Designing a Branding Model for Sports Businesses in the Virtual Environment
Subject Areas : MarketingHossein Larijani 1 , Mohammad Hadi Asgari 2
1 - Department of Business Management, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran
2 - Department of Business Management, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran
Keywords: Branding, Virtual Sports Businesses, Brand Strategy and Planning, Content Management and Brand Identity, Audience Interaction and Communication, Market Growth and Development,
Abstract :
The purpose of the present study was to design a branding model for sports businesses in the context of virtual space. The research employed an exploratory approach using a qualitative method based on the Attride-Stirling technique. The study participants consisted of experts, including university faculty members as well as managers of online sports stores. 17 of them were selected through purposive sampling based on the principle of theoretical saturation. The data collection instrument was in-depth semi-structured interviews. To ensure the validity and reliability of the research instrument, the criteria proposed by Lincoln and Guba were applied. The collected data were analyzed using MAXQDA 2020 software. The results of the interview text analysis led to the identification of four global themes (brand strategy and planning, content management and brand identity, audience interaction and communication, and attention to market growth and development), 25 organizing themes, and 150 basic themes.
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