HOW SHORT-LIVED CONTENT CREATES LONG-TERM BONDS: A STUDY OF EPHEMERAL MARKETING, BRAND LOVE, AND CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT IN FASHION BRANDS

Abstract

The rapid growth of ephemeral content on social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok has significantly transformed the way fashion brands interact with consumers. Unlike permanent posts, ephemeral content is short-lived, interactive, and perceived as more authentic and immediate, creating a sense of intimacy and real-time engagement that resonates strongly with digital audiences. Despite its growing popularity in contemporary marketing practices, empirical evidence examining its influence on deeper consumer–brand relationships remain limited, particularly in developing economies. Addressing this gap, the present study investigates the impact of Ephemeral Content Marketing (ECM) on Brand Love and Customer Engagement, while examining the mediating roles of Advertising Value, Self-Brand Connection, and Brand Authenticity within the fashion industry in Pakistan. Grounded in Advertising Value Theory, Self-Expansion Theory, and Authenticity-Based Branding, this study proposes a structural model explaining how ephemeral content shapes consumers’ perceptions of value, identity alignment, and authenticity toward brands. Data were collected through a structured survey questionnaire from 179 Pakistani consumers who actively follow fashion brands on social media. The proposed model and hypotheses were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with 10,000 bootstrap resamples to ensure the robustness and reliability of the estimated relationships and mediation effects. The findings reveal that Ephemeral Content Marketing significantly enhances consumers’ perceptions of Advertising Value, Self-Brand Connection, and Brand Authenticity. These constructs, in turn, positively influence Brand Love, which emerges as a key emotional driver of Customer Engagement. While Advertising Value contributes to the development of Brand Love, it does not directly influence engagement, suggesting that emotional attachment and identity alignment play a stronger role in motivating consumer interaction. Moreover, Self-Brand Connection and Brand Authenticity demonstrate strong direct and indirect effects on engagement, indicating that consumers are more likely to interact with brands they perceive as personally meaningful and authentic. Overall, the study highlights the strategic role of ephemeral content as a relational marketing tool capable of strengthening emotional bonds and fostering interactive consumer–brand relationships in the digital fashion marketplace of developing economies.