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939 Teo & Dr Adaviah (2021)

HERMS C Enterprise fails to develop and manage substantial brand equity on social media. HERMS C Enterprise has its brand, yet it
could not compete with the competitors in the market. The company spends around RM20,000 on social media advertising. However, it does
not work where the company still faces low brand equity in the social media market and fails to attract customers' repurchase intention
toward the brand. When HERMS C Enterprise launches a new product on social media, the success rate of the new product might be low due
to its lack of brand trust and credibility to convenience customers repurchase on the new product. Apart from that, HERMS C Enterprise
faces difficulty attracting customers to repurchase its products as low brand equity will influence the choice of customers where the customers
would choose the brand with strong brand equity. The impact of brand equity on customer retention, retention, and profit margin primarily
looked at the relationship between the brand's value and the consumer's lifetime value (Stahl, Heitmann, Lehmann, and Neslin, 2012).
However, there has been limited research on this issue. In addition, there is still insufficient research study on customers' repurchase intention
toward activewear brands on social media platforms which influence by e-WOM and brand equity. Therefore, this research will focus on the
factors that influence customers' repurchase intention toward activewear brands and the importance of brand equity on social media platforms.

1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This study listed four main research questions:

RQ1: Does user-generated social media communication positively affect the electronic word-of-mouth communication (e-WOM) of HERMS
C Enterprise?
RQ2: Does firm-generated social media communication positively affect the electronic word-of-mouth communication (e-WOM) of HERMS
C Enterprise?
RQ3: Does electronic word-of-mouth communication (e-WOM) positively affect brand equity of HERMS C Enterprise?
RQ4: Does brand equity positively affect customers' repurchase intention toward HERMS C Enterprise?

1.3 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

This study listed four main objectives:

RO1: To identify the significant relationship between user-generated social media communication and electronic word-of-mouth
communication (e-WOM).
RO2: To identify the significant relationship between firm-generated social media communication and electronic word-of-mouth
communication (e-WOM).
RO3: To identify the effect of electronic word-of-mouth communication (e-WOM) on brand equity of HERMS C Enterprise.
RO4: To identify the effect of brand equity on customers' repurchase intention toward HERMS C Enterprise.

■ 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INSTAGRAM AS SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION TOOL

Social media users can broadcast their ideas and opinions throughout the world with a single click on social media. The message
may be addressed specifically to someone, but it is difficult to determine who the author is (Bertot, Jaeger, P.T., et al., 2012). All the social
media users may share their thoughts and openly express themselves on social media. Therefore, various brands extend their businesses via
social media to reach out to more users about their brands. Marketers may reach out to customers in their social communities and develop
more intimate relations with the users via social media (Kelly, Kerr, & Drennan, 2010). People and businesses are connected through the
Internet and social media, including Instagram, and interactions with less dependent on time and place. In order to build and sustain brand
equity, the social media marketing strategy needs to be unique to attract Instagram users' attention. Instagram have made it incredibly easy
for the business to market and advertise the products. According to a survey reported in BBC News (2012), a significant percentage of the
world's top businesses use Instagram as part of their marketing strategies.

2.2 DEFINITION OF BRAND EQUITY

Brand equity is a combination of assets and liabilities associated with a business, its name and symbols that contribute to or detract
from the value supplied by a service or product to a company and its consumers (David A. Aaker, 1991, p.15). Brand equity refers to the
value that a company gains from its product with a distinctive name compared to its competitors (Liao & Cheng, 2014). According to Goi
& Goi (2011), an organization that undergoes a rebranding revolution generally wants to increase its brand equity. Improved levels of brand
equity are frequently translated into higher cash flows and enhanced competitiveness (Baalbaki & Guzmán, 2016). Brand equity

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