THE ROLE OF BRAND IMAGE IN MEDIATING THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ON PURCHASE INTENTION FOR THE SUNAKA JEWELRY BRAND(A Study on Prospective Consumers in Gianyar Regency)

I Gede Adi Setiawan (Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Udayana University)
Ni Nyoman Kerti Yasa (Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Business, Udayana University)

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCIAL ECONOMICS (IJEFE)
Vol. 3 No. 3 (2026): INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCIAL ECONOMICS (IJEFE)

The Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector, particularly the creative industry, is one of the key contributors to Indonesia's economic development. Within Indonesia's creative industry, various business sectors produce diverse products, one of which is silver jewelry craftsmanship. Sunaka Jewelry is a silver jewelry brand that has established a strong brand image among international tourists and overseas markets. However, these market segments have recently shown indications of entering the maturity stage, making the exploration of new market segments, particularly prospective local consumers in Gianyar Regency, a strategic alternative. This study involved 120 respondents selected using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected through both offline and online questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS for Windows version 24. The findings reveal that all proposed hypotheses are supported. Social media marketing has a positive and significant effect on both purchase intention and brand image. Furthermore, brand image has a positive and significant effect on purchase intention and significantly mediates the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intention.