Modeling of Observer-Based Social Media Marketing for Saudi Arabia Consumers

Abstract

Global change has been significantly amplified by the Internet's swift development of technology. The emergence of social media has marked a significant improvement in communication and information availability. Therefore, the social media marketing industry is a significant area used to advertise a wide range of products. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), social media platforms have been widely used by people to interact with each other and share daily updates, as well as business and commercialization. Thus, the aim of this study is to propose a social marketing model for Saudi Arabian consumers to determine the influence of celebrity advertisements on consumer purchasing behaviors in Saudi Arabia such as actors, football stars, influencers, or public figures. The proposed model consists of eleven (11) common concepts: Famous-Person/Celebrity, Customer, Product, Brand Product, Normal Product, social media, TV Facebook, Snapshot, Instagram, and YouTube. The metamodeling approach has been utilized in this study for development purposes. The results revealed that celebrities or well-known people are accepted as credible sources of information and this can be used to influence consumer attitudes and behaviors in a positive way. Celebrities or well-known people can be used to promote products or services and increase product awareness. The results also showed that celebrities or well-known people can have a negative impact on consumers if they are seen to be endorsing questionable products or services, or if their actions are deemed to be inappropriate.