<![CDATA[The rapid development of digital technology has significantly transformed marketing communication strategies, shifting from one-way promotional approaches to interactive and real-time engagement models. One of the most prominent innovations in digital promotion is live streaming, particularly through social commerce platforms such as TikTok, Shopee, and Instagram. Within this ecosystem, live hosts play a strategic role as intermediaries between brands and consumers, facilitating persuasive communication, fostering audience interaction, and strengthening brand positioning. This study aims to analyze the role of live hosts in enhancing audience engagement and brand awareness within digital promotional activities. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, this research is based on literature review and observational analysis of live streaming practices in e-commerce environments. The study explores how communication style, personal branding, credibility, emotional appeal, and interactive strategies implemented by live hosts influence consumer responses and perceptions. The findings indicate that live hosts significantly contribute to increasing engagement metrics, including real-time comments, reactions, participation rates, and viewing duration. Through direct interaction, personalized responses, storytelling techniques, and urgency-driven promotional tactics, hosts create a sense of intimacy and trust that strengthens consumer-brand relationships. Furthermore, consistent brand mentions, visual reinforcement, and value-based product explanations delivered by hosts enhance brand recognition, recall, and top-of-mind awareness. The study concludes that live hosts function not merely as product presenters but as strategic brand representatives who shape consumer perception and influence purchase intention.]]>
