From cues to connections: visual style design on Instagram and its impact on brand relationships

Purpose This study addresses a critical theoretical and managerial gap by moving beyond general analyses of social media communication to present the first systematic empirical investigation of how six specific micro-level Instagram (IG) style design elements differentially influence consumer brand engagement (CBE). Design/methodology/approach Two hundred ninety-six valid responses were analyzed using PLS-SEM statistical techniques to test our research hypotheses. Findings The findings reveal that color simplicity, tag adaptability and esthetic creativity significantly enhance CBE. Additionally, while visual consistency, image relevance and text simplicity positively influence CBE, the effect is not significant. Our findings suggest that heightened CBE significantly enhances brand love and equity. Originality/value This study extends social media branding and CBE research by shifting the unit of analysis from post-level execution to brand-level, holistic Instagram style design. Specifically, it empirically examines how six theoretically grounded micro-level design cues – visual consistency, image relevance, color simplicity, text simplicity, tag adaptability and esthetic creativity – differentially relate to CBE, thereby clarifying which style elements function as more versus less salient engagement drivers in visually oriented brand environments.