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Metaverse marketing: A business-to-business analysis of brand strategies and Generation Z engagement in the sports industry

Author: Hussain, Saima,Ahmed, Rizwan Raheem,Štreimikienė, Dalia,Bukhari, Faheem,Streimikis, Justas
Publisher: Bucharest: The Bucharest University of Economic Studies
Year: 2025
DOI: 10.24818/EA/2025/70/1091
Source: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/328037/1/1937773051.pdf
Hussain, Saima; Ahmed, Rizwan Raheem; Š eimikienė, Dalia; Bukha i, Faheem;
S eimikis, Jus as
A icle
Me a e se ma ke ing: A business- o-business analysis o
b and s a egies and Gene a ion Z engagemen in he
spo s indus y
Am i ea u Economic
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
The Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Hussain, Saima; Ahmed, Rizwan Raheem; Š eimikienė, Dalia; Bukha i, Faheem;
S eimikis, Jus as (2025) : Me a e se ma ke ing: A business- o-business analysis o b and s a egies
and Gene a ion Z engagemen in he spo s indus y, Am i ea u Economic, ISSN 2247-9104, The
Bucha es Uni e si y o Economic S udies, Bucha es , Vol. 27, Iss. 70, pp. 1091-1108,
h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2025/70/1091
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Economic In e e ences
AE
Vol. 27 • No. 70 • Augus 2025 1091
METAVERSE MARKETING: A BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS ANALYSIS
OF BRAND STRATEGIES AND GENERATION Z ENGAGEMENT
IN THE SPORTS INDUSTRY
Saima Hussain1, Rizwan Raheem Ahmed2, Dalia S eimikiene3,
Faheem Bukha i4 and Jus as S eimikis5
1)Ka achi School o Business and Leade ship, Pakis an
2)Indus Uni e si y, Ka achi, Pakis an
3)Li huanian Spo s Uni e si y, Kaunas, Li huania
4)Hul In e na ional Business School, London, The Uni ed Kingdom
5) Li huanian Cen e o Social Sciences, Vilnius, Li huania and Uni e si y
o Economics and Human Science in Wa saw, Poland
Please ci e his a icle as:
Hussain, S., Ahmed, R.R., S eimikiene, D., Bukha i, F. and
S eimikis, J., 2025. Me a e se Ma ke ing: A Business-To-
Business Analysis o B and S a egies and Gene a ion Z
Engagemen in he Spo s Indus y. Am i ea u Economic,
27(70), pp. 1091-1108
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.24818/EA/2025/70/1091
A icle His o y
Recei ed: 5 Ma ch 2025
Re ised: 28 Ap il 2025
Accep ed: 20 June 2025
Abs ac
This esea ch explo es he in e play be ween he se ices he Me a e se indus y p o ides,
including b and gami ica ion, Me a e se ma ke ing ac o s (no el y, in e ac i i y, In luence ),
and hei impac on b and ad ocacy and loyal y among Gene a ion Z wi hin he spo s indus y.
Employing a quan i a i e app oach, he esea che s collec ed da a om 384 pa icipan s. The
indings e eal signi ican posi i e ela ionships be ween b and gami ica ion and Me a e se
no el y and in e ac i i y. The ou comes o Me a e se de ices exhibi ed ha consume s
de eloped a s ong a ini y o speci ic b ands due o he in luence o social media in luence s.
In addi ion, he ib an and dynamic ealm o he Me a e se has gene a ed a wa e o posi i e
b and sen imen among indi iduals. The esea ch examined he e iciency o ans o ming b and
expe iences inside he Me a e se in o gami ied sys ems, signi ican ly in luencing people and
inc easing hei a ec ion o he b ands wi hin he spo s indus y. Me a e se is a c i ical ool o
Gene a ion Z as his g oup seeks imme si e, ac i e, and engaging expe iences, and e ec i e
b anding in Me a e se can p o ide a solid appeal o his ech-sa y you h. The indings o his
esea ch p o ide signi ican manage ial implica ions o bo h he Me a e se ma ke and he
spo s indus y, highligh ing he signi icance o le e aging he Me a e se o enhanced b and
engagemen and loyal y among Gene a ion Z.
 Co esponding au ho , Dalia S eimikiene – e-mail: [email p o ec ed]
This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion License, which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and ep oduc ion in
any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly ci ed. © 2025 The Au ho (s).
AE
Me a e se Ma ke ing: A Business-To-Business Analysis o B and S a egies
and Gene a ion Z Engagemen in he Spo s Indus y
1092 Am i ea u Economic
Keywo ds: me a e se ma ke ing, Business- o-Business Ma ke ing, b and gami ica ion,
spo s b ands, Gene a ion Z, i ual ma ke ing, b and loyal y
JEL Classi ica ion: L82, M3, O33
In oduc ion
The Me a e se, in business- o-business ma ke ing, ep esen s a digi al uni e se ha goes
beyond adi ional ideo games, i ual eali y amewo ks, and digi al ma ke ing o p o ide
use s wi h a humanis ic and ealis ic engaging expe ience (Anwa e al., 2025; Kazmi e al.,
2021). The global Me a e se indus y has exceeded $83.9 billion in 2023, and i is expec ed
o g ow 48.0% om 2023 o 2030. The o ecas ed e enue o he Me a e se indus y will
each $1303.4 billion by 2030 (Eyada, 2023). In he digi al age, we ha e a g ea po en ial o
make meaning ul ela ionships ha c oss he physical bounda ies o ace, gende and
handicap. The Me a e se enables people o in e ac wi h one ano he wi hou p ejudice,
os e ing digi al en i onmen s (Radanlie e al., 2023; Du e e al., 2023). The Me a e se
indus y p o ides di e en componen s, including ha dwa e (VR, AR and MR de ices) and
so wa e o comme cial, indus ial, manu ac u ing, and consume se ices. The pla o m
o e s a digi al ounda ion o de eloping and using decen alized applica ions. The
Me a e se echnology enables decen alized inance (DeFi) applica ions and se ices,
solidi ying i s p esence in he DeFi space (Haide and Ahmed, 2023; Teng e al., 2023; Zalan
and Ba besino, 2023).
In business- o-business (B2B) ma ke ing, he Me a e se o e s spo s ans unp eceden ed
means o engage wi h hei a o i e eams in ways beyond unpa alleled ealism and
in e ac i i y (Dwi edi e al., 2023). In he i ual en i onmen , h ough compu e -gene a ed
se ings, ans can in e ac wi h each o he ia i ual spo s communi ies and ob ain
pe sonalized spo s gea and icke s o i ual e en s (Kazmi e al., 2021). Me a e se is being
used by big spo s b ands and companies like Nike, Adidas and Puma o upg ade hei
ma ke ing me hods, whe e hey open i ual shops and c ea e expe iences ha people ind
a ac i e. This end will only con inue o expand, and wi h he Me a e se on display,
$1303.4 billion p esen s a ma ke oppo uni y o 2030. The Me a e se in he B2B space is
ad ised o ca e ully conside he s a egies and goals hey selec o use in Me a e se
ma ke ing. Addi ionally, i c ea es a pa hway o he inc ease o i ual spo s goods by
pe mi ing ans o ob ain and ade cus om accesso ies alongside i ual bene icia y icke s
in ascina ing i ual spo ing con es s (Anwa e al., 2025).
Me a e se B2B ma ke ing p o ides b ands wi h a unique possibili y o in e ac wi h hei
cus ome s inno a i ely and c ea e emo ional ies o he audience h ough i ual
en i onmen s (Dwi edi e al., 2023; Eyada, 2023). Th ough he analysis o he high- eaching
implica ions ha Me a e se B2B ma ke ing has o b and engagemen , loyal y and ad ocacy,
spo s b ands can ine- une hei B2B ma ke ing s a egies o a ge hei audience
economically, c ea ing unshakable consume loyal y and ampli ying b and ad ocacy
(Ahmed e al., 2019; Dwi edi e al., 2023). The ac ha Gene a ion Z is he i s g oup o
people o ha e had easy access o echnology helps us unde s and he mo e signi ican amoun
o knowledge an a e age pe son in his gene a ion may ha e ega ding beha io al eac ions
Economic In e e ences
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Vol. 27 • No. 70 • Augus 2025 1093
o echnology and o he e ms o simila concep s, including Me a e se (Eyada, 2023;
I ano a e al., 2023). Vi ual eali y (VR) and augmen ed eali y (AR) also signi ican ly
changed how younge people hink and in e ac wi h echnology, which di e s om he
p e ious gene a ions. Resea ch demons a es ha imme si e i ual expe iences will likely
inspi e mo e i al in e pe sonal ac ions, such as in e ac ion and pu chasing, among
Gene a ion Z (Hadi e al., 2023; Kim and Pa k, 2023). The young gene a ion, i.e., he nex Z
gene a ion, also e e ed o as he coho o social media-sa y demog aphics, ha e a s ong
p ocli i y o using a ied social pla o ms and ge ing highly in luenced by hei pee s
ega ding shopping decisions (Niu e al., 2023).
In he con ex o B2B ma ke ing, Kim e al. (2022) highligh ha Gene a ion Z highly elies
on social media pla o ms and is in luenced in hei pu chase decisions mainly by pee s using
such means. In B2B ma ke ing, schola ly deba e has concen a ed on humans who engage in
VR and AR abili ies (Kazmi e al., 2021). As e ealed in he indings o Chiu and Ho (2023),
people wi hin Gene a ion Z can be a ac ed o imme si e i ual expe iences, which a e also
a signi ican ac o in in luencing such consume s. The Me a e se o e s b ands eng ossing
oppo uni ies o o m deep emo ional a ilia ions wi h consume s, which ansla e in o
augmen ed b and in ol emen , unde e ed loyal y, and a ing ecommenda ions (Ahmed e
al., 2017). In addi ion, i ual s o e on s can also be c ea ed using he Me a e se, which
suppo s In luence B2B ma ke ing p og ams, loyal y schemes, and e en aining and
educa ion decks o employees, pa ne s, and consume s (Bousba and A ya, 2022).
Me a e se in luence ma ke ing, as we unde s and i oday, includes de eloping pa ne ships
wi h in luence s o p omo e a b and, o ming channels o imme si e engagemen be ween
b ands and consume s, and cha ing new pa hs o mone iza ion schemes alongside o e ing
expe ise on un amilia e ain (Chiu and Ho, 2023).
1. Theo e ical e iew and hypo heses de elopmen
The cu en li e a u e e iew on he p esen b ands aims o assess gami ica ion (Hussain e
al., 2018) al e a ions in Me a e se no el y, i idness, in e ac i i y, and In luence B2B
ma ke ing owa d le ing he esponden s become ad oca es o a pa icula b and and achie e
b and loyal y.
The Me a e se is a kind o uni e se ha simula es eal li e – only i is i ual. Th ough his
in e ace, use s can in e ac wi h one ano he and i ual objec s in he digi al ealm. In he
ealm o B2B ma ke ing, Mi al and Bansal (2023) claimed ha le e aging no el y
iden i ica ion in Me a e se has p o ed iable in inc easing B2B cus ome engagemen and
ele a ing b and ecall. This is due o Me a e se's unique and imme si e na u e, which
di e en ia es i om adi ional ma ke ing s a egies. Addi ionally, i has been es ablished
ha he no el y o Me a e se leads o excessi e b and in ol emen , which ansla es in o a
spike in b and ad ocacy and loyal y (Gu soy e al., 2023). The Me a e se co ec ly gi es new
hings an essen ial elemen , cap u ing cus ome s’ a en ion and c ea ing in e es in he b and.
In line wi h Ba ho s e al. (2021), he esea ch showed ha he chances o B2B cus ome s
in e ac ing wi h a b and ise when exposed o a unique and di e en i ual expe ience. B and
gami ica ion and Me a e se no el y ha e a con olu ed a ini y. Gami ica ion o b and
expe iences enhances no el y by engaging use s in in e ac i e and ewa ding se ings,
inco po a ing aspec s such as challenges and accomplishmen s ha al e s anda d in e ac ions
(Mi al and Bansal, 2023; Sa a e al., 2023).
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Me a e se Ma ke ing: A Business-To-Business Analysis o B and S a egies
and Gene a ion Z Engagemen in he Spo s Indus y
1094 Am i ea u Economic
H1: Inco po a ing gami ied elemen s in o b and expe iences wi hin he Me a e se enhances
no el y pe cep ions among use s, leading o inc eased b and ad ocacy and b and loyal y (
Hussain e al., 2018; A ya e al., 2023).
H2: A posi i e ela ionship exis s be ween no el y b and ad ocacy and b and loyal y (Ahmed
e al., 2017; Mi al and Bansal, 2023).
The deg ee o pe cep ual ichness he Me a e se exhibi s is c ucial in os e ing B2B cus ome
engagemen and augmen ing b and ecogni ion (Mi al and Bansal, 2023). Vi idness pe ains
o he in icacy, ch oma ici y, and ac ili y o ende ing he simula ed se ing
(Wongki ung ueng and Sup awan, 2023). F om he pe spec i e o empi ical ele ance,
Bousba and A ya (2022) s a e ha an in ense i idness o he Me a e se posi i ely impac s
engagemen owa ds a b and. Amongs he many a ibu es one can poin o, i idness is a
c i ical alued me a side, as i enables one o eel a membe o highly commi ed and since e
exchanges. Acco ding o Pizzi e al. (2020), hose esponden s who again saw he high le el
o imme si e and i idness o hei b and expe ience we e mo e likely o emembe he b and
name and de elop a mo e a o able a i ude owa ds i . The Vi idness o Me a e se is highly
associa ed wi h b and gami ica ion, which is a c i ical ac o in p oducing and main aining
an imme si e i ual en i onmen (Dwi edi e al., 2023). Added o his is he i idness; also,
as wi h gami ied ac o s, he emo ional in ol emen is a ec ed due o appa en s imuli and
incen i es, he ou comes o which a e he use 's expe ience in ensi y-wise and emo ional
esponses (Wongki ung ueng and Sup awan, 2023).
H3: Inco po a ing gami ied elemen s wi hin b and expe iences in he Me a e se posi i ely
in luences Me a e se’s i idness and leads o inc eased b and ad ocacy and b and loyal y
(Hussain e al., 2018; Gu soy e al., 2023).
H4: The e is a posi i e ela ionship be ween i idness b and ad ocacy and b and loyal y
(Ahmed e al., 2017; Kuma e al., 2024).
In B2B ma ke ing, in e ac ion wi hin a Me a e se is essen ial o i s e ec i eness. As pe
Dwi edi e al. (2023), empi ical e idence poin s o he le el o in e ac i i y in he Me a e se
ha con ibu es signi ican ly o he quali y o use expe ience. Fu he o Mi al and Bansal
(2023), empi ical indings indica e ha highe in e ac i i y wi hin he Me a e se posi i ely
co ela es wi h B2B consume engagemen , leading o u he b and ad ocacy and loyal y.
Wha makes in e ac i i y impo an in he Me a e se is ha i helps d i e he cus ome ’s
ac i e in ol emen in he b and and i s p oduc . In he same manne , Wongki ung ueng and
Sup awan (2023) esea ched ha cus ome s who we e mo e ac i e while in e ac ing wi h he
b and we e mo e likely o ha e a mo e posi i e a i ude owa d he b and and buy om i in
he u u e. Me a e se’s in e ac i i ies, howe e , a e sligh ly con adic o y o he in luence o
gami ica ion. An exci ing le el o engagemen is acili a ed by mo i a ing use s wi h
in e ac i e challenges and ques s (Sa a e al., 2023). Second, gami ica ion elemen s s imula e
in e ac i e play, making use s ac i ely pa icipa e in he Me a e se, he eby c ea ing las ing
engagemen (S ylos and Vassiliadis, 2025). Thi d, gami ica ion encou ages communi y by
os e ing social ne wo king and collabo a ion wi hin i ual communi ies; Bogice ic e al.
(2021) submi ed ha i in igo a es use engagemen in online communi ies.
H5: In eg a ing gami ied elemen s in o b and expe iences wi hin he Me a e se posi i ely
in luences Me a e se in e ac i i y, which leads o inc eased b and ad ocacy and b and
loyal y (Dwi edi e al., 2023).

Economic In e e ences
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Vol. 27 • No. 70 • Augus 2025 1095
H6: The e is a di ec posi i e ela ionship be ween in e ac i i y, b and ad ocacy, and b and
loyal y (Ahmed e al., 2019; Sama ah e al., 2022).
In ecen B2B ma ke ing p ac ices, in luence ma ke ing has de eloped as one o he common
ends. In luence ma ke ing in ol es u ilizing in luen ial people’s expe ise o ad e ise a
b and o p oduc , p ima ily h ough social media pla o ms such as Ins ag am and Twi e
(Haikel-Elsabeh, 2023). Conside ing in luence ma ke ing on Ins ag am, G oss and on
Wangenheim's (2022) empi ical e idence shows ha in luence ma ke ing is a easible
s a egy o inc easing b and awa eness and in e ac ion le els. This u he has possible b and
ad ocacy and loyal y c ea ion. Hence, applying in luence ma ke ing is a signi ican
componen ha is p e e able in he Me a e se, which may use he powe o social p oo o
inc ease b and awa eness and alida ion. As was e ealed in a ecen s udy by Kim and Pa k
(2023), i ual in luence campaigns ha e been p o en e ec i e in inc easing b and
awa eness and s imula ing use s’ engagemen . This p oposi ion implies ha i ual in luence
ma ke ing in he Me a e se can be a p ac ical app oach h ough which b ands can ad e ise
hei p oduc s and os e b and loyal y.
H7: The e is a posi i e ela ionship be ween in luence ma ke ing, b and ad ocacy, and
b and loyal y ( Ahmed e al., 2017; Chiu and Ho, 2023; Haikel-Elsabeh, 2023).
In B2B ma ke ing, Me a e se ma ke ing, and b and gami ica ion ha e e ol ed in o a
s a egic ool ha e olu ionizes a b and’s ela ionship wi h i s audience in i ual se ings
(Hussain e al., 2021). B and gami ica ion in Me a e se ma ke ing ocuses on he po en ial
o imp o e use expe iences, build loyal b ands, and c ea e memo able in e ac ions (A ya e
al., 2023). B and gami ica ion wi hin he Me a e se, whe e use in e ac ion and imme sion
a e undamen al, exploi s aspec s such as challenges, ewa ds, and compe i ion o c ea e
s ong connec ions (Hussain e al., 2018). B and gami ica ion sco es in inc easing
engagemen because i p o ides engaging expe iences d i en by he undamen al needs o
indi iduals o accomplishmen and ecogni ion (Tsou and Pu a, 2023). Gami ied
in e ac ions engage he use s, meaning hey pa icipa e in implemen ing b and na a i es and
expe iences. Gami ied b and encoun e s lead o accomplishmen and sa is ac ion, ein o cing
loyal y. Gami ied expe iences make he use s emo ionally in es in hem, making hem close
o he b and (S ylos and Vassiliadis, 2025).
H8: Gami ica ion indi ec ly impac s b and loyal y and b and ad ocacy h ough he
media ion o he Me a e se dimensions o in e ac i i y, no el y and i idness ( Hussain e
al., 2018; Me habi e al., 2021).
A posi i e mode o wo d-o -mou h ansmission using cus ome s’ ecommenda ions, which
inc eases he b and’s epu a ion and sales, has become inc easingly impo an o B2B
ma ke ing (Bousba and A ya, 2022). In he pas h ee yea s, se e al s udies ha e been on
b and ad ocacy and eme ging echnologies such as Me a e se ma ke ing. In he same
add ess, consume happiness, us , and loyal y lead o b and ad ocacy, as Quaye e al. (2022)
es ablished. B2B sugges s ha ela ions be ween cus ome s and hei p e e ed pe sonal
communica ion would inc ease b and ad ocacy (Choi e al., 2021). Mo eo e , such as he
ela ionship be ween b and pe sonali y and b and ad ocacy, and b and alue was ne
posi i ely co ela ed o b and ad ocacy, and b and us pa ially media ed he e ec . This
implies ha consume s alue unique b ands (Ahmadi and A aei, 2024). The concep ual
e iew pape by A ya e al. (2023) ocused on he Me a e se ma ke ing gami ied b and
ad ocacy. This ou lines ha cus ome s can be b and ad oca es when hei ela ionships wi h
AE
Me a e se Ma ke ing: A Business-To-Business Analysis o B and S a egies
and Gene a ion Z Engagemen in he Spo s Indus y
1096 Am i ea u Economic
a b and a e s ong and a pe sonalized communica ion e o is c ea ed and de eloped.
Gami ica ion and in luence ma ke ing in he Me a e se enhance cus ome engagemen and
b and ad ocacy (Mi al and Bansal, 2023).
B and loyal y is a adi ional subjec in B2B ma ke ing. Wi hin h ee yea s, se e al
esea che s explo ed he issues su ounding b and loyal y and he impac o eme gen
echnologies in Me a e se ma ke ing. Sama ah e al. (2022) ocused on b and loyal y and
social media. The social media in ol emen o b and loyal y posi i ely co ela ed wi h
expe iences beyond expec a ions. The esea ch by Mos a a and Kasamani (2021) was aimed
a exposing he ela ionship be ween b and au hen ici y, expe ience and loyal y. B and
loyal y was posi i ely co ela ed wi h b and expe ience and au hen ici y, media ed by
emo ional ela ionships (Ahmed e al., 2017). One o he main esul s o Me a e se ma ke ing
is inc eased b and loyal y (Hussain e al., 2021). The esea che s sough o unde s and how
Me a e se ma ke ing impac s gaming b and loyal y (Rane e al., 2023). Las ly, ecen
esea ch shows ha social media engagemen , b and expe ience, au hen ici y, and emo ional
connec i i y in luence b and loyal y. The B2B ma ke ing in he Me a e se, speci ically VR,
AR, mixed eali y (MR), and i ual wo lds, enables i ms o c ea e emo ional connec ions
and b and loyal y (Zeng e al., 2023).
2. Resea ch me hodology
Fo his esea ch, we employed a quan i a i e su ey me hod o collec da a om pa icipan s
belonging o he Gene a ion Z popula ion. We used an online su ey h ough Google Su ey
Fo m o ensu e speed, economy, con ol o e esponden s, and high-quali y da a. We used
pu posi e selec ion o choose he op imum sample o s udy how Me a e se ma ke ing aspec s
a ec b and gami ica ion, ad ocacy, and loyal y. The s udy equi ed esponden s o ha e
aken a Me a e se i ual ou in he pas yea . The su ey link was dissemina ed on social
media om Ma ch o May 2023 o educe bias. We examined how Me a e se ma ke ing
pa ame e s a ec ed b and gami ica ion, ad ocacy, and loyal y in B2B ma ke ing using 384
esponses o he spo s indus y’s celeb a ed b ands. Responden s we e p esen ed wi h a
Me a e se spo s ideo om which da a was collec ed. The ideo ea u ed Me a e se spo s
so esponden s could answe he ques ionnai es co ec ly and p o ide hei iews on
Me a e se ma ke ing ac o s, b and gami ica ion, b and loyal y, and ad ocacy. Pa icipan s
comple ed a pos - ilm sc eening su ey adminis e ed wi h ques ionnai es on he in e es
a iables. Va ious ques ionnai es deal wi h Me a e se ma ke ing (in e ac i i y, i idness,
no el y, and in luence ma ke ing), b and gami ica ion, loyal y, and ad ocacy (Ahmed e al.,
2017).
Based on ele an li e a u e, we cons uc ed ools and scales o measu e Me a e se ma ke ing
elemen s ( i idness, no el y, in luence , in e ac ion), b and gami ica ion, b and loyal y, and
b and ad ocacy o his esea ch (Mi al and Bansal, 2023). Bousba and A ya (2022)
p o ided he in luence ma ke ing scale. The b and loyal y and ad ocacy scales we e adop ed
(Quaye e al., 2022; Mi al and Bansal, 2023), measu ing epea pu chase in en ion, b and
p e e ence, and p emium willingness – a b and ad ocacy scale o assess he likelihood o
b and e e als and good wo d-o -mou h.
Sma -PLS 4.0 and s uc u al equa ion modeling (SEM) we e employed o analyze da a om
he comple ed su eys and es hypo heses (Kamis e al., 2020; Ahmed e al., 2024). Using
Economic In e e ences
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Vol. 27 • No. 70 • Augus 2025 1097
SEM, he pa ial leas squa es (PLS) o da a analysis helped iden i y ela ionships. This
app oach allows o he analysis o a iables wi hin he model and he di ec /indi ec e ec s
o Me a e se ma ke ing on b and gami ica ion, loyal y, and ad ocacy (Ahmed e al., 2017).
We es ed hypo heses and assessed associa ions’ powe and signi icance in esea ch model
a iables using Sma PLS 4 SEM (Guen he e al., 2023).
3. Empi ical esul s and indings
Table no. 1 ep esen s he demog aphics and beha io al a ibu es o he selec ed sample om
Gene a ion Z. I indica es hei gende , a o i e spo s b and, Me a e se b and ecall, and
in luence p e e ences in a ious con ex s.
Table no. 1. Demog aphic analysis o pa icipan s
Fac o s
F equency
Pe cen age
Gende
Female
173
45%
Male
211
55%
Fa o i e Spo s B and
Nike
136
35%
Adidas
78
20%
Puma
34
8%
Unde A mou
112
29%
O he s
24
8%
Me a e se and Spo s b and ecall
Nike
170
44%
Adidas
102
26.5%
O he s
112
29.5%
Me a e se In luence p e e ence
Spo s In luence s
126
33%
Fashion In luence s
85
22%
Gaming In luence s
38
10%
Fi ness In luence s
58
15%
No P e e ence
77
20%
Fac o loadings associa ed wi h each la en cons uc e lec i e indica o we e assessed o
de e mine he alidi y and eliabili y sco es o he measu emen model. The in ensi y o he
ela ionship be ween each indica o and i s in insic cons uc is simila ly de e mined using
ac o loadings. Fu he mo e, comp ehensi e assessmen s o con e gen and disc iminan
alidi y we e conduc ed o gua an ee he o e all in eg i y o he measu emen models
(Ahmed e al., 2024).
The ac o loading alues ange be ween 0.786 o 0.915, which indica es ha he b and
ad ocacy, b and loyal y and Me a e se dimensions possess high indica o loadings. This
means ha he indica o s and la en cons uc s a e highly ela ed. This enables us o p esen
mo e da a o he a gumen p esen ed abo e ha exac ly hese indica o s a e, in ac , capable
o cap u ing pa icipan s’ pe cep ions owa ds such ai s om a Me a e se s andpoin . This
educed numbe o dele ed ac o s was easonably a ibu ed o he c i e ion o elimina ion,
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Me a e se Ma ke ing: A Business-To-Business Analysis o B and S a egies
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1098 Am i ea u Economic
and many dele ions we e due o hei low ac o loading being lowe han 0.7
(Singkheep apha e al., 2022).
Based on able no. 2, a comp ehensi e e alua ion o he alidi y and eliabili y is pe o med.
The C onbach’s alpha alues ac oss he la en cons uc anged om 0.794 o 0.91, wi h
accep able and high le els o in e nal consis ency, espec i ely. The composi e eliabili y
alues, including ho and ho_c, we e wi hin he 0.795-0.914 ange, which demons a ed a
eliable measu emen model ha exceeds he cu o poin o 0.7, indica ing g ea cons uc
elying on Single Componen Analysis (SCA) es esul o each i em; gi en he eunde a e
gene al guidelines: p ima ily unde e iew is ela i e s aigh o wa dness o inal o
con e gen alidi y, a e age a iance ex ac ed (AVE) alues anged be ween 0.753 and
0.853. Al hough hese alues we e sligh ly below wha is usually conside ed desi able (0.50),
hey emained signi ican anyway. High in e nal consis ency, composi e eliabili y, and
accep able AVE alues sugges he success ul ex ac ion o unde lying cons uc s h ough a
measu emen model (Ahmed e al., 2019; Cheung e al., 2024).
Table no. 2. Cons uc s alidi y and eliabili y
C onbach's
alpha
Composi e
eliabili y
( ho_a)
Composi e-
eliabili y
( ho_c)
A e age
a iance
ex ac ed (AVE)
B and Ad ocacy (BA)
0.894
0.896
0.922
0.703
B and Gami ica ion
(BG)
0.916
0.918
0.941
0.799
B and Loyal y (BL)
0.794
0.795
0.907
0.829
In luence (INFL)
0.892
0.894
0.925
0.755
In e ac i i y (INTER)
0.837
0.841
0.902
0.754
No el y (NOV)
0.893
0.896
0.926
0.758
Vi idness (VIVID)
0.898
0.909
0.929
0.766
Table no. 3 illus a es he disc iminan alidi y assessmen esul s using he Fo nell-La cke
me hod. This me hod examines he squa e oo o he AVE o each cons uc and compa es
i wi h he co ela ions be ween cons uc s. The diagonal alues in he able ep esen each
cons uc ’s squa e oo s o he AVE (Ahmed e al., 2017). When he squa e oo o he AVE
is highe han he co ela ions, disc iminan alidi y is es ablished, indica ing ha he
cons uc is dis inc om o he cons uc s (Cheung e al., 2024). In he p o ided ma ix, he
squa e oo o he AVE o each cons uc is ound on he diagonal. These alues ep esen
he a iance p opo ion in he indica o s he la en cons uc explains. O -diagonal alues
ep esen he co ela ions be ween cons uc s. I is impo an o no e ha in some cases, he
co ela ion alues be ween cons uc s a e highe han he co esponding squa e oo o AVE
alues. I migh aise conce ns abou po en ial issues wi h disc iminan alidi y (Ahmed e
al., 2017).
Economic In e e ences
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