Iranian Business Management Association International Journal of Resistive Economics 2345-4954 Articles in Press 2026 11 01 Investigating the Moderating Role of Gamification on the Impact of Social Media Marketing on Customer-Brand Engagement (Case Study: SnappFood Application) 247149 10.22034/oajre.2026.580231.1210 EN Mohammad Hossein Dastan Fard Department of Business Management, Islamic Azad University, Yadegar-e Emam Khomeini (RA) Branch, Shahr-e Rey, Tehran, Iran Naser Yazdani Associate Professor, Business Administration, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran Journal Article 2026 05 02 This study aims to investigate the moderating role of gamification in the relationship between social media marketing and customer-brand engagement, focusing on users of the SnappFood application in Tehran. Applied in purpose and descriptive-survey in nature, the research targeted all active SnappFood users in Tehran (unknown population size). Based on Cochran’s formula, a sample of 385 participants was selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected via standardized questionnaires measuring social media marketing and customer-brand engagement (Chepong et al., 2023) and gamification (Dessandro et al., 2022). The validity of the instruments was confirmed, and their reliability was established at a desirable level using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Data analysis and hypothesis testing were conducted using SPSS version 22 and SmartPLS version 4 within a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. The findings revealed that all five dimensions of social media marketing (entertainment, interaction, trendiness, customization, and word-of-mouth promotion) exert a positive and significant effect on customer-brand engagement. Furthermore, gamification significantly moderates only the relationship between entertainment and customer-brand engagement, while showing no significant moderating effect on the impact of the other dimensions. Accordingly, it is recommended that managers of service platforms strategically integrate gamified elements into entertainment-oriented campaigns, while refraining from implementing them within interactive tools, customization features, or word-of-mouth mechanisms. This research provides a practical framework for optimizing digital marketing strategies within the food delivery ecosystem.