Abstract:
The research aimed to analyze the relationship between social media marketing (SMM) and brand
equity (BE) from customers’ perspective. In this regard, the research assessed the impact of SMM
on four dimensions of BE in case Samsung smartphones in Azerbaijan, which included brand
awareness, brand image, brand loyalty and perceived quality. The review of existing researches on
the research topic revealed that the SMM is one of the significant determinants of the BE of goods
or services in the current business environment due to its impact on different dimensions of the
brand equity. Accordingly, it was expected to identify the positive and empirically significant
relationships between SMM and BE in case of Samsung smartphones in Azerbaijan from the
viewpoints of customers. In this regard, the primary data about SMM and BE of Samsung
smartphones in Azerbaijan was collected from the sample of 148 social media users who possessed
Samsung smartphones at the time of data collection for this study. The sample of target population
was built through snowball non-probability sampling method in this research. The obtained data
about SM and BE of Samsung smartphones in Azerbaijan was assessed through three analysis
methods, like descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha and regression analysis. In this research,
there were four regression models developed for determining the predictors of each of four
dimensions of BE in case of Samsung smartphones in Azerbaijan. The data analysis process in the
study was conducted at one of the most commonly used statistics software in social science,
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The research findings revealed that the
channels of SMM are statistically significant predictors of the changes in the dimensions of BE
for Samsung smartphones in Azerbaijan. In particular, the interpretation of primary data in the
research highlighted that SMM has statistically significant and positive impact of BE of Samsung
smartphones in Azerbaijan. Thus, the research concluded that the relationship between SMM and
BE was statistically significant and positive from the perspective of customers of Samsung
smartphones in Azerbaijan.