Creating brand love among higher education’s students through social media marketing activities: mediating role brand awareness and brand image

Purpose This study aims to investigate how social media marketing activities (SMMAs) influence brand love among university students in Iran’s competitive higher education sector. Drawing on associative network memory theory, this study examines the sequential mediating roles of brand awareness and brand image in the relationship between SMMAs and brand love, addressing a critical gap in understanding nonmaterialistic drivers of emotional brand attachment in higher education. Design/methodology/approach A structured survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to students from two large private universities in Iran. To evaluate the model, a total of 440 valid responses were obtained from students who actively engaged with university social media accounts. Hypotheses were tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings The findings of this study indicate that engaging in university SMMAs has a substantial impact on increasing brand love among students. Also, the authors demystified the significant importance of brand awareness and brand image in amplifying the influence of SMMAs on brand love within the higher education segment. Originality/value This study extends the brand love literature by empirically validating the mediating roles of brand awareness and brand image in the SMMAs–brand love relationship within Iran’s higher education context – a setting rarely explored. This paper provides novel insights into how universities can foster deep emotional connections with students through strategic social media engagement, offering both theoretical advancement and practical guidance for higher education institutions in emerging markets.