A grounded theory approach and the relational paradigm on designing a brand equity model

This study was conducted to design a model of brand equity, using social media marketing activities for engagement, which is explained by the intellectual philosophy of relationism and both expectancy-value theory and social network theory.

In the qualitative phase of the research, the theoretical sampling method was conducted with deep interviews and a grounded theory strategy. In the quantitative phase, using a random sampling method, a questionnaire was distributed among 389 followers of a company's Instagram page, and structural equation modelling was done with SmartPLS software.

Social media marketing activities as causal conditions, customer knowledge management as contextual conditions, brand experience as intervening conditions, digital marketing development as a strategy and customer engagement as a consequence of the central phenomenon called brand equity are understood.

The results of the quantitative part confirmed the results of the qualitative part and showed that social media marketing activities with a relational paradigm approach in customer engagement are affected by causal conditions (social media marketing), background factors (customer knowledge management) and intervening factors (brand experience) that lead to customer engagement through appropriate policy-making and executive actions of companies.