Identification of Key Success Factors - in Developing a Character Merchandising in the Iranian Marketplace using Grounded Theory Method

Production and selling products under a brand earned its equity in a different area of product consumption is a popular strategy among manufacturers that do not have the ability or desire to invest in branding. This strategy is known as merchandising and character merchandising is one of the most common ones. This research is about to identify key success factors of character merchandising strategy in the Iranian market.
As a qualitative research we conducted Grounded Theory in the present study. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with consumers of these types of goods and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding, based on paradigm approach of GT.
Appropriate marketing mix, character origin, cultural fit, medium, competitive capability, and contextual factors have been identified and conceptualized as merchandising key success factors.
Success of animation character merchandising in the Iranian market is mainly based on having knowledge about character origins and cultural symbols. Additionally, due to the cultural and social characteristics of the Iranian market, families are paying attention to the cultural appropriateness of the characters- an important factor for the competitiveness of products and characters.