Designing a Bank Melli Iran Brand Promotion Model: A Mixed ApproachAbstract

While many studies have pointed to the importance of branding as an important component in marketing, so far many local models have not been introduced in relation to the factors affecting the promotion of a bank's brand in Iran. In this regard, the present study was conducted with the aim of designing a brand promotion model for Bank Melli Iran, as the largest bank in the Islamic world.In terms of purpose, this research is an application that has been done with a mixed (qualitative-quantitative) approach. The statistical population in the qualitative section includes 13 officials of the general offices of Bank Melli Iran and in the quantitative section a sample consisting of 400 customers of Bank Melli has been selected. Semi-structured interview and researcher-made questionnaire were used to collect data in qualitative and quantitative sections, respectively. In the qualitative part of the research, data-based theory has been used to identify the components of the pattern of brand promotion mechanisms of Bank Melli Iran, and in the quantitative part, the partial least squares method has been used to validate the proposed model. In the final phase of this research, using hierarchical analysis process, the components of Bank Melli Iran brand promotion are ranked. The results of validation of the proposed model with the partial least squares technique showed that the proposed model in this research has a good validity. Criteria prioritization also showed that the brand equity criterion, brand promotion criterion, and strategic branding planning criterion are of the highest importance, respectively.