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The Effect of Open Innovation and Social Media Marketing on Football Club Brand Authenticity with the Mediating Role of Value Creation and Brand Mental Image

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. in Sports Management, Department of Sports Management, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran

2 Associate Professor of Sports Management, Department of Sports Management, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran

3 Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Department of Sports Management, Karaj Branch, Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran

Abstract

Excellence in the highly competitive sports industry requires appropriate marketing strategies. Marketing researchers have long identified brand authenticity as one of the key pillars of marketing and consider it critically important for consumers. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of open innovation and social media marketing on football clubs' brand authenticity, with value creation and brand mental image as mediating variables. In terms of objective, this research is applied, and in terms of strategy, it is descriptive-correlational, conducted using structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of fans of football clubs in the active leagues of the country. A total of 450 questionnaires were distributed, and 428 questionnaires were analyzed. To collect the required data, the following instruments were used: the Open Innovation questionnaire by Peter et al. (2016), the Social Media Marketing questionnaire by Kim et al. (2017), the Brand Authenticity questionnaire by Kadirov (2010), the Value Creation questionnaire by Zeinoddin et al. (2012), and the Brand Mental Image questionnaire by Ulrich (2009). The validity of the questionnaires was confirmed by 13 sports management professors, and the reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.88, 0.77, 0.89, 0.89, and 0.70, respectively. SPSS and SmartPLS statistical software were used for data analysis. The findings showed that open innovation and social media marketing have a positive and significant effect on brand authenticity, value creation, and brand mental image of football clubs. Furthermore, brand value creation and brand mental image have a positive and significant effect on brand authenticity. Therefore, it can be concluded that attention to factors such as innovation and social media marketing can strengthen a club's brand in terms of value creation, mental image, and authenticity.

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References
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Sport Marketing Studies
Volume 7, Issue 1 - Serial Number 25
April 2026
Pages 117-128
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