The structural equation model of brand identity and attitudinal and behavioral loyalty of Iranian Football League’s fans

Background. Identity is a key element in branding and the core element of a successful brand is to perceive how the brand identity is created and developed. Aims. This research tackles the modeling of structural equation of brand identity dimensions and attitudinal and behavioral loyalty in Iranian Super League’s fans. Methods. The present study is descriptive-analytical and completed as a survey. The statistical population included the 13 Iranian league clubs and 690 people were chosen using the Q-Cochran formula and stratified random and cluster sampling methods. The author developed a Fan Based Brand Equity (FBBE) instrument based on Kapffer’s model in brand identity and Meller and Hansan’s model of attitudinal and behavioral loyalty. The first section included demographic characteristics and the second section consisted of items covering all variables by Likert’s seven item scale. Content reliability was CVI=0.87 and internal validity was investigated in a pilot study by two methods of test-retest and Cronbach’s Alpha (0.75) SPSS 20 used for descriptive statistics of variables and data normality and AMOS20 used for structural equation modeling. Results. The results showed that brand identity had a significant positive effect on the loyalty to the brand. Tangible identity had a significant positive effect on behavioral loyalty but no significant effect on the attitudinal loyalty of Iranian Super League fans. Conclusions. Reinforcement of the football brands’ intangible identity has an impressing effect on the brand. Brand identity could duplicate the power of attracting fans.

brand identity, brand loyalty, fans, football