The Effects of Social Media Usage on Brand Resonance during and After the Gezi Park Protests in Turkey

Abstract

The social media was actively used during the Gezi Park events that existed in Turkey which is one of the most important social movements in Turkish history. Starbucks was chosen as the research object since it got the worst reaction from the protestors. The study's primary objective is to reveal the differences between the Starbucks' brand resonance during the protests and five months after based on the negative accusations on the brand. The main finding is that the brand resonance of Starbucks increased after the Gezi Park events according to the ti me of the events' brand resonance. Also the youth social media users had an effect on Starbucks' brand resonance during the events. Besides the study discovered that while the content about the accusations on Starbucks were active on the social media the customers didn't purchase the brand's products until the events were ended and the contents were lessented