INTEGRATING THE S-O-R FRAMEWORK TO ASSESS SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN THE AVIATION SECTOR: A STUDY OF PAKISTANI TRAVELERS

Abstract

Post-pandemic, the aviation sector has evolved its digital strategy from mere promotion to critical customer engagement; however, the mechanism converting Social Media Marketing Activities (SMMAs) into ticket sales remains underexplored. Grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework, this study investigates how four dimensions of SMMAs (Entertainment, Interaction, Trendiness, and Customization) influence Passenger Trust, Perceived Value, and subsequent behavioral intentions in the Pakistani aviation market. Data collected from airline passengers in Pakistan were analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) via AMOS. The results reveal a distinct hierarchy in marketing effectiveness whereby Trendiness (real-time information) and Interaction significantly drive Passenger Trust, whereas Entertainment yields no significant contribution. A critical contribution of this study is the identification of a “Trust Suppression Effect,” demonstrating that Passenger Trust is the dominant driver of decision-making, while Perceived Value exhibits a negative relationship with Purchase Intention. This suggests that in the high-risk context of aviation, passengers prioritize reliability over low cost, viewing higher utility as a signal of safety. Consequently, airline managers should prioritize real-time, utilitarian information over purely entertainment-based content, as establishing operational credibility is the only viable path to generating Purchase Intention and positive Word of Mouth (WOM) in developing economies.