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Digital marketing strategies built around influencer collaborations, engaging social media content, and positive online consumer reviews significantly strengthen public awareness of Wardah skincare products, according to a new study conducted by Safira Kamilia Fathimatuzzahra, Dina Lusianti, and Faridhatun Faidah from Universitas Muria Kudus (UMK), Indonesia. Published in 2026 in the International Journal of Integrative Sciences (IJIS), the research demonstrates that influencer marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, and electronic word of mouth (e-WOM) all play an important role in increasing consumers' recognition of the Wardah skincare brand.
The findings are particularly relevant as Indonesia's beauty industry continues to expand rapidly. Growing public awareness of skincare, widespread use of social media, and increasing reliance on digital recommendations have transformed how consumers discover and evaluate cosmetic products. For skincare companies, building strong brand awareness is no longer driven solely by traditional advertising. Instead, success increasingly depends on creating meaningful digital interactions that keep a brand visible and memorable in consumers' minds.
Indonesia has become one of Southeast Asia's fastest-growing beauty markets. Consumer spending on cosmetics increased substantially between 2021 and 2024, reflecting both rising purchasing power and greater interest in personal care products. This rapid growth has intensified competition among skincare brands, including Wardah, one of Indonesia's most recognized halal cosmetic brands. Despite its strong reputation, Wardah continues to face challenges in maintaining top-of-mind awareness across several skincare categories as new competitors actively expand their digital marketing presence.
The researchers observed that digital marketing performance does not always translate directly into consumer awareness. Wardah's influencer engagement, social media interactions, and TikTok live audiences were found to be relatively lower than several competing skincare brands. In addition, online marketplace reviews revealed mixed consumer experiences, including concerns about product effectiveness and skin compatibility. These conditions prompted the researchers to investigate which digital marketing activities contribute most effectively to strengthening brand awareness.
The study employed a quantitative research design involving 166 Wardah sun care users in Kudus Regency, Central Java. Respondents were at least 17 years old, had purchased Wardah sun care products within the previous six months, and were familiar with the company's digital marketing campaigns. Data were collected through structured online questionnaires and analyzed using statistical techniques with SPSS Version 26 to evaluate the influence of four marketing variables on brand awareness.
The analysis produced a clear conclusion: every digital marketing variable examined significantly contributed to stronger brand awareness among Wardah consumers.
Key Findings
- Electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM) demonstrated the strongest statistical influence on brand awareness, with a regression coefficient of 0.300.
- Social Media Marketing ranked second, recording a coefficient of 0.287.
- Influencer Marketing also showed a positive and significant impact, with a coefficient of 0.195.
- Content Marketing positively influenced brand awareness, with a coefficient of 0.136.
- Together, the four variables explained 65.5% of the variation in Wardah's brand awareness, indicating that digital marketing is a major determinant of how consumers recognize and remember the brand.
Among the four variables, electronic word of mouth emerged as the most influential factor. Consumers increasingly trust product reviews, ratings, testimonials, and recommendations shared by other users through social media and online marketplaces. Unlike conventional advertising, online reviews are often perceived as authentic experiences, making them more persuasive when consumers evaluate skincare products.
Social media marketing also played a substantial role. Regular product education, interactive posts, tutorials, and consistent communication across platforms such as Instagram and TikTok helped maintain Wardah's visibility while encouraging stronger engagement with potential customers. The findings suggest that frequent and meaningful interaction on social media contributes directly to higher levels of brand recognition.
Influencer marketing remained another important contributor. Consumers exposed to product recommendations from credible influencers became more familiar with the Wardah brand through repeated exposure and relatable content. Educational content marketing further reinforced brand awareness by providing valuable information that improved consumers' understanding of product benefits and strengthened long-term brand recall.
According to Safira Kamilia Fathimatuzzahra, Dina Lusianti, and Faridhatun Faidah from Universitas Muria Kudus, the study supports the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) theory, which explains that consumers process marketing messages cognitively before developing responses such as recognizing and remembering a brand. The researchers emphasize that combining multiple digital marketing strategies creates stronger consumer exposure and ultimately increases brand awareness.
The findings carry important implications for Indonesia's beauty industry. Companies seeking stronger brand recognition should not rely exclusively on celebrity endorsements or promotional campaigns. Instead, successful digital marketing requires integrating informative content, active social media engagement, authentic influencer collaborations, and positive consumer-generated reviews into a unified communication strategy.
For Wardah specifically, the researchers recommend selecting influencers whose personalities and lifestyles closely match the target audience, producing more educational and trustworthy content, strengthening interaction with consumers across social media platforms, and encouraging satisfied customers to share reviews and testimonials online. These efforts could help improve both consumer trust and long-term brand awareness.
Consumers may also benefit from the study by becoming more aware of how digital marketing influences purchasing perceptions. Understanding the roles of influencers, online reviews, and social media content enables consumers to evaluate promotional messages more critically and make more informed purchasing decisions.
The researchers acknowledge that the study focused exclusively on Wardah sun care users in Kudus Regency. Future research could involve broader geographic areas and include additional variables such as customer engagement, brand exposure, product quality, service quality, and consumer involvement to provide a more comprehensive understanding of digital brand awareness.
Author Profile
Safira Kamilia Fathimatuzzahra is a researcher in the field of marketing management and consumer behavior at Universitas Muria Kudus (UMK), Indonesia.
Dina Lusianti is a lecturer and researcher at Universitas Muria Kudus (UMK) specializing in marketing management, digital marketing, branding, and consumer behavior.
Faridhatun Faidah is an academic at Universitas Muria Kudus (UMK) whose expertise includes business management, digital marketing, and marketing strategy.
Research Source
Journal: International Journal of Integrative Sciences (IJIS)
Publication Year: 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55927/ijis.v5i6.39
Official Journal: https://journalijis.my.id/index.php/ijis/index
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