Conceptualization of the City Branding Model in Iran

The present research deals with conceptualization of the city branding model in Iran. The extracted model is based on the quantitative research method of the "grounded theory" using theoretical sampling method with semi-structured interviews with 18 experts of various fields of marketing and management and economy. Then, to enhance its external credit a questionnaire was set and the elite's ideas in that regard were assessed. In short, the findings of this research showed that the phenomenon of city branding in the country is influenced by several factors that were classified in causal, interventional and ground conditions and different economic, social results and mental effects were raised as the consequences of the implementation of the city branding strategies. Hereof it is suggested that, studying the current situation of branding and the available (internal and external) image of their cities, the city managers would develop the strategy of city branding and, if needed, they modify the inappropriate internal and external image of the natural and human geography of the cities through changing and re-positioning, and reproducing the image, create the decent position in the mind of target addressees. In this regard, presence of the convinced citizens who can create a stable identity for their city and advocate the city brand strongly can guarantee the success of any branding programs.