Vol. 7, Issue 11, Part A (2025)

This research investigates the effectiveness of social media marketing strategies employed by food and dairy (F&D) brands in the contemporary digital environment. The marketing landscape has fundamentally shifted from unidirectional mass media to a dynamic, two-way dialogue on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, which now capture the majority of digital ad spend. This transition is driven by changing consumer habits and the efficacy of strategies like influencer collaborations and user-generated content (UGC).
Using a survey of 100 highly engaged consumers, the study confirms a high and pervasive level of social media influence, with 91% of respondents reporting being swayed in their F&D purchase decisions. However, effectiveness is highly conditional: purchase intent is less driven by direct promotions than by authenticity/transparency (36%) and positive reviews (34%). Consumers primarily follow brands for utility, preferring recipes (65%) and nutrition facts (61%). The findings underscore that while social media excels at awareness and brand connection, its primary strategic function is to build long-term trust and provide value-driven content, rather than serving as a direct transactional channel.