MohammadJavad Golkar - Faculty of Electrical & Computer, Imam MohamadBagher University, Sari, Iran
Ali Golkar - Faculty of Computer & Information Technology, University of Shiraz, Shiraz, Iran
Ali Abbasian Kasgari - Faculty of ICT, Tabari University, Babol, Iran
EmadAlddin HosseinToudeshki - Faculty of Management Science and Technology, AmirkabirUniversity of Technology(Tehran Poly Technique)

The research on the brands (brand) and brand equity has become important for marketing activities and marketing theory in recent years.The brand equity is one of the assets which either preserve the company's value or also will follow customer loyalty. This study aims to determine the factors influencing brand equity from the consumer perspective in Iran chocolate industry. In this research, Aaker David brand equity model is used which has four dimensions of awareness, perceived quality,associations, and loyalty to the brand.The population has been the consumers of Baraka chocolate in Shahrvand chain shops that 50 people of them were selected as samples. Results showed that there is a significant relationship between perceived quality and brand equity. Furthermore, there is a direct significant relationship between loyalty to the brand and brand equity.There is a strong significant relationship between awareness of the brand and brand equity and there is a very strong significant relationship between brand association and brand equity.Also there is no significant difference between men and women in none of the components. And only in the component of loyalty to the brand in Iran chocolate industry there is significant difference between different age groups and in the components of awareness, perceived quality, loyalty to the brand and brand added value there is significant difference between different age groups.

brand equity from, customer perspective, loyalty to the brand, perceived quality, awareness of the brand, brand associations