This research aims to examine the effects of two viral marketing attributes; namely viral advertising and E-WOM on customer purchase intention. In particular, the authors contemplate the prima facie nature of the relationship by examining brand image and age as contingent boundary conditions (moderator role). The population of the study consists of graduate students in a private Cypriot university. A sample size of 177 participants is recruited using a convenience sampling technique. Multiple linear regression and analysis of variance are the statistical analyses employed to test the developed hypotheses. The findings reveal that viral marketing influenced on customer purchase intention magnified under the moderating role of brand image but age did not affect the relationship. Interestingly, viral advertising had a greater effect on customer purchase intention than E-WOM. Finally, discussions of this research finding in light of academic knowledge are put forward before suggesting future research directions.

This study aims to investigate the impact of social networking sites advertisements on consumer purchase decisions. It also seeks to examine how brand awareness mediates this primary effect. The data for this study was collected based on 360 followers from student's perspectives towards major apparel brands across Girne American University in North Cyprus. Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling (SEM) in order to analyze the data collected. The study found that SNS advertisement had a significant impact on brand awareness, alongside consumer purchase decisions. Similarly, it found support for the mediating role of brand awareness. This research extends prior research by investigating the mediating effect of brand awareness between the SNS advertisements and purchase decision path. Finally, this study enriches social media marketing literature by providing evidence from North Cyprus.