Presenting a digital brand model for sustainable urban development (Case study: Ardabil city)

Zarei, Ghasem; Azizi, Mahta

Presenting a digital brand model for sustainable urban development (Case study: Ardabil city)

Document Type : Extract article from research project

Authors

Ghasem Zarei ¹

Mahta Azizi ²

¹ Professor in Business Management, College Social sciences University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

² Ph.D. Student in Business Mnagement, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili , Ardabil,.Iran

Abstract

Background and Aim: The objective of the present study is to investigate the intersection of digital marketing and sustainable urban tourism, focusing on Ardabil City as a case study. Digital marketing provides innovative tools for promoting destinations, along with advancing responsible tourism practices. Sustainable urban tourism also seeks to balance economic growth, cultural preservation, and environmental management in urban spaces.
Methods and Material:The research method is inductive and a qualitative approach based on Grounded Theory. The participants in the research process include experts, university professors, and experienced employees in the fields of tourism and marketing. Additionally, a purposive sampling method was used, and to reach theoretical saturation and development, interviews were conducted with 12 people and analyzed using MaxQDA software.
Results and Discussion: Based on the results, the causal conditions (weakness in promoting sustainable tourism attractions, weakness in the digital ecosystem, mismatch of existing marketing methods with modern tourist expectations, and cultural and social challenges); the contextual conditions (geographical and natural features, facilities and infrastructure, and the economic and social structure of the local community); the intervening conditions (political and managerial factors, human resource training and expertise, and technological and infrastructural barriers); the strategies (utilizing digital marketing elements, integrated and interactive platform strategies, and collaboration and synergy strategies); and the outcomes (increased awareness and attraction of responsible tourists, economic and social empowerment of the community, branding of Ardabil City as a sustainable destination, and environmental results) were identified.

Keywords

Digital Marketing

Sustainable Urban Tourism

Ardabil City

Grounded Theory Approach

Subjects

Urban Tourism

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