Examining the Impact of Social Media Advertisements and Consumers’ Perceptions on Consumers’ Trust: Evidence from Egyptian public healthcare campaigns

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of social media marketing and consumer perceptions on consumer trust, with respect to the demographics as a moderator variable. The social media advertisements in this study are evaluated based on their legitimacy and informational value. Despite the changeable nature of customer views, it is assessed by selective awareness and selective retention changing to demographics; the moderating factor (age, gender, income, and education). The dependent variable in this research is consumer trust which is proxied by sincerity and prior experience. Due to the scarcity in addressing the impact of social media marketing and customer perceptions on consumer trust in Egypt, particularly in the public sectors, this research would contribute to the existing literature by providing a deeper understanding of social media commercials. Furthermore, the findings of this research would assist in the development of valuable guidelines for online platforms to improve advertisements introduced to the Egyptian market. The current research is based on qualitative data acquired from in-depth interviews with select doctors who participated in the "100 Million Health" campaign, and quantitative data derived from an online survey distributed to Egyptian members of the general public. In this respect, this research would cement the identification of major issues and the formulation of essential conclusions. The research results revealed a considerable relationship between social media advertising and customer views and consumer trust.