Developing a Personal Brand Shaping Pattern for Iranian Professional Athletes

The purpose of this study was to developing a personal brand shaping pattern for iranian professional athletes. The research method, based on the method of collecting data, was a mixed exploratory sequence. In the qualitative stage, data collection tools were semi-structured interviews with 23 professional sportsmen, coaches, sports marketing managers, psychologists and sports sociologists. The research sample was selected using purposeful sampling and snowball method. In the qualitative stage, the data were analyzed by coding method in three stages: open, axial and selective and the findings included 91 concepts in open coding, and were categorized in axial coding in the form of 31 concepts. In the selective coding stage, modeling the factors influencing the personal brand of professional athletes in Iran.  In a quantitative phase, a sample of 220 participants was selected randomly and classified. In the quantitative stage, the research instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire. Smart PLS software is used to validate the model. According to the results of t-test, the factor loads of all components are significant at 99% confidence level and play a significant role in shaping the personal brand model of professional athletes in Iran.The purpose of this study was to developing a personal brand shaping pattern for iranian professional athletes. The research method, based on the method of collecting data, was a mixed exploratory sequence. In the qualitative stage, data collection tools were semi-structured interviews with 23 professional sportsmen, coaches, sports marketing managers, psychologists and sports sociologists. The research sample was selected using purposeful sampling and snowball method. In the qualitative stage, the data were analyzed by coding method in three stages: open, axial and selective and the findings included 91 concepts in open coding, and were categorized in axial coding in the form of 31 concepts. In the selective coding stage, modeling the factors influencing the personal brand of professional athletes in Iran.  In a quantitative phase, a sample of 220 participants was selected randomly and classified. In the quantitative stage, the research instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire. Smart PLS software is used to validate the model. According to the results of t-test, the factor loads of all components are significant at 99% confidence level and play a significant role in shaping the personal brand model of professional athletes in Iran.