Designing a Localized Model of Personal Branding in the Food Industry

Abstract

Today, the role of personal branding in business is highly prominent; therefore, the main objective of this study is to examine personal branding specifically in the food industry and to design a localized model in this context. Accordingly, the present research falls under the category of exploratory mixed-method studies, consisting of two stages. The first stage is qualitative, applying the grounded theory approach, and the second stage is quantitative, which, from the perspective of data collection, is descriptive–survey in nature. The statistical population of this study comprises experts in the food industry in Iran. In the first stage, 19 of them were selected as the sample using a non-probability snowball sampling method. Based on the extraction of 12 key questions from existing sources, an interview was designed in this regard, and the required data were collected. This process resulted in 441 propositions, which were coded and categorized into first-, second-, and third-level concepts using grounded theory methodology with the aid of MAXQDA qualitative software, ultimately leading to the development of a qualitative model. In the second stage, a statistical sample of 100 managers and experts in the food industry, who had sufficient knowledge of the subject under investigation and were introduced by the aforementioned 19 participants through snowball sampling, was considered. A questionnaire containing 29 questions derived from the categories obtained in the qualitative phase was then administered to them. Data analysis was carried out using structural equation modeling with the partial least squares (PLS) approach via SmartPLS software, which confirmed all hypotheses derived from the qualitative research. The findings revealed that causal conditions (personal characteristics, business characteristics) have a significant effect on personal branding, and that strategies (identity tools defined in behavior, appropriate tools for image building, social networking, social responsibility, adopting a distinctive and differentiated approach, focusing on objectives, market analysis), influenced by contextual conditions (cultural values, political, economic, and social issues, beliefs and convictions, dynamic world) and intervening conditions (feedback and suggestions, differences between virtual space and the real world, audience expectation levels, social norms) as mediating variables, have a significant impact on outcomes (advancing company objectives, saving time and costs, achieving internal satisfaction, attracting and retaining audiences, gaining reputation, improving the quality of communications).