Analysis of Viral Campaign Strategies on the TikTok Platform In Increasing Engagement, Branding, and Intention to Study

The rapid digital transformation has significantly reshaped marketing strategies in higher education, demanding institutions to adopt innova-‎tive approaches that align with the media habits of Generation Z. This study aims to analyze the effectiveness of viral marketing strategies on ‎TikTok in increasing digital brand engagement, strengthening institutional brand image, and enhancing students’ intention to enroll at the ‎Institute of Informatics and Business (IIB) Darmajaya. Theory in the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) framework faces the conceptu-‎alization of TikTok’s viral marketing through hedonic, functional, aesthetic, social interaction, and self-identity values that influence cogni-‎tive–affective responses (digital engagement and brand image), leading to behavioural intention (intention to enroll). Using a quantitative ‎approach with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) on 166 respondents aged 15–20 years, the results reveal that ‎all five psychological dimensions significantly contribute to viral marketing effectiveness. Viral marketing exerts a strong and positive impact on digital brand engagement (T-stat = 23.542; f² = 1.398), while digital engagement mediates the relationship between viral marketing ‎and brand image (T-stat = 16.594). Furthermore, brand image demonstrates a significant influence on the intention to enroll (T-stat = ‎‎16.594; f² = 0.827). The model explains 58% of the variance in brand image, 58% in digital brand engagement, and 44.9% in the intention ‎to enroll, confirming a medium-to-strong predictive power. Theoretically, this study extends the SOR frameworks into the realm of higher ‎education marketing, emphasizing the emotional and social contagion mechanisms that drive digital engagement and institutional branding. ‎Practically, the findings suggest that universities must design emotionally resonant, socially interactive, and identity-based TikTok campaigns to transform virality into meaningful engagement and real enrollment intention‎.