The influence of brand perception on brand perceived value: The mediating roles of emotional experience and social media marketing in the Thai café-style restaurants

This study aimed to examine the influence of brand perception on brand perceived value in the Thai café-style restaurant industry, with emotional experience and social media marketing serving as mediating variables. The study sought to explain how experiential and digital mechanisms contribute to value formation in experience-driven service environments. A quantitative research design was employed. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 456 Thai consumers who had recently visited café-style restaurants. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling was used to test the hypothesized relationships and mediating effects. The results showed that brand perception significantly influenced emotional experience and social media marketing. Both emotional experience and social media marketing exerted significant positive effects on brand perceived value. In addition, mediation analysis confirmed that emotional experience and social media marketing significantly mediated the relationship between brand perception and brand perceived value. The indirect effects were slightly stronger than the direct effect, indicating that value perceptions were shaped through both direct and indirect pathways. The findings extended the Stimulus–Organism–Response framework by demonstrating that emotional and social mechanisms played a central role in translating brand perception into perceived value within the Thai café-style restaurant context. The study suggested that café-style restaurant managers should strengthen brand identity, design emotionally engaging experiences, and implement effective social media strategies to enhance customers’ perceived value and long-term engagement.