Effective National Branding Strategies in the Field of Elites and Top Scientific Talents in Iran

The aim of this study was to investigate the effective strategies on the national branding process in the field of elites and top talents based on a mixed approach (qualitative-quantitative) through descriptive-exploratory and correlational studies. The statistical population of the research for the qualitative stage included elites, managers of the National Elite Foundation and relevant professors in the field of national branding. For the quantitative stage, all top talents and elites identified by the National Elite Foundation since 2016 with a postgraduate degree participated. The statistical sample in the qualitative part included 15 people who were selected through purposive judgmental approach and snowball method, and in the quantitative part 280 people were selected by random access method based on the rules of structural equation. Data collection tools in the first stage included semi-structured interviews with experts, and in the second stage was a 56-item questionnaire to measure the relationships between research variables, the validity of which was confirmed by two methods of convergence and diagnostics. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by reliable and composite methods. Qualitative data analysis was performed using thematic content analysis method, and quantitative data was analyzed using Smart-PLS software with partial least squares approach. The results showed that six strategies; Government support, stakeholder commitment, stakeholder participation and cooperation, acculturalization, depoliticizing the branding process and changing government structures and related institutions to the national branding process are effective according to experts which are categorized in 13 sub-strategies. The results of the quantitative section made it clear that the acculturalization strategy had the highest impact, and the government support strategy had the lowest impact on the national branding process in the field of elites and top talents.