intention, brand loyalty, advertisement
Author information & Contribution
Sandra D. Panugayan-Sy. Corresponding author. The Graduate School, University of Santo Tomas, Espana Boulevard, Manila, Philippines. Email: sandrapanugayan@gmail.com
Fernando L. Trinidad. Professor. The Graduate School, University of Santo Tomas, Espana Boulevard, Manila, Philippines. Email: fltrinidad@ust.edu.ph
"Both authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript."
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
Institutional Review Board Statement This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines set by the University of Santo Tomas. The conduct of this study has been approved and given relative clearance(s) by The Graduate School Review Ethics Committee.
AI Declaration
The author declares the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in writing this paper. In particular, the author used ChatGPT, Quillbot, and Perplexity in finding literature and other materials. The author takes full responsibility in ensuring that research idea, analysis and interpretations are original work.
Notes
This paper is to be presented in the 3rd International Conference on Management, Education and Innovation (ICMEI) 2026.
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the people who supported, guided, and inspired me throughout the journey of completing this research. To my adviser, thank you for your invaluable guidance, encouragement, and patience. Your expertise and insightful feedback have greatly shaped the direction and quality of my work. I am sincerely grateful for the time and dedication you invested in helping me grow as a researcher. To my statistician, thank you for your assistance, clarity, and expertise. Your support in analyzing and interpreting the data was essential, and I truly appreciate your willingness to help at every stage of the process. To my family, thank you for your unconditional love and support. Your faith in me has always been my greatest motivation. I am deeply grateful for your patience, constant encouragement, understanding, and prayers. To my friends and colleagues, thank you for the laughter, companionship, and moral support. Your presence made this journey lighter and more meaningful, and I am blessed to have shared this experience with you. To my husband, thank you for your endless love, patience, and understanding. Your encouragement kept me going, especially during the most challenging moments. You stood by me with unwavering support, and for that, I am profoundly grateful. And to my baby, you have been my inspiration and source of strength. Every step of this journey was fueled by my hopes and dreams for you. Thank you for giving me the motivation to keep moving forward. Above all, I thank God for giving me the strength, wisdom, and perseverance to complete this work.
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Cite this article:
Panugayan-Sy, S.D. & Trinidad, F.L. (2026). Investigating social media’s role in brand equity and purchase intentions for non-alcoholic beverages in the Philippines: A descriptive-correlational study. International Journal of Academe and Industry Research, 7(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijair.353315
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