The Relationship Between Brand Value and Social Media: A Research in The Turkish Civil Aviation Sector

Social media, the most crucial component of the digital world, is becoming increasingly integrated with the natural world every day. Marketing activities that manage the interactions between civil airline companies and their customers are critical in this fusion of the modern age. The use of social media in marketing activities makes it easier to adopt airline brands to large masses, and it provides advantages in terms of speed, cost, and scope. This situation will also positively affect the brand value of airline companies that successfully carry out social media activities. The purpose of this research is to determine and interpret the relationship between brand equity and the social media activities of airlines in the Turkish civil aviation sector. The study employed a quantitative research method to test the research model and hypothesis. We collected data by applying questionnaires at Istanbul Airport between 23/03/2024 and 14/04/2024. We conducted explanatory and confirmatory factor analyses and structural equation analyses on the obtained data. The study concluded that consumers engage in social media marketing activities for various reasons, such as entertainment, interaction, fashion following, and personalization. Another significant result of the study is that the factors that positively affect participation are consumers' brand trust and memorable experiences. This result shows that the more consumers' engagement increases, the higher their purchase intention and word-of-mouth tendencies.