The Effect of Brand Equity and Social Capital on Brand Image (A Study of Samand Automobile Brand)

Today, successful brands in the global markets have to display distinctive (brand) images in order to maintain their competitive advantage. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between the brand equity and brand image of Samand Automobile considering the mediating role of social capital. The statistical population of this study consists of Samand Automobile buyers indistrict 5 in Tehran. The data were collected through questionnaires and library studies. In this research, 420 questionnaires were distributed through the availability sampling method among the visitors to Iran Khodro dealerships and car exhibitions, and 385 questionnaires were returned. In order to test the hypothesis of the research, the structural equation model and, specifically, the path analysis techniques have been used. For this purpose, the statistical software SPSS (version, 17) and Smart PLS have been used. The results indicated that brand equity has a significant effect on social capital and brand image, and also social capital has a significant impact on brand image.