A Study on the Mediating Role of Social Media Platforms in the Influence of Sustainable and Culturally Resonant Packaging Characteristics on Consumer Brand Perception

Abstract

Against the backdrop of consumption upgrading, the popularization of environmental protection concepts, and the enhancement of cultural confidence, sustainable packaging and culturally resonant packaging have become core elements for differentiated competition among cosmetic brands, while social media has become a key channel for disseminating packaging characteristics and cultivating brand awareness. This paper takes the Chinese cosmetic market as the research scenario, focusing on five core variables: sustainable packaging characteristics, culturally resonant packaging characteristics, social media influence, brand awareness, and purchase intention. It explores the mediating role of social media platforms in the influence of packaging characteristics on consumer brand awareness. A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods was employed. A questionnaire survey was used to collect 371 valid samples, SPSS was used for empirical testing, and network ethnography was used for qualitative analysis. The results show that both sustainable packaging characteristics and culturally resonant packaging characteristics have a significant positive impact on consumer brand awareness; social media plays a partial mediating role in the influence of both packaging characteristics on brand awareness; and brand awareness has a significant positive driving effect on consumer purchase intention. The research findings enrich the field of packaging characteristics and brand awareness, providing practical references for cosmetic companies to optimize packaging strategies and utilize social media to enhance brand awareness.