Visual Communication in Beauty Campaigns: Exploring Its Perceived Effects on Consumer-Engagement and Brand Relationships Among University Students in the Philippines

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of visual communication in social media beauty campaigns on consumer engagement and consumer-brand relationships among Filipino university students. The research addresses the gap in understanding how different types of visual content influence engagement and brand loyalty. The general objective is to determine the relationship between visual communication and consumer-brand relationships, mediated by engagement behaviors. The study applies Uses and Gratifications Theory (Katz, Blumler, & Gurevitch, 1973) and Consumer-Brand Relationship Theory (Fournier, 1998). Using an online survey, data were collected from 304 university students and analyzed through Pearson correlation via SPSS. Results show that informative visuals have the strongest association with engagement behaviors, followed by entertaining and remunerative visuals. Consumer engagement significantly mediates the effect of visual content on brand trust, satisfaction, and commitment. The study concludes that clear, fact-based visuals foster stronger consumer-brand relationships than incentive-based content. It recommends that marketers prioritize transparency and emotional resonance in visual strategies to build lasting brand loyalty. Overreliance on promotional content may weaken long-term consumer commitment. These findings offer practical insights for social media marketers targeting youth consumers.