أثر التفاعل الرقمي عبر مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي على الارتباطات الذهنية للعلامة التجارية

Abstract

This study examined the effect of digital engagement through social media platforms on brand associations, using the YASSIR brand as a case study. The research was grounded in the growing importance of the digital presence of service brands and its potential role in shaping the meanings and impressions that customers associate with a brand. A descriptive analytical approach was adopted, and a questionnaire was used to collect data from a purposive sample of 279 respondents who were familiar with the YASSIR brand or had previously interacted with its digital content. The data were analyzed using SPSS through several statistical techniques, including means, standard deviations, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson correlation coefficient, simple linear regression, independent samples T-test, and one-way ANOVA. The findings showed that the level of digital engagement with the YASSIR brand was moderate, and that brand associations toward the brand were also at a moderate level. The results also revealed a positive and statistically significant effect of digital engagement through social media platforms on brand associations. In addition, the three dimensions of digital engagement—cognitive, emotional, and behavioral—were found to contribute to explaining brand associations to varying degrees. Regarding demographic differences, the results indicated significant differences attributed only to age, while no significant differences were found according to gender, income, or occupation. These findings suggest that digital engagement is not merely a communicational activity carried out by the brand on social media platforms, but can contribute to building brand-related meanings in customers’ minds, especially when it combines clear informational content, positive emotional stimulation, and the encouragement of interactive behaviors among users. Accordingly, the study recommends developing digital content that is more capable of strengthening trust, closeness, participation, and symbolic association with the YASSIR brand.