Exploring Antecedents and Outcomes of Customer Engagement Among Elite Football Fans

Abstract

As Customer Engagement (CE) drives brand loyalty and word-of-mouth, it is fundamental to the success of brands. Yet, while previous studies have examined the nature of CE, few have explored CE toward actors other than the focal firm or brand. Therefore, this study analyses and compares antecedents and outcomes of two types of CE: CE with a focal brand (CEF), and CE with other customers (CEC). 2031 customers of Swedish elite football were surveyed and analyzed in a SEM-model. Among others, the results indicate that CEC is more important to brand-loyalty and word-of-mouth than CEF.