THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISEMENT ON CONSUMERS’ PURCHASE INTENTION TOWARDS CASTLE BEER: A CASE STUDY OF CONSUMERS IN MAICHEW TOWN

Abstract

This study investigates the influence of social media advertising on consumer purchase intention within the Ethiopian beer industry, using Castel Beer as a case study. The research was motivated by the sector's growing competitiveness and the critical role of social media for marketing, especially given Ethiopia's regulatory restrictions on alcohol advertising in traditional media. The general objective was to examine the effect of social media ad attributes on purchase intention. The specific objectives were to evaluate the impact of understandability, memorability, credibility, originality, and message appeal. A quantitative, cross-sectional explanatory research design was employed, utilizing a structured questionnaire distributed to 365 purposively selected Castel Beer consumers in Maichew town. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis with SPSS version 27. The findings reveal that all five advertising attributes have a statistically significant positive effect on purchase intention. The regression model explained 67.9% of the variance in purchase intention. Message appeal (β = 0.394) and understandability (β = 0.379) were the most potent predictors. The study concludes that effective social media ads in this context must be clear, engaging, memorable, credible, and original. It is recommended that Castel Beer and other breweries prioritize message clarity and creative appeal in their social media strategies. Future research should expand to other regions and include potential consumers to enhance generalizability. .