Content Value and Destination Brand Equity: Implications for North Sulawesi's Agrifood and Agro-Tourism
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35791/jat.v7i2.70330Keywords:
content marketing value, destination brand equity, electronic word of mouth, local agrifood, social media engagementAbstract
Social media enables tourism micro, small, and medium enterprises to function not only as service providers but also as local content producers that shape destination perceptions. This study examined whether content marketing value strengthens destination brand equity directly and indirectly through social media engagement and electronic word of mouth (e-WOM), while considering its applied relevance for local agrifood and agro-tourism promotion in North Sulawesi. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted from June to August 2026 among audiences exposed to tourism enterprise social media content. Of 350 survey invitations, 285 responses were received and 230 valid cases remained after eligibility and data-quality screening. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was performed using SmartPLS 4.0.9. Content marketing value positively affected destination brand equity (β = 0.25, p < 0.01), social media engagement (β = 0.55, p < 0.001), and e-WOM (β = 0.40, p < 0.001). Engagement positively affected destination brand equity (β = 0.30, p < 0.01) and e-WOM (β = 0.45, p < 0.001), while e-WOM positively affected destination brand equity (β = 0.35, p < 0.001). Both mediation paths and the sequential engagement-to-e-WOM pathway were significant. The findings show that valuable local tourism content builds destination equity more effectively when it stimulates interaction and peer recommendation, with practical implications for integrating local food, agrifood products, and agro-tourism experiences into destination communication
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Copyright (c) 2026 Ricardo Gianluigi Tindi, Daniel Peterson Silaban, Relinton Jeremia Kolibu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
