The effect of social media on the brand value of football clubs for public relations: The case of Trabzonspor

Public relations is a management function that covers the communication and maintenance of institutions with stakeholders, and its purpose is to establish positive relations with public or private institutions and to develop an effective and efficient communication process. Various tools are used according to the conditions in the development, maintenance and management of public relations, and today social media channels are one of the most effective and functional tools. The most important contribution of social media to public relations is that it is fast and enables instant and multilateral communication. The main function of social media in public relations is to meet the information needs instantly, to prevent asymmetric information, to manage the communication process effectively and to provide the needed information at the right place and time. The purpose of public relations in terms of football clubs; Supporting activities within and outside the club, informing internal and external stakeholders about the club, making statements about the activities of the club, its results and other developments, if any, news, publications, statements etc. about the club. To fulfill functions such as responding to developments such as today, social media has turned into a function like the reflection of the public in the football industry, which is no longer a channel where the fans share their comments and opinions among themselves. Social media can be an effective channel for sports clubs to increase their effectiveness in all revenue generating units and to strengthen brand value at the same time. Social media has the capacity to influence and support the brand value of the team in the context of football. The aim of this study is to focus on football sport; the aim of this study is to examine the effect of social media on the brand value of football clubs in public relations through the example of Trabzonspor. As a result of the research conducted with 670 participants in the period of May-June 2021, it was determined that social media has a decisive effect on the brand value of football clubs, and the social media shares of the club affect the fan-centered brand value.