THE EFFECT OF SOCIAL MEDIA TO THE BRAND

AWARENESS OF A PRODUCT OF A COMPANY

ON STUDENTS

A MINOR PROJECT REPORT

Bachelor of Technology in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science
Submitted to

Submitted By:
Vaishnavi Mishra 0545AD221020

Under Guidance of: DATE – 21/03/2025

Prof. Ravi Mohane
Project Coordinator

Session - 2025-26
 Abstract

The research employs a quantitative methodology, utilizing structured surveys

distributed to a sample of college and university students. Questions measure
the frequency of social media use, awareness of specific brands, and the
influence of online content such as ads, influencer endorsements, and user-
generated content. Data were analyzed using statistical tools to determine
correlations between social media exposure and brand awareness levels.

This study explores the impact of social media on brand awareness among
students, focusing on how platforms like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X
(formerly Twitter) influence their perception and recognition of a company's
product. The primary objective is to determine whether social media presence
and engagement significantly enhance brand visibility and recall among student
consumers.

Key findings reveal that social media plays a critical role in shaping student
awareness of brands. More than 80% of respondents reported discovering new
products through social media, with Instagram and TikTok being the most
influential platforms. Engaging content, consistent posting, and influencer
collaborations were identified as the top factors contributing to higher brand
recall. Students showed a greater tendency to remember and trust brands they
encountered multiple times through social media.

The study concludes that a strong and strategic social media presence
significantly enhances brand awareness among students. Companies targeting
the student demographic should invest in interactive, relatable, and visually
appealing content to maximize engagement and build long-term brand
recognition. Social media, when effectively leveraged, is not just a promotional
tool but a key driver of consumer connection and brand growth.
 Acknowledgement

We're grateful to Dr.Pankaj Singh Sisodiya, Head of the Department of

Artificial Intelligence and Data Science S.B.I.T.M., Betul for his suggestions
and encouragement in bringing out this Project Report.

It is a pleasure to express our deep sense of indebtness & profound thanks to

Prof. Ravi Mohane, Programme Coordinator his continuous encouragement
and assistance which helped us to complete the project successfully.

We are also thankful to our classmates who have been directly and indirectly
involved in completing this Project Report. We acknowledge our indebtness to
all of them
 TABLE OF CONTENT
Sl. Topics Pag
No e
No.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Brand Awareness
1.2 Social Media 01 -
1.3 Objective of the Study 06
2.0 Review of Related Literature
2.1 (Introduction) 07-
2.2 Research Studies 13
Conclusion
3.0 Methodology of the Study
3.1 Population
3.2 Sample
3.3 Sampling Method 14-
3.4 Methodology 18
3.5 Collection of Data
3.6 Tools for Data Collection
4.0 Analysis and Interpretation of Data
4.1 Gender wise distribution of Students
4.2 Education Level of Students
4.3 Preference of Students for SNS
4.4 Spending of time on SNS 19-
4.5 Preference of students to buy a 23
4.6 product
4.7 Type of Product influencing the
students
 Opinion of students about social
media as marketing tools

5.1 Finding of study

5.1. Findings relating to gender and
1 education level
5.1. Findings relating to preference of 24-
2 students 26
5.1. Findings relating to opinions of
3 students about social media as
marketing tools
5.2 Conclusion

References 27
 LIST OF FIGURES
Sl.N Figures Pag
o e
No.
1 Pie chart for gender 06
2 Pie chart for education levels 09
3 Pie chart for preference of Students 10
for SNS
4 Pie chart for spending time on social 11
media
5 Pie chart for preference of students to 13
buy the product through SNS
6 Bar Graph for type of product 21
influencing students
7 Pie charts for opinion of students 24
about social media as marketing tools
 CHAPTER – I

INTRODUCTION
1.0 INTRODUCTION

Social media is a computer based technology that

facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts and
information through the building of virtual networks
and communities. By design, social media is internet
based and gives users quick electronic communication
of content. Globally there are more than 3.8 billion
social media users. According to the Pew Research
Center, social media users tend to be younger. Nearly
90 % of people between the ages of 18 and 20 used
atleast one form of social media. For business, social
media is an indispensable tool. Companies use the
platform to find and engage with customers, drive sales
through social advertising. Today traditional media is
still a significant part of advertising strategies, but they
can not reach out to all members of the target
population. In other hand, social media platforms such
as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube also use as
marketing strategy to enhance brand communication
and promote and propagate product information
among consumers in an effective manner.
Social media is a phenomenon in the
last few years that has drawn a lot of attention both the
companies and individuals interacting on the
networking landscape. Social media has changed the
traditional communication between brands and
consumers and enabled consumers to make positive as
well as negative influence on brand awareness.
Marketing communication is becoming precise,
personal, interesting, interactive and social. Awareness
which includes both of recall and recognition become
the first step for any move towards a successful
strategy. The main purpose of the present study is to
show the role of social media on brand awareness.

1.1 BRAND AWARENESS

Brand awareness is the extent to which a brand is
recognised by the target group and is associated with a
product or product category.

It’s the customer consciousness of the brand when he–

 Witnesses the brand along with other brands while

shopping,
 Talks to his friends regarding the product category,
 Reads or hears the brand’s ad,
 Reads or hears about the brand’s news, etc.
 Buys the brand’s products,
 Has other encounters with the brand or the product
category.

Brand awareness is the first stage to strategically

influence the customer’s decision-making process.
Companies spend millions just to make their customers
aware of their brands.

But, it’s still a metric that can’t be perfectly measured,

and having awareness doesn’t always mean that
people will buy your brand’s products. Nevertheless,
brand awareness holds a lot of importance for
companies, especially new ones.
Why Is Brand Awareness Important
It is a proven fact that customers prefer known brands
over unknown ones. Brand awareness is that first step
to make the brand known. But the importance of brand
awareness doesn’t end there. It is like a diamond, the
more you polish, the more it’ll shine.

 It Builds Brand Equity

The more people are aware of a brand, the more
valuable it becomes. This is the concept behind brand
equity. Brand equity is the value of the brand as a
separate asset. It makes a generic offering to stand out
just because it is offered by a certain brand.

Types Of Brand Awareness

Brand awareness can be categorized into three types
depending upon the perceived importance of the brand
by the target group.

Knowing about the types of brand awareness is of

utmost importance for marketers as the current and
future marketing strategies are designed according to
the current awareness of the brand among its target
market.

The three types of brand awareness are –

 Brand Recognition: Brand recognition is when

the customer can recognise the brand and
differentiate it from other brands when he comes
 into contact with it. This type of brand awareness
doesn’t require the customer to recall the name. It
just focuses on whether the customer can
recognise it when it is presented at the point-of-
sale or when he witnesses the visual packaging.
 Brand Recall: Brand recall is a spontaneous
recall of the brand from memory when the
customer is prompted by the product category.
Most users can’t recall more than 3-5 brand names.
It is affected by both individual and brand factors
like education level, usage, marketing
strategies used by the company, etc. These brands
form a part of the evoked set of the customer.
 Top-Of-Mind Awareness: Top-of-mind
awareness is a set of 3 brands which the customer
always purchases. This is the consideration set of
the customer. Getting the brand into this
consideration set is the ultimate goal of
every marketer.


How To Build (And Increase) Brand

Awareness
Brand awareness is built by establishing a relationship
with the customer where his interests are put on the
top. Focus your brand awareness strategy in a way
where your offering fulfils his needs without much of an
effort from his side.

 Focus On The Product

A strong brand awareness strategy revolves around a
strong product. Make sure you are fulfilling your
customers’ needs without him putting much of an
effort.

Focus on creating a value proposition that’s unique,

attractive, and is something that forces the customer to
share voluntarily.
Whatsapp, for example, built a free instant messaging
application in 2009 when most of the target audience
used to communicate through paid text messages. This
free IM made them share the product with all of their
friends without WhatsApp forcing them to.

 Focus On The Positioning And

Personality
Positioning matters. Different brands use smart
positioning strategies to increase their brand
awareness. They might position themselves as a
premium product in a market full of daily-use products,
or an economic product in the market full of premium
products.

Look for a desirable but unexplored positioning which

could be capitalized to increase your brand awareness.

‘share this product with friends’ or ‘ask for a

recommendation from friends’ options which lets their
customers share the products they are interested in.
This, in turn, increases brand awareness as more
people get to know about your offerings from the
people they trust in.

1.2 SOCIAL MEDIA

A social media is an online platform which people use
to build social networks or social relations with other
people who share similar personal or career interests,
activities, backgrounds or real-life connections. The
impact of social networks on young people is
significant. It is becoming increasingly clear that social
networks have become part of people’s lives. Many
adolescent people are using their laptops, tablet
computers and smart phones to check Tweets and
status updates from their friends and family. Due to the
advancement in technology, people are pressured to
accept different lifestyles. Social networking sites can
assist young people to become more socially capable.
Social media is a web-based form of data
communication. Social media platforms allow users to
have conversations, share information and create web
content. Social media has different forms, together with
blogs, micro-blogs, wikis, social networking sites,
photo-sharing sites, instant messaging, video-sharing
sites, podcasts, widgets, virtual worlds, and more.
Billions of people around the world use social media to
share information and make connections. On an
individual level, social media allow us to communicate
with our friends and relatives, gain knowledge of new
things, develop your interests, and be entertained. On a
professional level, we can make use of social media to
expand or broaden our knowledge in a particular field
and build our professional network by connecting with
other professionals in our industry. At the business
level, social media allows us to have a conversation
with our audience, gain customer feedback, and
elevate your brand.

Social Media is a innovative idea with a very brilliant

opportunity with additional scope for advancements.
With the advancement of social media many
organizations are making use of this medium to better
their practices. With the use of social networking we
can advertise or communicate in a more efficient way.
Likewise people don’t have to rely on the media or TV
to get their daily dose of news it can all be obtained
from a social networking site. People can track or get
information from all over the world

Popular Social Media Sites:

  Facebook

This is the largest social media network on the

Internet, both in terms of total number of users and
name recognition. Facebook came into existence on
February 4, 2004, Facebook has within 12 years
managed to collect more than 1.59 billion monthly
active users and this automatically makes it one of the
best mediums for connecting people from all over the
world with your business.[3] It is predictable that more
than 1 million small and medium-sized businesses use
the platform to advertise their business.

 Twitter

We might be thinking that restrictive our posts to 140

characters is no way to advertise our business, but we
will be shocked to know that this social media stage
has more than 320 million active monthly users who
can build use of the 140 character limit to pass on
information.[3] Businesses can use Twitter to interact
with prospective clients, answer questions, release
latest news and at the same time use the targeted ads
with specific audiences. Twitter was founded on March
21, 2006, and has its headquarters in San Francisco,
California.

Advantages of Social Media-

1. Connectivity – The first and main advantage of
the social media is connectivity. People from anywhere
can connect with anyone. Regardless of the location
and religion. The beauty of social media is that you can
connect with anyone to learn and share your thoughts.
2. Education – Social media has a lot of benefits for the
students and teachers. It is very easy to educate from
others who are experts and professionals via the social
media. You can follow anyone to learn from him/her
and enhance your knowledge about any field.
Regardless of your location and education background
you can educate yourself, without paying for it.

3. Help – You can share your issues with the

community to get help and giddiness. Whether it is
helping in term of money or in term of advice, you can
get it from the community you are connected with.

4. Information and Updates – The main

advantage of the social media is that you update
yourself from the latest happenings around in the
world. Most of the time, Television and print media
these days are biased and does not convey the true
message. With the help of social media you can get the
facts and true information by doing some research.

5. Promotion – Whether you have an offline

business or online, you can promote your business to the
largest audience. The whole world is open for you, and can
promote to them. This makes the businesses profitable
and less expensive, because most of the expenses
made over a business are for advertising

Disadvantages of Social Media

1. Cyberbullying – According to a report published
by PewCenter.org most of the children have become
victims of the cyberbulling over the past. Since anyone
can create a fake account and do anything without
being traced, it has become quite easy for anyone to
bully on the Internet. Threats, intimidation messages
and rumors can be sent to the masses to create
discomfort and chaos in the society. This research
shows that approximately 1 in 20 students commits
suicide in cyberbullying cases.

2. Hacking – Personal data and privacy can easily be

hacked and shared on the Internet. Which can make
financial losses and loss to personal life. Similarly,
identity theft is another issue that can give financial
losses to anyone by hacking their personal accounts.
Several personal twitter and Facebook accounts have
been hacked in the past and the hacker had posted
materials that have affected the individuals personal
lives. This is one of the dangerous disadvantages of the social
media and every user is advised to keep their personal
data and accounts safe to avoid such accidents.

3. Addiction – The addictive part of the social media

is very bad and can disturb personal lives as well. The
teenagers are the most affected by the addiction of the
social media. They get involved very extensively and
are eventually cut off from the society. It can also
waste individual time that could have been utilized by
productive tasks and activities.

4. Fraud and Scams – Several examples are

available where individuals have scammed and commit
fraud through the social media. For example, this
list contains the 5 social media scams that are done all
the time.
 CHAPTER – II

REVIEW
OF
RELATED LITERATURE

Review of Related Literature

2.0 INTRODUCTION
It is an early step for conducting research. A review of
related literature is conducted to enable the researcher
to get a clear understanding of the specific field of
study. It also helps the researcher to have an insight
into the tested methods, procedures and
interpretations of similar studies conducted elsewhere.
The literature review helps the researcher to remove
limitations of existing work or may assist to extend
prevailing study.

2.1 Research Studies

Arici, H.E. and Arici, N.C. (2021) conducted a study
on the Role of Social Media Marketing Activities on
International Students’ Brand Preference.

It was found that a total of 257 students were surveyed

and the data gathered were tested through partial least
squares structural equation modelling. The findings
demonstrated that higher-education institutions’
SMMAs had a significant effect on both brand
recognisability and students’ brand preference. The
findings also empirically proved the significant
mediator influence of brand recognisability and the
moderator influence of brand signature upon the
association of higher education institutions’ SMMAs and
students’ brand preference

Alessandro, J.D and Rusfian, E.Z, (2021) conducted

a study on the influence of social media’s marketing
activity on local brand equity and consumer response:
using mix method approach

It was found that the purpose of this research is to

analyze the impact of social media marketing
campaigns (SMMA) on consumer response (CR) through
brand equity (BE).and analyze what type of content is
shared and preferred by social media users This study
uses a mixed-method approach by using Explanatory
Design. This study showed there is a positive
relationship between SMMA towards CR. BE has the
influence of mediation for SMMA and CR. The study also
showed that value proposition branding on a social
media advertisement properly could improve the
consumer response.

Noorshella C.N, Noor Hasmini, A.G, Azwan, A,

Bahaaeddin, A, Nurul, S.D, Hasan,Z.M and
Zaato, S.G, (2021) studied on Social Media Marketing
to Enhance Customer Equity on Fashion Apparel Brand
among University Students.

This study was backed by the use and gratification

theory that creates desire for amusement and
enhancement of information while people use social
media marketing. Data was collected by means of
Google Form online survey from a total of 361
respondents. The simple random sampling approach
was utilized to collect data from the respondents and
data analyzed using the SPSS. The findings indicated
that social media marketing activities, which are
entertainment, interaction, trendiness, and
customization had a positive effect on customers’
equity among students. The results confirm that social
media marketing is one of the key success factors in
enhancing customer equity. Further, the results showed
that interaction is the first concern among the
respondents.

Dr. Nagi,M, (2021) studied on Impact Of Social Media

On Consumers Brand Preference For Laptops.

The study was conducted to understand the impact of

social media on consumer brand for purchasing
laptops. There were 100 respondents from chandigarh,
India. The analysis is done with help of t- Test and
regression analysis. The study results as a significant
impact of social media on consumer brand preference
for Laptop purchasing.

2.2 Conclusion
The researcher reviewed only 12 studies in between
the year 2015 to 2021. The title of all the studies were
related to present study. Most of the studies were
conducted on college /university students. From the
review of above studies it was found that there was a
positive impact of brand and social media marketing on
the product of a company among the students.

CHAPTER – III

METHODOLOGY
OF
 THE STUDY
METHODOLOGY

3.1 POPULATION
The purpose of present study is to study the effect
of social media to the brand awareness of a product of
a company on students. The population of the study is
very vast and it is not possible to conduct the study on
a large population. Therefore it was decided to conduct
the study on the students of Sri Sri University, Cuttack
in the state of Odisha.

3.2 SAMPLE
The sample of the present study consist of 100
students studying in different disciplines of under-
graduate and post-graduate level at Sri Sri University,
cuttack.

3.3 SAMPLING METHOD

Non-random sampling (convenient sampling)
method was adopted to collect the data from the
population.

3.4 METHODOLOGY
Descriptive survey research method was used for
conducting investigation of present study.

3.5 COLLECTION OF DATA

 Collection of data involves obtaining relevant
information with accuracy and precision. Depending
upon the nature of data to be collected, different tools
are used. In the present study the researcher develop a
questionnaire in google forms and shared in different
social media sites such as whatsapp and Instagram.

3.6 TOOL OF DATA COLLECTION

A questionnaire in the google form was used as a
tool for the collection of data. Questionnaire consists of
16 questions.
 Q.1 refers to gender.
 Q.2 refers to the education level (UG/PG).
 Q.3 to Q.6 are meant for preference of
students using social media networking sites
for buying a product of a company.
 Q.7 to Q.16 are meant for brand awareness
through social media as marketing tools.
 CHAPTER – IV

ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION
OF
DATA

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

After the data is prepared for analysis, the researcher is
open to using different data analysis methods to derive
meaningful insides. In the present case, percentage is
used for analysis of data.
4.1 Gender wise distribution of students taken in
sample (N=100)
Out of 100 respondents, 53 students are female and 47
students are male.
4.2 Education level of students taken in the
sample (N=100)
4.6 Type of product influencing students the
most through SNS (N=1

 Products like accessories and clothes influence

70% of students the most through social
networking sites.
 Products like jewellery influence 8% of students
the most through social networking sites.
 Products like stationary influence 20% of
students the most through social networking
sites.
 Others products influence 37% of students the
most through social networking sites.
 76% of students were agreed that Advertising
through social media is more quickly recognized
by the community rather than advertising
through other media (such as newspapers, TV,
and radio).
 22% of students were neutral about above
statement.

 77% of students were agreed that social media

can attract more customers to the company
products.
  19% of students were neutral about above
statement

5.1 FINDING OF THE STUDY

Finding of the study has been organized in three
different sections as follows:
5.1.1 Findings relating to gender and education level
5.1.2 Findings relating the preference of students using
social networks sites
5.1.3 Finding relating to brand awareness through
social media

5.1.1 Findings relating to gender and education

level
 Out of 100 respondents, 53 students are female
and 47 students are male.
 As regards the education level of students, 89 %
students are at l studying at undergraduate level
and rest 11% students are studying at
postgraduate level.

5.2 CONCLUSION
 Social media is a strong communication tool. It presents
brands with enormous reach. It allows brands to emerge
into a world of peer to peer dialogue and therefore the
possibility of harnessing the brand building potential. Brand
awareness could be raised through internet marketing
tools.
From the analysis of preferences of
students using social media and opinion of students about
social media as marketing tool, It is concluded that
publications in various media channels strengthen its
positions in the consumer’s mind, the brand becomes
recognized.
Brand awareness is created through
advertising in social networking sites. Social media
marketing involves the use of internet social media tools
( Facebook, twitter, YouTube, Instagram e.t.c) to reach
consumers in innovative ways and to increase brand
awareness. Social networking helps to promote the
company and it’s brand awareness.

REFERENCE
Arici, H.E. and Arici, N.C. (2021) Role of Social Media
Marketing Activities on International Students’ Brand
Preference, Published by, Emerald Publishing Limited,
Bingley, pp. 51-64.
Alessandro, J.D and Rusfian, E.Z, (2021) The
influence of social media’s marketing activity on local
brand equity and consumer response: using mix
method approach. Published on Linguistics and
Culture Review, VOL. 5 NO. S1 (2021):
Noorshella C.N, Noor Hasmini, A.G, Azwan, A,
Bahaaeddin, A, Nurul, S.D, Hasan,Z.M and Zaato,
S.G, (2021) studied on Social Media Marketing to
Enhance Customer Equity on Fashion Apparel Brand
among University Students. Published on Journal of
information technology mgt university of Teheran
Dr. Nagi,M, (2021) studied on Impact Of Social Media
On Consumers Brand Preference For Laptops.
Published onTurkish Journal of Computer and
Mathematics Education (TURCOMAT) Vol. 12 No. 11
(2021)
Nofal,R, Calicioglu,C and Aliuhmani,H.Y, (2020)
studied on the impact of social networking sites
advertisement.