Developing a Brand Equity Model from the Fans’ Perspective in Professional Football Clubs
Keywords:
model, brand associations, brand awareness, audience, sport, Brand equityAbstract
This study aimed to design and validate an indigenous model for measuring brand equity of Esteghlal and Persepolis professional football clubs from the fans’ perspective. This applied study employed a descriptive-survey design. The statistical population consisted of fans of Esteghlal and Persepolis football clubs, from whom 390 valid questionnaires were collected using random sampling based on Cochran’s formula. Data were gathered using the Spectator-Based Brand Equity (SBBE) questionnaire. Content validity was confirmed by experts and reliability was established with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.89. Due to non-normal data distribution, nonparametric statistical tests including exploratory factor analysis, Spearman correlation, and Friedman test were utilized. The results of factor analysis confirmed that brand equity consists of two main dimensions: brand awareness and brand associations. Friedman test results indicated that team history, brand identification, and internalization were the most influential components in forming brand equity, whereas exclusive privileges, organizational characteristics, and team performance received the lowest priority from the fans’ perspective. The proposed model provides a comprehensive and practical framework for strategic brand management in professional football clubs and supports the development of sustainable competitive advantage.
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