Does Social Media Threaten Brand Equity in Healthcare?
(A2025-125986)

AUTHORS

Walter Assis, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo - UFES; MARCELO BRANDAO, Federal University of Espírito Santo; Arthur Sarcinelli, Lusófona University; Thiago Guedes, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo; Bruno Vilela, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo - UFES

ABSTRACT

This study examines how brand equity mediates the relationship between value co-creation and consumers' intention to use healthcare services, moderated by the intensity of social media communication. A survey of 376 health services consumers revealed that brand equity enhances the positive impact of value co-creation on usage intentions, but this relationship weakens as the intensity of social media communication increases. While well-managed social media amplifies the benefits of value co-creation on brand equity, excessive communication leads to digital fatigue, reducing the effectiveness of this mediating mechanism. Furthermore, the results empirically suggest that heightened social media communication intensity not only weakens the mediating role of brand equity but may also negatively influence consumer perceptions of the brand, highlighting the risk of digital saturation in healthcare contexts.