THE MEDIATING EFFECT OF CUSTOMER FEEDBACK ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INSTAGRAM CONTENT AND BRAND AWARENESS AMONG MILLENIALS AND GEN Z: A REGRESSION ANALYSIS

In the digital era, social media plays a vital role as a communication tool where users can share information and connect, with Instagram being one of the platforms. This study aims to determine whether Instagram content (X) directly or indirectly affects brand awareness (Y) through customer feedback (Z) as an intervening variable. The study population consists of Instagram followers of @minisoxsamono_kudus. Sampling was conducted using reliance available sampling through a questionnaire, resulting in 128 respondents. Data from the questionnaire were analyzed using regression and path analysis with SPSS 25 software. The results show that Instagram Content (X) significantly affects Customer Feedback (Z) with a t-value (12.604) > t-table (1.979) and Brand Awareness (Y) with a t-value (11.302) > t-table (1.979). Additionally, Customer Feedback (Z) significantly influences Brand Awareness (Y) with t-value (10.939) > t-table (1.979). Path analysis reveals that the direct effect of X → Y is 0.747, while the indirect effect of X → Z → Y is 1.2314. The Sobel test for mediation shows a t-value (8.323) > t-table (1.979), indicating that Instagram Content (X), through Customer Feedback (Z), has a positive and significant impact on Brand Awareness (Y). It is recommended that Miniso X Samono Kudus continue innovating and creatively improving the quality of Instagram content while consistently considering customer feedback to enhance the brand awareness of Miniso X Samono Kudus.