Cultural Branding, Digital Marketing Engagement, and Consumer Purchase Intention toward Toraja Local Products: The Mediating Role of Brand Trust

Abstract

Toraja local products have strong cultural value and market potential because they represent heritage, authenticity, and regional identity. However, cultural uniqueness and digital exposure may not directly lead to purchase intention without consumer trust. This study examines the influence of Cultural Branding and Digital Marketing Engagement on Consumer Purchase Intention toward Toraja local products, with Brand Trust as a mediating variable. A quantitative approach was used by distributing structured questionnaires to 150 respondents who had awareness of or experience with Toraja local products. The data were analyzed using SPSS through validity and reliability tests, normality tests, regression analysis, t-tests, F-tests, and mediation analysis. The findings show that Cultural Branding and Digital Marketing Engagement have positive and significant effects on Brand Trust. Brand Trust also has a positive and significant effect on Consumer Purchase Intention. However, Cultural Branding and Digital Marketing Engagement do not directly influence Consumer Purchase Intention. The mediation results confirm that Brand Trust mediates the relationships between Cultural Branding and Consumer Purchase Intention, as well as between Digital Marketing Engagement and Consumer Purchase Intention. This study highlights that consumer purchase intention toward Toraja local products is mainly formed through a trust-based mechanism. The findings contribute to cultural branding and digital marketing literature by emphasizing Brand Trust as a key mediator in transforming cultural identity and digital engagement into purchase intention.