By using signaling theory, we shed light on how international entrepreneurial ventures co-brand with international players by leveraging multichannel approaches involving social media platforms. The contribution to signaling theory within international marketing literature is multi-fold.

This study answers an important question for university social media advertising. Does processing fluency of the brand and brand identity (e.g., name, logo, symbol etc.) of the university affect the behavior intention of target customers for the university? The results show that name processing fluency (especially pronunciation), advertising processing fluency, brand awareness, brand value, and brand ranking significantly impact behavior intention. In addition, target audience’s individual social media behavior (e.g., general attitude toward the social media, frequency of social media use and involvement) explains the attitude toward the university advertising in social media.