Purpose This study aims to answer an important question of how brand-related communications, including advertising and sales promotion contents, which are disseminated on social media platforms, can enhance positive brand image and evoke favourable behavioural intention from consumers. Design/methodology/approach This study surveys 615 consumers of automotive brands across Malaysia. The data were analysed with AMOS, which was used to specify both the measurement and structural models. The mediating effect of both hedonic and functional brand images was tested using the bootstrapping approach in AMOS and Sobel test. Findings The findings reported in this research demonstrate that there are positive and significant relationships between social media advertising content, social media sales promotion content, hedonic brand image, functional brand image and behavioural intention. Both hedonic and functional brand images have significant mediating effects on social media advertising content, social media sales promotion content and behavioural intention. However, the relationship between social media advertising content and behavioural intention is insignificant. Practical implications This paper proffers insights to brand managers and marketers on how to leverage on social media contents by unearthing the roles of traditional marketing communications such as social media advertising and promotional information in enhancing brand preference and improving consumers’ purchase intention. Originality/value This research advances the discussions in the realm of social media communications and branding by examining the mediating effects of both hedonic and functional brand images of automotive brands. In addition, this study focuses on two essential marketing communications, advertising and sales promotions, which are commonly disseminated by brand managers on social media platforms.

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The literature on Consumer-Based Brand Equity (CBBE) continues to grow enormously. Previous studies on CBBE have maintained that marketing communications play a significant role in developing CBBE. Furthermore, researchers have argued that social media has become a renowned and strategic platform for disseminating brand-related communication. Hence, the advent of brand-related communication on social media is as well increasing the freedom and involvement of consumers in the co-creation of brand-related contents, thus giving rise to Social Media Word-of-Mouth. However, researchers have paid little attention to determining the role of Social Media Word-of-Mouth in developing CBBE and evoking favourable consumer behaviour. Therefore, this study sets out to examine the relationships between Social Media Word-of-Mouth, CBBE and Consumer Response. For this purpose, 290 consumers of two automotive brands were surveyed using the survey questionnaire. The data collected was analysed using both SPSS version 23 and AMOS version 23. The results revealed that Social Media Word-of-Mouth is important for enhancing CBBE and stimulating Consumer Response. Consequently, brand managers and marketers of automotive brands in Malaysia were charged to increase their engagements and investments in social media communications and encourage favourable word-of-mouths from their consumers on social media in order to improve the acceptance of their brands and increased positive consumer behaviour. This study concludes that consumer reviews, comments and posts on social media have significant implications on brands and consumer behaviour.