Social Media Marketing And Brand Equity: Evidence From Masstige Fashion Brands Among Women Consumers In Urban Assam

Abstract

The rise of masstige fashion brands, blending mass accessibility with prestige, is reshaping consumer aspiration and brand strategy across India’s digital landscape. In this context, social media marketing (SMM) has become a powerful force in building brand equity, especially among women in culturally distinct and rapidly modernizing regions such as Assam. Yet, the specific ways in which SMM practices shape consumer-based brand equity (CBBE) for masstige fashion brands in these underexplored markets remain poorly understood. This study addresses that gap through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 25 women consumers in urban Assam, focusing on how key SMM activities content richness, visual storytelling, influencer engagement, and interactivity influence the four core dimensions of CBBE: brand awareness, perceived quality, brand associations, and brand loyalty.

Using thematic analysis and grounded in established branding and digital marketing frameworks, the research uncovers how culturally relevant and interactive SMM strategies drive trust, community, and loyalty among women consumers. The findings highlight that visual storytelling and influencer engagement, when tailored to local values and aspirations, have a particularly strong impact on perceived quality and ongoing brand attachment. By revealing the nuanced mechanisms through which SMM builds brand value for women in Assam, this paper extends digital branding literature and offers practical guidance for managers looking to localize their equity-building strategies in emerging regional markets.