Purchase Decision Influenced by Brand Ambassador, Korean Wave, Brand Image Mediated by Buying Interest

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether purchasing decisions can be influenced by brand ambassadors, Korean waves, and brand image and can be mediated by the interest in buying Scarlett Whitening products among students in Surakarta. This research is a quantitative study using a non-probability sampling technique using a purposive sampling method by distributing questionnaires in the form of Google from university students in Surakarta. Data was successfully collected, which met the qualifications of 217 respondents-processed using Smart-Pls 3 software. In this study, data management was carried out, namely validity testing, reliability testing, and hypothesis testing. There were 10 hypothesis testing with the results of brand ambassadors, brand image, and purchase intention directly influencing the purchasing decision of Scarlett whitening products.Meanwhile, the Korean Wave had no effect either directly or indirectly on interest and purchasing decisions. The role of mediation in this study shows that brand image is the only one that is successfully mediated by purchase intention. The results of this study can be used as a reference for Scarlett whitening product marketing so that they can continue collaborating with brand ambassadors to attract consumer attention and increase sales. Purchases because consumers are usually more concerned with the product's image than trends or figures who become brand ambassadors.