Musytari : Jurnal Manajemen, Akuntansi, dan Ekonomi

Vol. 25 No. 10 (2026): Musytari: Neraca Manajemen, Akuntansi, dan Ekonomi, ISSN 3025-9495
Articles

FROM CONTENT TO CHOICES: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF BRAND AWARENESS IN CONTENT MARKETING AND PURCHASE DECISIONS AMONG GRAB USERS

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  • Cleo Ribby Ayris Sigar,
  • S. L. H. V. Joyce Lapian,
  • Emilia Margareth Gunawan
Cleo Ribby Ayris Sigar
Management Department, Faculty of Economics and Business, Sam Ratulangi University Manado
S. L. H. V. Joyce Lapian
Management Department, Faculty of Economics and Business, Sam Ratulangi University Manado
Emilia Margareth Gunawan
Management Department, Faculty of Economics and Business, Sam Ratulangi University Manado
DOI: https://doi.cibangsa.org/DOI-2026-155

Published 2026-09-10

Keywords

  • Content Marketing,
  • Brand Awareness,
  • Purchase Decision,
  • Grab,
  • PLS-SEM

How to Cite

FROM CONTENT TO CHOICES: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF BRAND AWARENESS IN CONTENT MARKETING AND PURCHASE DECISIONS AMONG GRAB USERS. (2026). Musytari : Jurnal Manajemen, Akuntansi, Dan Ekonomi, 25(10). https://doi.cibangsa.org/DOI-2026-155

Abstract

This study examines whether brand awareness mediates the relationship between content marketing and purchase decision among Management students at Sam Ratulangi University Manado who use Grab digital transportation services, grounded in the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) framework. Using a quantitative approach with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) on data from 110 respondents, the findings show that content marketing has a significant positive effect on brand awareness (β = 0.626), brand awareness has a significant positive effect on purchase decision (β = 0.432), and content marketing also has a significant direct effect on purchase decision (β = 0.418). Brand awareness partially mediates the relationship between content marketing and purchase decision, accounting for approximately 39.2 percent of the total effect. This suggests that Grab’s content shapes student purchase decisions through two pathways of comparable strength, one gradual through brand awareness and one direct. The study contributes to the ride-hailing literature and offers practical insight for Grab’s digital content strategy.
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