An Examination of the effects of Fan-Based Brand Associations of a Professional Soccer League on League Brand Equity

Authors

  • Serdar Turedi Purdue University Northwest
  • Sinan Nardali Izmir Katip Celebi University
  • Musa Pinar Valparaiso University
  • Tulay Girard Pennsylvania State University-Altoona
  • Sanem Alkibay Gazi University

Keywords:

Sport league, Sport brand equity, Branding, Soccer brand equity, Fan-based brand associations

Abstract

The main objectives of this study are to 1) identify the relevant dimensions of the fan-based brand associations (FBBA) of a sports league and develop a measurement scale for FBBA, and 2) investigate the relationship between brand equity and its components (brand associations and internalization). Data are collected from 227 soccer fans and a partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis is conducted. The results indicate that player, referee, head coach, stadium, team success, (team) management, and soccer federation are significant dimensions of the sports league FBBA and that the FBBA and internalization can be applied to investigate the brand equity of professional sports leagues. The findings also suggest that league managers can collaborate with other key members of the industry (e.g., players, head coaches, or team managers) to develop a strong professional sports league.

References

Aaker, D. A. (1991). Manage brand equity: Capitalizing on the value of a brand name. New York, NY: Free Press.

Aaker, D.A. (1996). Building strong brands. New York, NY: Free Press.

Ailawadi, K. L., & Keller, K. L. (2004). Understanding retail branding: conceptual insights and research priorities. Journal of Retailing, 80(4), 331-342.

Ball, D.A., McCulloch Jr., W.H., Frantz, P.L., Geringer, J.M., & Minor, M.S. (2002). International business: The challenge of global competition, New York: NY, McGraw-Hill.

Bauer, H. H., Sauer, N. E., & Schmitt, P. (2005). Customer-based brand equity in the team sports industry: Operationalization and impact on the economic success of sports teams. European Journal of Marketing, 39(5/6), 496-513.

Bauer, H. H., Stokburger-Sauer, N. E., & Exler, S. (2008). Brand image and fan loyalty in professional team sport: A refined model and empirical assessment. Journal of sport Management, 22(2), 205-226.

Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2003). Consumer-company identification: A framework for understanding consumers’ relationships with companies. Journal of Marketing, 67, 76-88.

Biscaia, R., Correia, A., Ross, S., Rosado, A. F., & Maroco, J. (2013). Spectator-based brand equity in professional soccer. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 22(1), 20-32.

Brand Finance (2016). Football 50 2016. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://brandirectory.com/download-report/football_50_report_for_print.pdf

Brand Finance (2021a). Football 50 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://brandirectory.com/download-report/brand-finance-football-50-2021-preview.pdf

Brand Finance (2021b). Turkey 100 2017. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://brandirectory.com/download-report/brand-finance-turkey-100-2021-full-report.pdf

Churchill, G.A. & Iacobucci, D. (2005). Marketing research: Methodological foundation, (9th ed.). Boston: MA, South-Western Cengage Learning.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences, (2nd Ed.). Hillsdale: NJ, Routledge.

Curley, J. and Roeder, O. (2016). English soccer’s mysterious worldwide popularity, Contexts, 15(1), pp. 78-81.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum.

Deloitte (2018). Annual review of football finance 2018, Sport Business Group. Retrieved 15 April 10, 2022, from https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/sports-business-group/deloitte-uk-sbg-annual-review-of-football-finance-2018.PDF.

Ekebas-Turedi, C., Karaatli, G., & Turedi, S. (2020). The relationship among fan-based league brand associations, brand equity, and behavioral intentions. Marketing Management Journal, 30(1), 17-37.

Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50.

Girard, T., Trapp, P., Pinar, M., Gulsoy, T., & Boyt, T. E. (2017). Consumer-based brand equity of a private-label brand: Measuring and examining determinants. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 25(1), 39-56.

Gladden, J. M., & Funk, D. C. (2002). Developing an understanding of brand associations in team sport: Empirical evidence from consumers of professional sport. Journal of Sport Management, 16(1), 54-81.

Gladden, J. M., & Milne, G. R. (1999). Examining the importance of brand equity in professional sports. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 8(1), 21-30.

Gladden, J. M., Milne, G. R., & Sutton, W. A. (1998). A conceptual framework for assessing brand equity in Division I college athletics. Journal of Sport Management, 12(1), 1-19.

Hair, J.F., Hult, G.T.M., Ringle, C.M., & Sarstedt, M. (2014). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), Los Angeles: CA, Sage.

Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2011). PLS-SEM: Indeed a silver bullet. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 19(2), 139-152.

James, J. D., Kolbe, R. H., & Trail, G. T. (2002). Psychological connection to a new sport team: Building or maintaining the consumer base? Sport Marketing Quarterly, 11(4), 215-225.

Kaynak, E., Salman, G. G., & Tatoglu, E. (2008). An integrative framework linking brand associations and brand loyalty in professional sports. Journal of Brand Management, 15(5), 336-357.

Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. Journal of Marketing, 57(1) 1-22.

Keller, K.L. (2013). Strategic brand management: Building, measuring, and managing brand equity, (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Kerr, A. K., & Gladden, J. M. (2008). Extending the understanding of professional team brand equity to the global marketplace. International Journal of Sport Management and Marketing, 3(1-2), 58-77.

Kock, N. (2015). Common method bias in PLS-SEM: A full collinearity assessment approach. International Journal of e-Collaboration, 11(4), 1-10.

Koenigstorfer, J., Groeppel-Klein, A., & Kunkel, T. (2010). The attractiveness of national and international football leagues: Perspectives of fans of “star clubs” and “underdogs”. European Sport Management Quarterly, 10(2), 127-163.

Kunkel, T., Funk, D., & Hill, B. (2013). Brand architecture, drivers of consumer involvement, and brand loyalty with professional sport leagues and teams. Journal of Sport Management, 27(3), 177-192.

Kunkel, T., Funk, D., & King, C. (2014). Developing a conceptual understanding of consumer-based league brand associations. Journal of Sport Management, 28(1), 49-67.

Kunkel, T., Funk, D., & Lock, D. (2017). The effect of league brand on the relationship between the team brand and behavioral intentions: A formative approach examining brand associations and brand relationships. Journal of Sport Management, 31(4), 317-332.

Malhotra, M. K., & Grover, V. (1998). An assessment of survey research in POM: from constructs to theory. Journal of Operations Management, 16(4), 407-425.

Narver, J. C., & Slater, S. F. (1990). The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing, 54(4), 20-35.

Oh, T. T., Keller, K. L., Neslin, S. A., Reibstein, D. J., & Lehmann, D. R. (2020). The past, present, and future of brand research. Marketing Letters, 31(2), 151-162.

Pinar, M., Nardali, S., Alkibay, S., & Girard, T. (2017). Türkiye Süper Ligi’nin Marka Değerini Etkileyen Faktörlerin Öneminin ve Performasının Değerlendirilmesi. Pazarlama ve Pazarlama Araştırmaları Dergisi, 10(19), 103-122.

Pitt, L., Napoli, J., & Van Der Merwe, R. (2003). Managing the franchised brand: The franchisees' perspective. Journal of Brand Management, 10(6), 411-420.

Plunkelt Research (2016). Sports industry statistics and market size overview. Retrieved September 10, 2016, from https://www.plunkettresearch.com/statistics/sports-industry.

Rosenbaum-Elliott, R., Percy, L., & Pervan S. (2011). Strategic brand management, (2nd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Ross, S. D. (2006). A conceptual framework for understanding spectator-based brand equity. Journal of sport Management, 20(1), 22-38.

Ross, S. D., James, J. D., & Vargas, P. (2006). Development of a scale to measure team brand associations in professional sport. Journal of sport management, 20(2), 260-279.

Ross, S. D., Russell, K. C., & Bang, H. (2008). An empirical assessment of spectator-based brand equity. Journal of Sport Management, 22(3), 322-337.

Rossiter, J.R., & Percy, L. (1987). Advertising and promotion management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Simon, C. J., & Sullivan, M. W. (1993). The measurement and determinants of brand equity: A financial approach. Marketing science, 12(1), 28-52.

Sirianni, N. J., Bitner, M. J., Brown, S. W., & Mandel, N. (2013). Branded service encounters: Strategically aligning employee behavior with the brand positioning. Journal of Marketing, 77(6), 108-123.

Sood, S., & Keller, K. L. (2012). The effects of brand name structure on brand extension evaluations and parent brand dilution. Journal of Marketing Research, 49(3), 373-382.

Tong, X., & Hawley, J. M. (2009). Measuring customer-based brand equity: empirical evidence from the sportswear market in China. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 18(4), 262-271.

Underwood, R., Bond, E., & Baer, R. (2001). Building service brands via social identity: Lessons from the sports marketplace. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 9(1), 1-13.

Yoo, B., & Donthu, N. (2001). Developing and validating a multidimensional consumer-based brand equity scale. Journal of Business Research, 52(1), 1-14.

Yoo, B., Donthu, N., & Lee, S. (2000). An examination of selected marketing mix elements and brand equity. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 28(2), 195-211.

Downloads

Published

2022-08-29

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2022)

Section

ABR Journal Articles

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).