Political parties' using of social media for forming brand engagement with generation Y

Nowadays, the influence of non-traditional media vehicles and the increase in the number of Y generation voters are inevitable. The objective of this research is to examine how social media enables political parties to connect with generation Y voters. Different data collections methods were employed for this purpose. Initally, the social media accounts of various political parties ware examined. Then by employing qualitative data collection methods a political party was selected, which aimed to connect with generation Y voters using social media, to investigate the interactions of consumers both with the political party and the other voters. The findings of the research show the positive influence of social media for forming brand engagement with generation Y. Theoretically the three dimensions of consumer brand engagement are examined for the first time in the context of political parties. The study also shows the implications of this research for political parties that want to create an online consumer brand engement with generation Y. Keywords: online consumer brand engagement, social media, political parties