Turning Digital Engagement into Brand Loyalty: The Effects of User-Generated Content and Short-Video Marketing among MSME Consumers

This study examines associations between user-generated content, short-video marketing, brand engagement, and self-reported brand loyalty among Maramu Ramen consumers in Malang, Indonesia. A purposive, cross-sectional online questionnaire used a five-point scale and PLS-SEM analysis. Five reported direct relationships were positive. Explained variance was 32.9% for engagement and 26.8% for loyalty; direct loyalty effect sizes were small. Specific indirect-effect bootstrap results were unavailable, leaving mediation hypotheses undetermined. These findings support cautious evaluation of digital communication within one restaurant. They do not establish temporal causation, sustained customer retention, or superiority of one content predictor. Sample and instrument details still require confirmation.