This study investigates the intricate relationship between awareness advertising and buying intention among Iraqi grocery shoppers, exploring the mediating role of consumer attitude. Employing a quantitative approach, the authors surveyed 300 shoppers. Using a random sampling technique. To ensure rigor and validity, the authors rigorously analyzed the relationships using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) based on 288 valid responses. The findings reveal that awareness advertising significantly impacts buying intention, mediated by consumer attitude. These insights offer valuable management implications for product marketers. Sufficient brand awareness attracts consumer attention, shapes positive attitudes, and ultimately drives purchase decisions. This study further validates the theoretical model of consumer response by empirically establishing consumer attitude as a central intermediary between awareness advertising and buying intention within the Iraqi market context.

1. Ahmad, A., & Ul Hadi, N. (2020). Impact of Digitization on Consumer Buying Behavior with Respect to Consumer Demographic Factors. Foundation University Journal of Business & Economics, 5(1), 13–33. https://doi.org/10.33897/fujbe.v5i1.144
2. Ahmed, A. R. Q., & Taha, A. H. A. (2023). Assessing the Impacts of Consumer Awareness on Consumer Purchase Intention with Moderating Role of Product Label: Evidence from Consumers of Iraqi Manufacturing Firms. AgBioForum, 25(1), 193-202.
3. Ajmal, M., Islam, A., & Ijaz, B. (2023). E-2: Amplifying purchase intention of fashion items: unraveling the influence of word-of-mouth on brand attitude and knowledge in the higher education sector. International Journal of Islamic Business, Administration and Social Sciences, 3(2), 09-30.
4. Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179-211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
5. Albarracin, D., & Shavitt, S. (2018). Attitudes and Attitude Change. Annual Review of Psychology, 69(1), 299–327. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-122216-011911
6. Alqaysi, S., & Zahari, A. (2022). The Effect of Deceptive Brand Image on Consumer Purchase Intention: Empirical Evidence from Iraqi Market. Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 9(6), 0207–0217. https://doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2022.vol9.no6.0207
7. Amaliah, R. R., Jusni, J., & Munir, A. R. (2020). The influence of lifestyle, motivation, perception and attitude toward the purchase decision of ecofriendly environment straw (Case study on the management students of Hasanuddin University). Hasanuddin Journal of Applied Business and Entrepreneurship, 3(2), 93-104. https://doi.org/10.26487/hjabe.v3i2.326
8. Aomari, A., & Nafaa, H. (2023). Impact of social communication on consumer attitudes and legal legitimacy. International Journal of Accounting, Finance, Auditing, Management and Economics, 4(2), 552-564. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8063982
9. Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2): 179–211. doi: 10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T. S2CID 260959149
10. Azzari, V., & Pelissari, A. (2020). Does brand awareness influences purchase intention? The mediation role of brand equity dimensions. Brazilian Business Review, 17(6), 669-685. https://doi.org/10.15728/bbr.2020.17.6.4
11. Bernarto, I., Berlianto, M. P., Meilani, Y. F. C. P., Masman, R. R., & Suryawan, I. N. (2020). The influence of brand awareness, brand image, and brand trust on brand loyalty. Jurnal Manajemen, 24(3), 412-426. http://dx.doi.org/10.24912/jm.v24i3.676
12. Bondarenko, V., & Vyshnivska, B. (2023). Promotional marketing as a method of increasing sales. Three Seas Economic Journal, 4(2), 21-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.30525/2661-5150/2023-2-3
13. Carpena, M. (2023). Your Ultimate Guide to Awareness Advertising. WebFX.
14. Cassar, M. L., Caruana, A., & Konietzny, J. (2021). Facts or story? The impact of website content on narrative believability and purchase intention. Journal of Marketing Communications, 28(6), 637–656. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2021.1929408
15. Corneille, O., & Stahl, C. (2018). Associative Attitude Learning: A Closer Look at Evidence and How It Relates to Attitude Models. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 23(2), 161–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868318763261
16. Coursaris, C. K., Van Osch, W., & Balogh, B. A. (2016). Do Facebook Likes Lead to Shares or Sales? Exploring the Empirical Links between Social Media Content, Brand Equity, Purchase Intention, and Engagement. 2016 49th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS). https://doi.org/10.1109/hicss.2016.444
17. Desai, S. M., Shambhu, S., & Mehrotra, A. (2021). Online Advertising Increased New Hampshire Residents’ Use Of Provider Price Tool But Not Use Of Lower-Price Providers. Health Affairs, 40(3), 521–528. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.01039
18. Dewi, C. K., Mohaidin, Z., & Murshid, M. A. (2019). Determinants of online purchase intention: a PLS-SEM approach: evidence from Indonesia. Journal of Asia Business Studies, 14(3), 281–306. https://doi.org/10.1108/jabs-03-2019-0086
19. Dwivedi, Y. K., Ismagilova, E., Hughes, D. L., et al. (2021). Setting the future of digital and social media marketing research: Perspectives and research propositions. International Journal of Information Management, 59, 102168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102168
20. Zannatul Ferdous, M., Md. Islam, S., Md. Sikder, T., et al. (2020). Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh: An online-based cross-sectional study. PLOS ONE, 15(10), e0239254. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239254
21. Fishman, J., Yang, C., & Mandell, D. (2022). Attitude theory and measurement in implementation science: a secondary review of empirical studies and opportunities for advancement. Implementation Science, 17(1), 1-1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13012-021-01153-9
22. Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error: Algebra and Statistics. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(3), 382–388. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800313
23. Ghosh, T., Sreejesh, S., Dwivedi, Y. K., et al. (2021). Examining the Deferred Effects of Gaming Platform and Game Speed of Advergames on Memory, Attitude, and Purchase Intention. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 55, 52–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intmar.2021.01.002
24. Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., et al. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebr-11-2018-0203
25. Hameed, F., Malik, I. A., Hadi, N. U., et al. (2023). Brand awareness and purchase intention in the age of digital communication: A moderated mediation model of celebrity endorsement and consumer attitude. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 13(2), e202309. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/12876
26. Haron, H., Ahmad, N. N., Saa’din, I., et al. (2023). Role of Brand Awareness on Marketing and Purchase Intention in Service-Based Businesses. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 8(26), 51–57. https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v8i26.5152
27. Hassan, A., & Barber, S. J. (2021). The effects of repetition frequency on the illusory truth effect. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-021-00301-5
28. Hien, N. N., Phuong, N. N., Tran, T. V., et al. (2020). The effect of country-of-origin image on purchase intention: The mediating role of brand image and brand evaluation. Management Science Letters, 1205–1212. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.11.038
29. Irshad, M., & Ahmad, M. S. (2019). Investigating the Determinants of Consumers’ Attitude towards Social Media Marketing: Moderating Role of Gender. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.29333/ojcmt/5865
30. Issa, F. M. (2021). The Influence of Relationship Quality on Electronic Word of Mouth for Mobile Review Site Users in Saudi Arabia Market. IBusiness, 13(04), 155–178. https://doi.org/10.4236/ib.2021.134010
31. Khan, H. (2019). Effects of personal dispositions, familiarity and consumption situation on Western brands’ packaging. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 36(6), 715–727. https://doi.org/10.1108/jcm-07-2018-2778
32. Khan, Y., Hameed, I., & Akram, U. (2022). What drives attitude, purchase intention and consumer buying behavior toward organic food? A self-determination theory and theory of planned behavior perspective. British Food Journal, 125(7), 2572–2587. https://doi.org/10.1108/bfj-07-2022-0564
33. Kim, S. S. (2020). Purchase Intention in the Online Open Market: Do Concerns for E-Commerce Really Matter? Sustainability, 12(3), 773. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030773
34. Kwon, J., & Ahn, J. (2020). The effect of green CSR skepticism on positive attitude, reactance, and behavioral intention. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 4(1), 59–76. https://doi.org/10.1108/jhti-05-2020-0074
35. Lestari, E. R., Hanifa, K., & Hartawan, S. (2020). Antecedents of Attitude Toward Green Products and its Impact on Purchase Intention. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 515(1), 012073. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/515/1/012073
36. Li, J.-Y., Kim, J. K., & Alharbi, K. (2022). Exploring the role of issue involvement and brand attachment in shaping consumer response toward corporate social advocacy (CSA) initiatives: the case of Nike’s Colin Kaepernick campaign. International Journal of Advertising, 41(2), 233–257. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2020.1857111
37. Li, L., Wang, Z., Li, Y., et al. (2021). Consumer innovativeness and organic food adoption: The mediation effects of consumer knowledge and attitudes. Sustainable Production and Consumption, 28, 1465–1474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spc.2021.08.022
38. Lili, Z., Al Mamun, A., Hayat, N., et al. (2022). Celebrity Endorsement, Brand Equity, and Green Cosmetics Purchase Intention Among Chinese Youth. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.860177
39. Linhart, Z. (2023). Why measure attitudes toward specific types of advertising in international contexts? Projectics/Proyéctica/Projectique, 34(1), 87–104. https://doi.org/10.3917/proj.034.0087
40. Marhareita, C., Kila, I. W., & Mandagi, D. W. (2022). Social Media Marketing and Educational Institution Brand Awareness, Image, and Attitude. QALAMUNA: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial, Dan Agama, 14(1), 257–256. https://doi.org/10.37680/qalamuna.v14i1.4081
41. Massoudi, A. H., Birdawod, H. Q., & Raewf, M. B. (2023). Personal Digital Marketing Influence on Successful Marketing Campaign in Today’s Digital Age. Cihan University-Erbil Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 7(1), 158–165. https://doi.org/10.24086/cuejhss.v7n1y2023.pp158-165
42. The Vital Role of Pink Marketing in the Creation of Women Loyalty. (2020). International Journal of Social Sciences and Economic Review, 28–37. CLOCKSS. https://doi.org/10.36923/ijsser.v2i3.74
43. McClure, C., & Seock, Y.-K. (2020). The role of involvement: Investigating the effect of brand’s social media pages on consumer purchase intention. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 53, 101975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.101975
44. Mehta, S., Saxena, T., & Purohit, N. (2020). The New Consumer Behaviour Paradigm amid COVID-19: Permanent or Transient? Journal of Health Management, 22(2), 291–301. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972063420940834
45. Nafees, L., Cook, C. M., Nikolov, A. N., et al. (2021). Can social media influencer (SMI) power influence consumer brand attitudes? The mediating role of perceived SMI credibility. Digital Business, 1(2), 100008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.digbus.2021.100008
46. Nassoura, A. B. (2020). Measuring students’ perceptions of online learning in higher education. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 9(4), 1965-1970.
47. Nguyen, T. B. T., & Huynh, C. M. (2022). Factors of Purchase Intentions toward Foreign Products: Empirical Evidence from Vietnamese Consumers’ Perspective. Munich Personal RePEc Archive.
48. Nystrand, B. T., & Olsen, S. O. (2020). Consumers’ attitudes and intentions toward consuming functional foods in Norway. Food Quality and Preference, 80, 103827. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103827
49. Nazir, M., & Tian, J. (2022). The Influence of Consumers’ Purchase Intention Factors on Willingness to Pay for Renewable Energy; Mediating Effect of Attitude. Frontiers in Energy Research, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2022.837007
50. Onofrei, G., Filieri, R., & Kennedy, L. (2022). Social media interactions, purchase intention, and behavioural engagement: The mediating role of source and content factors. Journal of Business Research, 142, 100–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.031
51. Ostic, D., Qalati, S. A., Barbosa, B., et al. (2021). Effects of Social Media Use on Psychological Well-Being: A Mediated Model. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.678766
52. Peña-García, N., Gil-Saura, I., Rodríguez-Orejuela, A., et al. (2020). Purchase intention and purchase behavior online: A cross-cultural approach. Heliyon, 6(6), e04284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04284
53. Ramesh, K., Saha, R., Goswami, S., & Dahiya, R. (2019). Consumer’s response to CSR activities: Mediating role of brand image and brand attitude. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(2), 377-387. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1689
54. Sabirov, O. S., Berdiyarov, B. T., Yusupov, A. S., et al. (2021). Improving ways to increase the attitude of the investment environment. Revista Geintec-Gestao Inovacao E Tecnologias, 11(2), 1961-1975. https://doi.org/10.47059/revistageintec.v11i2.1811
55. Sarstedt, M., Hair, J. F., Pick, M., et al. (2022). Progress in partial least squares structural equation modeling use in marketing research in the last decade. Psychology & Marketing, 39(5), 1035–1064. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21640
56. Schafer, R. (2019). The Analytic Attitude. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429481024
57. Sharma, A., Mehtab, R., Mohan, S., et al. (2021). Augmented reality – an important aspect of Industry 4.0. Industrial Robot: The International Journal of Robotics Research and Application, 49(3), 428–441. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir-09-2021-0204
58. Rupam Soti. (2022). The impact of advertising on consumer behavior. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 14(3), 706–711. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2022.14.3.0577
59. Srivastava, A., Gupta, N., & Rana, N. P. (2023). Influence of consumer cosmopolitanism on purchase intention of foreign vs local brands: a developing country perspective. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 18(9), 2301–2325. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijoem-01-2021-0057
60. Taqi, I., & Muhammad, G. (2020). Brand loyalty and the mediating roles of brand image and customer satisfaction. Market Forces, 15(1), 101-119.
61. Thomas, T., Singh, N., & Ambady, K. G. (2020). Effect of ethnocentrism and attitude towards foreign brands in purchase decision. Vision, 24(3), 320-329. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972262919867509
62. Tsai, M. C. (2020). Storytelling advertising investment profits in marketing: From the perspective of consumers’ purchase intention. Mathematics, 8(10), 1704. https://doi.org/10.3390/math8101704
63. Venkateswara Rao, M. K., & Elavarasan, R. (2022). Role of brand equity in the purchase intention-a study with reference to FMCG consumers in chennai city. Specialusis Ugdymas, 1(43), 1207-1216.
64. Wang, C., Liu, T., Zhu, Y., et al. (2023). The influence of consumer perception on purchase intention: Evidence from cross-border E-commerce platforms. Heliyon, 9(11), e21617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21617
65. Yang, W. (2018). Star power: the evolution of celebrity endorsement research. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(1), 389–415. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-09-2016-0543
66. Zafar, A. U., Shen, J., Ashfaq, M., et al. (2021). Social media and sustainable purchasing attitude: Role of trust in social media and environmental effectiveness. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 63, 102751. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102751
67. Zeng, S., Lin, X., & Zhou, L. (2023). Factors affecting consumer attitudes towards using digital media platforms on health knowledge communication: Findings of cognition–affect–conation pattern. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1008427. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1008427
68. Zhao, H., Yao, X., Liu, Z., et al. (2021). Impact of Pricing and Product Information on Consumer Buying Behavior With Customer Satisfaction in a Mediating Role. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.720151
69. Zhao, R., Yang, M., Liu, J., et al. (2020). University Students’ Purchase Intention and Willingness to Pay for Carbon-Labeled Food Products: A Purchase Decision-Making Experiment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), 7026. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197026
70. Zhang, X. (2020). The Influences of Brand Awareness on Consumers’ Cognitive Process: An Event-Related Potentials Study. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.00549