Exploring the Role of Social Media in International Marketing Campaign Success

Abstract

The advent of social media has revolutionized global marketing approaches for companies by providing broader reach, real-time engagement, and targeted marketing campaigns in various international business environments. In this paper, the role of social media in global marketing is examined through a mixed-methods research methodology that involves the application of six different social media platforms used by multinational firms in the period between 2018 to 2023. By employing the fundamentals of digital marketing theory as well as the theoretical framework of the proposed SMGMC model, the significance of content strategy, targeting, social media platform choice, and engagement in determining the success, brand value, and return on investment of global marketing campaigns will be analysed. To fulfil this objective, marketing employees from 14 countries representing 384 individuals were surveyed, along with a qualitative evaluation of six global marketing campaigns of companies like Nike, Samsung, and Coca-Cola. The findings of the study through SEM and multivariate regression reveal that platform-content compatibility (β = 0.63, p < 0.01), level of localization (β = 0.49, p < 0.01), and integration of influencers (β = 0.41, p < 0.05) significantly predict the performance of global campaigns. It is evident that user engagement on the platforms of TikTok and Instagram exceeds the capabilities of any other social media in terms of attaining awareness objectives, while the platform of LinkedIn offers greater potential for generating leads via B2B campaigns. The current paper offers a four-tier framework of SMGMC, managerial insights, and avenues for future research.