Digital marketing and sustainability awareness in Saudi higher education: the roles of green student engagement and institutional support

This paper explores the effect of digital marketing on sustainability awareness among Saudi higher education students, with green student engagement as a mediating and institutional support as a moderating variables. Based on the Stimulus Organism Response (S–O–R) model, Institutional Theory, and the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) model, digital marketing practices are theorized as the outside stimuli affecting the internal interaction and sustainability consciousness among students. The study followed a quantitative research design, and the data were gathered via questionnaires applied to 614 participants pursuing their studies in Saudi universities and actively using digital platforms provided by the institution. The model was tested using the PLS-SEM. The findings show that digital marketing activities have a strong positive impact on sustainability awareness and have a strong influence on green student engagement. Green student engagement enhances the sustainability awareness to a significant degree and partially mediates the association between digital marketing practices and sustainability awareness. Moreover, institutional support has a direct effect on sustainability awareness and reinforces the effects of digital marketing practices. The results highlight the need to align digital sustainability campaigns with institutional support in order to increase student engagement and sustainability levels.