Cosmetics interest and behaviour generated from social media advertising and e-WOM among female millennials

Cosmetics demand is growing among female millennials, who are high users of social media and electronic word-of-mouth (e-WOM) for purchase decision-making. However, the social media platforms and other information sources generating cosmetics interest and desired marketing outcomes from millennials, reported to be fickle and notoriously disloyal are unknown. Marketers spend to advertise on various social media platforms amidst e-WOM that consumers share, but do not know the advertising effectiveness of each social media platform or whether purchase behaviour is driven by e-WOM. This study was aimed at modifying the attention, interest, desire, action (AIDA) model to examine the impact of YouTube, Instagram and Facebook adverts on female South African millennials' cosmetics interest, purchase intention and willingness to pass-along information. It also compared the impact with how e-WOM influence cosmetics interest and purchase intention. Users (N = 259) of all three social media platforms were surveyed. Structural equation modelling results revealed that cosmetics interest was ignited by attention drawn from YouTube and Instagram adverts. This interest influenced purchase intention and willingness to pass-along information. Information received from e-WOM influenced cosmetics interest, but not purchase intention. This study contributes by modifying and testing the AIDA model in the context of social media advertising.