Development Aker Model to evaluate brand equity of news agencies and identify the factors affecting their brand equity

The reputation of a news source in the media outlets is very important, and news agencies are in constant competition for good reputation. But so far, no specific model has been proposed to measure the brand value of news agencies. The purpose of this study is to provide a model for evaluating the brand equity of Iranian news agencies. We considered the David Aaker’s Brand Equity model as the basis for the development of this model and used the qualitative content analysis method to measure the value of news agencies. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 18 experts in the field of branding, news agencies and media branding, and were coded and interpreted using two inductive and deductive approaches using MaxQDA software. Findings of the study showed new measures such as "difficulty of access", "financial cost of access", "time cost" and "recommending others to use", "emotional relationship with the brand" and "reusing". To strengthen its brand, Iran must consider the factors affecting the brand equity and increase its bargaining power in the business market.