The effects of brand image and social media on hedonic consumption behavior in automobile preferences

Automobiles are not only a vehicle that makes our life easier, but also an important meta that reflects our personality with the meanings we attribute and become a popular element of culture in every period. This thesis tries to make sense of how automobiles with meanings beyond their functional properties affect hedonic consumption behavior and especially effects of brand image and social media on this consumption behavior. The research has been conducted with a semi-structured in-depth interview method aimed at reflecting the universe with a sampling of automobile owners living in Istanbul who use social media. The data acquired has been evaluated by descriptive analysis method. Within the scope of the research, It has been aimed to determine social media usage habits and the automobiles they own, the brands that come to minds and the opinions on brand images on automobiles of hedonic consumers.