Research in Sports Management and Movement Behavior

Designing a Personal Branding Model for Individual Athletes

Articles in Press

Authors

Ali Shah Hosseini 1
Seyed Nasrolah Sajadi 2
Hossein Rajabi 3

1 Instructor of Physical Education Department, Kharazmi University, Karaj, Iran

2 Ph.D Professor of Sport Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. - - - Professor of Sport Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

3 Ph.D Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Kish, International Campus, University of Tehran, Kish, Iran. - - - Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Kish, International Campus, University of Tehran, Kish, Iran. - horajabi@ut.ac.ir ORCID: 0000-0002-7948-1446

Abstract
This research aimed to design a personal branding model for elite individual athletes, drawing upon findings from previous studies. Employing a qualitative approach and Glaser constructivist grounded theory strategy, data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 18 national and international champions and experts in sports marketing, selected via purposive sampling. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached, and analysis was performed using MAXQDA 2022 software. The study's findings were categorized into three main axes: influencing factors, development strategies, and consequences of personal branding. Following an initial analysis of 251 propositions, 443 final frequencies were prepared for categorization. The research extracted four core concepts in personal branding and identified three main categories of influencing factors: "environmental factors," "individual athlete characteristics," and "athlete performance characteristics." In the strategies section, "enhancing individual capabilities," "striving for successful performance," and "branding education" emerged as prominent categories. Furthermore, the consequences of personal branding were categorized into "positive" (encompassing political, economic, individual, social, and athletic dimensions) and "negative" outcomes. Positive branding outcomes included economic benefits (revenue generation), individual growth (becoming a role model), social impact (increasing public awareness), and athletic advantages (enhancing sport popularity). Conversely, mismanagement could lead to negative consequences such as unethical attention or corruption. This study integrates these findings to offer a practical model for personal branding among individual athletes.

Keywords

Sports Marketing
Personal Branding
Athlete Branding
Brand Strategy
Professional Athletes
Individual Sports
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Research in Sports Management and Movement Behavior

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 22 October 2020