Team Brand Equity Research Articles

‘A Reputation to Protect’: Sport-Team Reputation as a Strategic Source of Brand Equity

AbstractThis study investigates how sports team reputation shapes brand equity through consumers’ relationship satisfaction, life satisfaction, and commitment. Data were collected from India in two stages, with 523 responses used to test relationships among constructs via structural equation modelling. Barring the effects of social responsibility and financial soundness on relationship satisfaction and the effect of life satisfaction on team brand equity, all hypothesised relationships were significant. Self-congruity also positively moderated relationship satisfaction outcomes, including sport-team heritage, spectator orientation, and management style dimensions. The study’s findings provide important insights for managers, highlighting the crucial role of a strong reputation in building consumer-team loyalty. Our research suggests that marketing strategies should focus on enhancing consumer self-identification by involving fans in on-field and off-field successes to foster meaningful connections.

Measuring the patronage intentions among football fans: the role of corporate social responsibility, brand credibility and brand equity

PurposeThe study aims to identify critical factors that influence football fans’ support of their favorite team by examining the impact of social responsibility, brand credibility and team brand equity on patronage intentions of professional football teams.Design/methodology/approachAn online survey collected data from 331 football fans of the Persian Gulf Premier League (PGPL) in Iran. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe findings revealed that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is able to influence brand equity, brand credibility and patronage intentions. Also, brand equity and brand credibility were found to be positively related to patronage intentions. In addition to that, the findings show that brand equity and team credibility partially mediate the relationship between CSR and patronage intentions.Practical implicationsThe findings provide valuable insights to sports teams/club managers aiming to attract new fans and retain current ones by investing in CSR and enhancing brand credibility and equity. Strategies to integrate CSR into relationship marketing and brand management are outlined.Originality/valueThis study empirically highlights the critical role of adhering to CSR and the effects of brand credibility and equity in enhancing patronage intentions among football team fans.

Satellite fans engagement with social networking sites influence on sport team brand equity: A UGT perspective

Guided by the uses and gratification theory (UGT), this research aims to investigate the influence of gratification (i.e., personal, social, and tension release gratification) sought from social networking sites (SNS) on customer engagement behaviour of satellite fans. Additionally, this research examines the influence of customer engagement behaviour (i.e., consuming, contributing, and creating activities) on sports teams' brand equity. Data for the study were obtained from 347 respondents who followed their favourite sports teams on SNS. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the empirical data. The findings reveal that the SNS gratification needs of football fans influence their customer engagement behaviour. Also, customer engagement behaviour, that is, consuming and contributing activities, influences sports teams' brand equity. These findings provide great insights for brand managers on how to effectively use SNS to influence consumer.

팀 동일시 및 팬 커뮤니티 동일시가 스포츠팬들의 행복감과 팀 브랜드 자산에 미치는 상대적인 영향 : 개인주의-집단주의의 문화적 차이를 중심으로

This study aimed to examine the relative effectiveness of team identification and fan community identification on sport fans’ happiness and team brand equity based on cultural differences in individualism and collectivism. For this purpose, two structural equation models were conducted in two cultures, the United States(n=285) and Korea(n=316). The results of this study are as follows. First, team identification had a positive effect on both happiness and team brand equity in two cultures, but was more effective for American fans. Second, fan community identification had a positive effect on both happiness and team brand equity in two cultures, but was more effective for Korean fans. Third, team identification and fan community identification had both direct and indirect effects on team brand equity for Korean fans, while they had only direct effects on it for American fans. These findings provide sport marketers with insight into how they build team identification and fan community identification that foster sport fans’ happiness and team brand equity based on cultural differences.

Team Branding Enhancement: The Role of Player-Team Brand Personality Alignment in Team Evaluation and Brand Equity

Although the primary purpose of signing players is to provide fans with the best on-field performance, players’ role in team branding is another important factor that needs to be considered. Furthermore, as teams are dedicating tremendous time and effort into scouting and with large talent pools available worldwide, teams can easily find players with similar on-field qualities but possess dissimilar brand personalities. Thus, the purpose of the current study is to investigate the role of player signing in team branding. Particularly, this study examined the effect of player-team brand personality alignment on team-related fan responses. The empirical evaluation was undertaken with data collected from an experimental study. The authors empirically demonstrated that player-team brand personality alignment positively affected overall team evaluation and customer-based team brand equity, with more pronounced result for unfamiliar teams. Our findings not only establish the vital role of players in teams’ branding strategies but also uncover when aligned brand personality is more influential in reinforcing brand meaning and shaping affective brand evaluations and customer-based brand equity. The results of the current study fill gaps in the literature and extend the body of knowledge in branding studies in general and sports team branding studies in particular.

Exploring the components of brand equity amid declining ticket sales in Major League Baseball

Ticket sales for Major League Baseball (MLB) games are decreasing annually, yet baseball fans have increased team interest and following in other ways. Instead of following from the stands or on television fans are choosing to follow, for example, via social media. The emerging unified theory of brand equity offers a framework to examine the mediating role of attendance and local television and the moderating role of Twitter followers on the relationships between MLB marketing assets (MA) and team financial performance. Publicly available secondary data are analyzed with PLS-SEM. The results indicate attendance and local TV partially mediate the relationship between non-seasonal MA and team financial performance, whereas attendance and local TV fully mediate the relationship between in-season MA and team financial performance. Furthermore, the number of Twitter followers for each MLB team moderates various relationships within the MLB brand equity research model. Findings suggest MLB sales and marketing professionals should design ticket sales initiatives that not only promote attendance in the short-term but, more importantly, build upon non-seasonal sources of team brand equity for the long-term.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1057/s41270-020-00083-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Building team brand equity through perceived CSR: the mediating role of dual identification

ABSTRACT While involvement in CSR activities is common practice in today’s sporting world, there is a need to go beyond the activities themselves to explore how fans’ perceptions of CSR can affect customer-based brand equity and what role online community and team identification can play in this relationship, which this study aims to explore. Data collected through an online survey of South Korean Samsung Lions baseball club fans (N = 331), analysed through structural equation modelling, support the positive influence of perceived CSR on dual identification (team and online community), and the impact of team identification on brand equity. Interestingly, CSR perception is shown to be an insignificant predictor of brand equity, influenced fully by team identification. This study suggests that promoting a sport team’s socially responsible image is important in terms of building both team and online community identification while developing team identification can be vital in increasing the value of the sport brand.

Measuring variables of social identification affecting brand equity using the social identity-brand equity model: A case study of Thai professional football clubs

The formation of sport team brand equity was studied by testing the social identity- brand equity (SIBE) model in the context of fans of Thai professional football clubs. The model proposes the marketplace characteristics used to enhance one’s social identity, which is presumed to have a positive influence on team brand equity. Professional football teams in Thailand were the focus because of the increasing numbers of football fans, more money circulating in the market, and the high competitive advantage of teams. A paper-based survey was administered to 755 football fans of four professional football teams in the Thai Premier League. The questionnaire consisted of separate parts covering demographic data and market constructs using 5-point scales. A structural equation model was applied to test the research hypotheses. The results were gathered through confirmatory factor analysis which was adjusted into five dimensions: ritual and tradition, team management, experience, coach and manager, and facilities and venue. In addition, a standard multiple regression analysis revealed the relationships among dimensions. The prediction of brand equity by direct and indirect effects was tested. The findings suggested managerial implications; for example, the need for activity creation and for events involving fans to build a strong fan identity, and enhancement of the levels of team brand equity for Thai professional football clubs.

Dynamic brand evolution mechanism of professional sports teams: empirical analysis using comprehensive major league baseball data

In this study, we empirically examine the dynamic development mechanism of team brand equity by proposing a set of team brand equity development model and team brand demand models using comprehensive Major League Baseball data set. Taking advantage of the richness of the game-level data, we provide an alternative estimation approach to accurately measure team brand equity and identify its dynamic evolution process. We find various patterns to the brand equity development across teams over time. More importantly, we find a strong carry-over effect: team brand equity is 3.5–4.5 times larger when we consider dynamic impact, which implied serious underestimation in a static case. Also, we find that postseason performance is a vital element to construct strong team brand equity while seasonal performance has tenuous impact on the brand equity development. Furthermore, we find that a team’s brand community plays a critical role in developing its brand equity. A team that maintains 2–3 times larger brand community benefits from developing team brand equity as much as it achieves successful postseason performances (e.g., winning World Series). However, we find insignificant evidence of a star player to develop team brand equity. Also, we conduct several simulation analyses to provide meaningful managerial implications.

Examining the effectiveness of measuring team brand association networks with textual analysis software

As brand associations are a key component of team brand equity, and ultimately influence consumer behaviour, it is important to have accurate measures of these associations. Previous research has developed scales to measure team brand associations, yet it has been suggested that pre-existing scales may not capture salient features of brands and any unique brand associations not captured by scaled measures. In addition, scales will not uncover the brand association networks and how team brand associations are interconnected. However, with advances in technology there is potential to develop methods which accomplish these goals. This study utilises a freethought listing technique to capture team brand associations which were then analysed by the Leximancer textual analysis software. The results suggest that this method provides an avenue to more accurately uncover the most salient team brand associations and to visualise team brand association networks.

Examining the effectiveness of measuring team brand association networks with textual analysis software

As brand associations are a key component of team brand equity, and ultimately influence consumer behaviour, it is important to have accurate measures of these associations. Previous research has developed scales to measure team brand associations, yet it has been suggested that pre-existing scales may not capture salient features of brands and any unique brand associations not captured by scaled measures. In addition, scales will not uncover the brand association networks and how team brand associations are interconnected. However, with advances in technology there is potential to develop methods which accomplish these goals. This study utilises a freethought listing technique to capture team brand associations which were then analysed by the Leximancer textual analysis software. The results suggest that this method provides an avenue to more accurately uncover the most salient team brand associations and to visualise team brand association networks.

Examining the antecedents of sport team brand equity: A dual-identification perspective

Although the practice of building brand equity in the context of professional sport teams is popular, the formation of sport team brand equity in the sport marketing literature is still relatively unknown and incompletely understood. In this study, the authors propose a dual-identification model to examine the formation of sport team brand equity in an Asia-based professional team sport setting. Baseball fans (N=548) of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan participated in the self-administered survey. A Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model analysis revealed that marketplace characteristics (including group experience, salient experience, team history, and fan rituals) and brand-identified-related factors (including self-congruity and team brand prestige) were significantly related to identification with sport team and identification with sport team brand, respectively. In turn, both identification with sport team and identification with sport team brand were significant predictors of sport team brand equity. These findings highlight the importance of studying a dual-identification model in order to understand how sport team brand equity forms and suggest implications for sport team managers.

Creating Shared Values Between National Team Identity and Global Event Brand Equity

We proposed and empirically examined a social identity-brand equity model for global sporting events. In the model, we focused on the functional organization of mutual benefits between fans' identification with a national team and global event brand equity. We applied a 2-step approach to assess the simultaneous equation models and utilized the bootstrapping method to examine the direct, indirect, and total effects. Participants were 280 students of diverse nationalities (102 women, 178 men; Mage = 23.84 years, age range: 18–37 years). The results indicated that attributes of local experience and global phenomena are intertwined in the formation of positive local identification with national teams and the brand equity of a global sporting event. Managers and researchers should further identify and elaborate on ways and means of creating value in order to foster the universal sport market.

Investigating the role of fan club membership on perceptions of team brand equity in football

Researchers have suggested that brand equity is vital for professional sport teams by focusing on the examination of sport fans in general. The current study aims to examine the differences in team brand equity perceptions between fan club members and non-members, and the predictive role of brand equity dimensions on behavioral intentions. Data were collected from fans of a professional football league (n=2287) with an adapted version of the spectator-based brand equity scale. The results gathered through a confirmatory factor analysis provide evidence of fair psychometric properties of the measurement scale. A multi-group CFA analysis showed factorial stability of the model in both groups, while the latent mean comparisons revealed significant differences in the dimensions of brand mark, social interaction, commitment, team history, organizational attributes, team success, head coach, management, stadium, and internalization. In addition, a multi-group SEM analysis revealed that the relationships between brand equity dimensions and behavioral intentions are not significantly different among the groups. Social interaction, team success and internalization were the significant positive predictors of behavioral intentions among the overall sample. These findings highlight the importance of studying different types of consumers and suggest managerial implications, such as the need for clubs to establish reciprocal relationships with fans in order to increase their levels of internalization and contribute to increased behavioral intentions.

Roles of Cultural Context in the Formations of National Team Identity and Brand Equity of Global Sporting Events

Roles of Cultural Context in the Formations of National Team Identity and Brand Equity of Global Sporting Events

A Study on Professional Sports Team Association and Brand Equity Value

A Study on Professional Sports Team Association and Brand Equity Value

Extending the understanding of professional team brand equity to the global marketplace

Due to the rise of communications technology in recent years, fans have unprecedented access to their favourite teams and players regardless of geographic location. Such developments have led to the emergence and increased importance of 'satellite fans'. Given the inconsistent nature of the sport product, managers should actively seek to cultivate and develop such a fandom. The purpose of this paper is to extend prior conceptualisations of brand equity in team sport (Gladden and Milne, 1999; Gladden et al. 1998), to explain the development of brand equity across domestic boundaries. Earlier models can thus be expanded to account for satellite fans and the consumption of the sport product in foreign markets. Such a framework may assist sport managers to better understand how to capitalise on branding opportunities across geographic boundaries.

Brand Strategy in Professional Sports: The Case of French Soccer Teams

Sports teams generate an emotional response from their fans that is stronger than in any other industry. In an effort to capitalize on the emotional relationship they share with their fans, professional sports teams try to position themselves as brands. This paper examines the strategies and actions four French soccer teams have implemented in order to build and exploit their brand. Our results underline that the development and implementation of a brand strategy should be profitable for most professional soccer teams. However, sport managers need to see the relevance of building strong brand equity for their club. Admittedly, performance on the field remains important in the development of the team brand equity. That is why professional sports teams need to build a strong brand that will enable them to go through performance cycles.