evangelists

This study investigates the impact of brand symbolism on brand evangelism behavior among Persepolis Club evangelists in Mashhad during spring 2024. As an applied descriptive-correlational research, data were collected from 320 purposively sampled participants using standard questionnaires: Osmanova et al. (2023) for brand symbolism and Becerra and Badrinarayanan (2013) for brand evangelism. The reliability and validity of the instruments were confirmed through Cronbach’s alpha, internal consistency, composite reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity tests. Structural equation modeling (SEM) via LISREL was employed for data analysis. Results show that brand symbolism significantly affects brand evangelism and its components, including purchase intention (path coefficient = 0.45), positive word-of-mouth (0.30), and negative word-of-mouth against competitors (0.12). Purchase intention further influences positive (0.51) and negative word-of-mouth (0.45), while positive word-of-mouth also impacts negative word-of-mouth toward rival teams (0.27). These findings suggest that brand symbolism positively drives evangelism behaviors such as purchasing Persepolis products and promoting the club while discouraging competitor support. Based on these outcomes, it is recommended that Persepolis Club enhance its brand symbolism through targeted marketing strategies—such as exclusive fan events, social media engagement, and branded merchandise—to deepen fans’ emotional connection and strengthen brand evangelism. Such initiatives are likely to boost positive purchase intentions and supportive word-of-mouth, benefiting the club’s overall brand strength.