Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 M.A of Sport Management, Razi Univercity, Kermanshah, Iran
2 Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Razi Univercity, Kermanshah, Iran
Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify the effect of professional athletes' interaction on Instagram on the athlete's brand image with the mediating role of relationship quality, brand authenticity and fan attachment. The method of the present study was descriptive-correlational and the statistical population of the study consisted of all students of four public universities in the west of the Iran (about 50 thousand people) of which 590 people were selected as a sample. Structural equation model was used to test the hypotheses. Findings showed that interaction on Instagram indirectly with a regression coefficient of 0.28 through the mediation of pro-dependence has a positive and significant effect on the brand image of the athlete. Also, the regression coefficient of the indirect path of the effect of interaction on Instagram on the brand image through the variables of relationship quality and attachment (0.22) is greater than the mediating role of the variables of brand authenticity and attachment (0.10) in this regard. As a result, athletes will reap potential benefits if they use Instagram social media strategically and programmatically to manage the content of their shared posts.
Keywords
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