The Psychological Impact of Digital Marketing and Social Media on Arab Customers in Israel

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the psychological experiences of Arab consumers in Israel, and the psychological impact of digital marketing and social media on Arab consumers. The research is essential because the investigation of minority consumers in the digital marketing space is limited in the literature. As such, the aim of this research was to study the influence of digital marketing and social media on Arab consumers' emotions, cognition, mental health, trust, and shopping behavior, in a culturally relevant manner. This study used a qualitative approach, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with forty Arab participants, in Israel, through purposive sampling. The thematic analysis yielded five key findings: Arab consumers emotionally connect with culturally relevant advertisements, Arab consumers practice selective cognitive processing using language and identity, Arab consumers experienced mental anguish from digital marketing and social media, Arab consumers used culturally salient influencers to form trust, and Arab consumers are shifting towards digital purchasing, especially with younger generations. This study concluded that cultural awareness, language representation, and authenticity are the three psychological drivers of engagement in Arab consumers. The importance for marketers is to be conscious and mindful of their marketing strategies to adequately suit Arab consumers and encourage inclusive marketing techniques, through Arabic language content, and culturally relevant story-telling. Theoretically, the study has added and expanded the field of consumer psychology research by integrating identity with digital behavior and engagement, and practically this study has provided marketers actionable and practical insights into inclusive and culturally mindful digital marketing in multicultural societies.