Customer retention in sports organization marketing: examining the impact of team identification and satisfaction with team performance

Over the past two decades, relationship marketing efforts have assumed a prominent role in sports organization marketing. A sports organization that successfully implements relationship marketing programmes is able to develop long‐term relationships with its fans, thus increasing the likelihood of customer retention. This study examines customer retention in sports organization marketing by considering the impact of team identification and satisfaction with team performance on four fan consumption behaviours: in‐person attendance, media‐based attendance, purchase of team merchandise and word‐of‐mouth communication related to the team. Survey data were collected from 300 fans of more than 40 professional and collegiate teams involved in seven sports. Results suggest that both team identification and satisfaction with team performance impact multiple consumption behaviours, as represented by fans' intentions to engage in future consumption. Team identification was found to have the greater impact on consumption behaviours, suggesting that a sports organization's continuing efforts to bond with its fans may provide greater benefits than efforts to improve the team's competitive performance.     

Buying a sponsor's brand: the role of affective commitment to the sponsored team

Sponsorship is increasingly important in a firm's communication mix. Research to date has focused on the impact of sponsorship on brand awareness and its subsequent consequences for image congruency and consumer attitudes towards sponsors' brands. A lesser studied area is the effect of sponsorship on consumers' purchase intentions and behaviours. We argue that existing models of sponsorship driven purchase behaviour fail to account for affective commitment, which mediates relationship between affiliation with the team and social identification with the team. We propose a modified framework describing the effect of sponsorship on purchase intentions in the context of low and high performing sports teams. The framework is tested using structural equations modelling; employing PLS estimation and data collected via online survey of AFL chat room participants. Results confirm the role of affective commitment in sport sponsorship purchase intentions and indicate that team success has a significant influence on fans' purchase behaviours.     

The Effects of Coupon Promotion on Repeat Visits in Restaurants

Abstract

Will customers' intention to return to a restaurant increase with coupon promotion? To answer this question, this study examines the hypothetical effects of coupon promotion on return visits to restaurants. Based on a literature review, three hypotheses were developed to test the effect of a coupon, its face value, and a patron's prior dining experience on return intention. The authors found that neither coupon use nor coupon face value contributed to explaining respondents' return intentions. However, repeat customers have a greater likelihood of returning to the restaurant than new customers. The study also showed that the quality of food and service were key indicators of return intention.     

Children and advergames: the role of product involvement,prior brand attitude,persuasion knowledge and game attitude in purchase intentions and changing attitudes

The central aim of this study is to build upon previous research by investigating the role of product involvement, prior brand attitude, persuasion knowledge and game attitude in the brand attitude changes and purchase intentions of children after playing an advergame. In all, 279 respondents between the ages of 10 and 12 years participated in the study. First, they were asked to complete a pre-test survey addressing product involvement and prior brand attitude towards several products and brands. Two weeks later, the respondents were asked to play an advergame and complete a survey addressing brand attitude, purchase intention, persuasion knowledge and attitude towards the game. Our analysis reveals that a positive attitude change is more likely when the game player has already evaluated the brand positively. Furthermore, game attitude is positively related to attitude changes towards the advertised brands, consistent with affect transfer theory. Counterintuitively, a higher level of persuasion knowledge is associated with a higher intention to buy the advertised product. Finally, children who had a more positive attitude towards the game were more likely to report higher purchase intentions, indicating that games which provide good experiences positively influence behavioural intentions. We conclude the paper by discussing the study's limitations and suggestions for future research.     

Effects of an External Consultant on JIT Implementation

ABSTRACT

The point of view of customers has been neglected by most of the relationship marketing literature. This paper, which draws on the Morgan and Hunt's commitment-trust theory (1994), proposes a model that explains the causal origins of relational commitment and highlights the role of trust as a central antecedent rather than other economic variables. In fact, consumer's trust in the firm's intentions and values turns out to be the most significant antecedent of a solid and lasting commitment. The model is tested for the relationship that customer develops with their usual garages.     

Delineating the role of endorser's perceived qualities and consumer characteristics on celebrity endorsement effectiveness

This study examines the influence of both endorser's credibility qualities, such as expertise and trustworthiness, and consumers' characteristics, such as gender and team identification, on endorsement effectiveness expressed as purchase intentions. A survey quasi-experimental research design was used in the context of sports celebrity endorsements. Data were collected from 289 respondents via a convenience sample. The findings indicated gender differences only on team identification and not on endorsers' perceived qualities or on endorsement effectiveness. Team identification differences had a significant impact on purchase intentions while marginally affected athletes' credibility. Of the two examined elements of credibility, trustworthiness constitutes a significant differentiation factor for purchase intentions. The study provides several theoretical and practical implications.     

Analyzing Customers' Switching Intentions in the Telecom Sector

ABSTRACT

Mobile Number Portability (MNP) has not only affected customers' behavioral patterns, but also increased competition among telecom operators. Against this backdrop, the study examines the relationship between customers' switching intentions and attitude towards MNP, customer loyalty, and switching barriers. It also investigates the impact of these intentions on actual switching or staying behavior of customers. Data were collected from a sample of 260 telecom customers comprising university students. Findings reveal that customers' switching intentions would largely depend upon switching barriers perceived by them. Switching intentions predict both actual staying and switching behavior. Our understanding of switching barriers is limited to those involved in switching from a current service provider to a new service provider. Future research can examine the barriers associated with returning to the original provider and the effect on the decision to leave in the first place, especially in the case of contractual agreements such as BSNL. The present study will help practitioners and telecom service providers in understanding the factors affecting customers' switching intentions to prevent switching.     

Sport sponsorship,team support and purchase intentions

This research assessed the influence of team support and perception of sponsors on the purchase intentions of sport consumers. In a case study of a not‐for‐profit, membership‐based Australian professional football club, 1647 respondents reported their perceptions of team support, sponsor integrity and purchase intentions for the sponsor's products. Results revealed that the key pathway to purchase intention is associated with fan passion and a perception of sponsor integrity. This implies that the best mechanism for sponsor return on investment comes in the form of activities to bolster both passion for the team and perceptions of sponsor integrity.     

The Impact of “Encouragement” in the Development of Professionals for the Non-Profit Service Sector

Abstract

This study examines the role of perceived intent in the context of penalty evaluation. Based on prior attribution research, the study proposes that customers' responses to penalties are different depending on their perceptions of the organization's intent of using penalties. Using the data collected across the service industry, the study shows that when customers perceive the organization's intent as defensive rather than offensive, their evaluations of the penalty and the organization (e.g., perceived justice, satisfaction, behavioral intentions) are more positive than when they do not. Managerial implications are offered.     

Does consumers' personal reciprocity affect future purchase intentions?

In this study, we examine the mediating role of a consumer's personal reciprocity in the relationships between brand trust, brand loyalty and product familiarity, and future purchase intentions. Data from 308 printer users in Hong Kong reveals that a consumer's personal reciprocity partially mediates the relationships between brand trust and brand loyalty, and future purchase intentions. The theoretical implication is that personal reciprocity not only enhances consumers' future purchase intentions but also provides an alternative path linking brand trust and brand loyalty to consumers' future purchase intentions. The managerial implication is that by capitalising on a consumer's personal reciprocity in the context of consumer-firm relationships, firms can improve their performance in retaining existing customers.     

The Need for Theoretical Relevance: A Comment on Woodside/Glenesk

Abstract

Previous research examining the influence of actors' race on viewers' attitudes and purchase intentions indicates that, although white subjects do not react extremely negatively to black actors, reactions are not as positive as to white actors. Blacks show better recall of content, and more positive attitudes toward advertisements that feature black, rather than white, actors. Unfortunately, this now-outdated body of research focuses primarily on outcome measures (e.g., purchase intentions, advertisement and product evaluation), while neglecting psychological processes (e.g., thoughts, source and message evaluation) that might mediate these effects. Results of two recent studies are presented to provide understanding of viewers' psychological processes following exposure to advertisements containing actors of different races. An attempt is made to interpret these findings in light of Chaiken's (1980) systematic/heuristic framework, and Kelman's (1961) identification model of opinion change.     

Rules of engagement: the joint influence of trainer expressiveness and trainee experiential learning style on engagement and training transfer

We investigated the joint effect of trainer expressiveness and trainee experiential learning style on training transfer intentions. Extending prior research where trainer expressiveness has been established as a positive predictor of transfer, we show that trainer expressiveness is more impactful for trainees with high (vs. low) experiential learning styles. Based on our findings, trainees' experiential styles – also related to one's intuition – emerge as important enhancers of transfer intentions, and should be considered in future research and when assigning trainees to learning. In addition, we found that the effect of trainer expressiveness on transfer intentions is mediated by trainee engagement.     

The moderating roles of status of B2B evaluator and dependence in the switching costs – switching intentions – performance causal chain in Korea

Switching intentions in the business-to-business (B2B) relationship context have a powerful impact on a firm’s performance and are often considered in relation to perceived switching costs. This factor has also been considered as a good predictor of actual turnover behaviour resulting in reduced market share and profitability of firms. However, despite the importance of switching intentions in B2B relationships, there is still no evidence either to support linkages to switching costs as a key driver of decision-making or to demonstrate interrelationships with firm performance. The author empirically examines the theoretical process of the cognitive assessment – behavioural intentions – performance linkage that explains a firm’s likelihood of terminating B2B relationships using three moderating variables. The results suggest that the switching intentions are driven by switching costs and their similarity to the direct effect on firm performance. Meanwhile, personal relationship loss costs, rather than other types of switching costs, serve an important role in determining the reduction of switching intentions. Finally, the author discusses insights about the present results and suggests future research directions.     

Transferring game attitudes to the brand: persuasion from age 6 to 14

ABSTRACT

This paper aims to replicate previous findings regarding the differential impact of TV advertising and advergames on children's brand attitudes and pester intentions. Using a large data-set (N = 940, M_age = 9.8, SD = 2.4), with children ranging between 6 and 14 years old, the influence of passive exposure to TV advertising is compared to active exposure to an advergame. In addition, the potential moderating effect of age is explored. In a between-participants experiment, Flemish children were randomly assigned to watch a TV ad, play an advergame, or a no marketing control condition. Results revealed that children who had played the advergame reported significantly more positive brand attitudes compared to children who had watched the TV ad and children in the no advertising exposure control group. Children's pester intent was significantly higher for the advergame compared to the TV ad, but not compared to the no advertising exposure control group. The findings further showed that children's attitudes towards the ad format mediate the impact of the advertising format on pester intent. The advergame was indirectly more persuasive than the TV ad since children reported more positive attitudes towards the advergame compared to the TV advertisement. Moreover, this mediation effect did not differ by children's age. Persuasion knowledge did not mediate the influence of the advertising format on pester intent since children's persuasion knowledge was not significantly related to pester intentions regardless of children's age.     

The impact of flattery: The role of negative remarks

This study extends our understanding of flattery and consumers’ use of persuasion knowledge in the retail context by addressing the role that negative evaluations from a salesperson play on consumer's perceptions of store agent trustworthiness. Across two experiments, our findings show that a negative salesperson remark along with a positive remark reduces the client's use of persuasion knowledge therefore enhancing the client's perception of the salesclerk's trustworthiness. Additionally, we found a boundary condition of this effect: the price of the target product. Finally, perceptions of salesperson trustworthiness mediated the effect of the remarks on behavioral intentions.     

Who Is the Loser When I Lose the Game? Does Losing an Advergame Have a Negative Impact on the Perception of the Brand?

Many computer games are based on the principle of competition, making the outcome of the game, namely, the prospect of victory and the threat of defeat, a key element. A lab experiment was conducted to study the effects of a game's outcome on the player's mood, brand attitude, and game attitude as well as the experience of flow (N = 95; between-subject design: game lost versus game won versus no induction of the game outcome). The results show that although winners are not in a better mood after the game, they rate the game as better and assess the brands advertised more positively than before they played the game. They have an increased likelihood of experiencing flow, whereas no significant effects of losing the game could be detected due to the total mediation of the flow experience in the case of the losing condition.     

Growth Intentions and Board Composition in High‐Growth Firms

This paper examines the influence of board composition on growth intentions of high‐growth firms. We hypothesize that gender diversity and a high proportion of independent directors on the board will reduce a firm's growth intentions, whereas founder duality will increase a firm's growth intentions. Using survey data from 773 high‐growth Norwegian firms, we find that gender diversity has a negative effect on growth intentions. A high proportion of independent directors do not facilitate further growth in high‐growth firms. Furthermore, our results indicate that the founder's presence in the decision‐making group increases a firm's growth intentions.     

Determinants of organisational identification and supportive intentions

Abstract

Organisational identification is the perception of belongingness to an organisation and a sense of oneness with the organisation. Identification has long been recognised as having important implications for the sense of satisfaction and belonging of employees and for the effectiveness of the organisation. Our research examined the impact of students' identification with a university on intentions to support the university. Drawing data collected at three different universities in Korea, the researchers investigated: (1) the effect of students' identification with athletic programmes and their academic department on identification with a university and intentions to support a university; and (2) the effect of identification with a university on intentions to support the university. Three hundred and six university students participated in the study. Structural equation modelling (i.e. LISREL) was employed to test the causal relationships among the hypothesised relationships. Results showed that identification with both athletic programmes and academic department had strong effects on intentions to support the university. In addition, those who identified with the university showed strong intentions to support the university. The results of the study indicate that individuals who identify with the organisation are apt to support it in various ways, and that identification can be encouraged through various means. The findings of this study may also suggest some important implications for marketing managers and their organisations.     

Way to success: Understanding top streamer's popularity and influence from the perspective of source characteristics

Live streaming opens a new way for selling products, in which the streamer plays a leading role. Whereas e-commerce live streaming has become ever-increasingly prevalent, how to attract viewers and improve the conversion rate have become problems bothering lots of streamers. Based on 245 viewers' experience of watching top streamers' live streams, we try to find a successful way for small streamers from the perspective of streamer characteristics. This study identifies streamer characteristics from three aspects (attractiveness, competence, and communication style) and examines their effects on streamer's popularity and consumer's behavioral intentions. The results show that beauty, expertise, humor, and passion are all proved to be positively related to hedonic value, and both warmth and expertise are positively related to utilitarian value. Meantime, the results highlight the importance of expertise while beauty shows minor importance. Streamer's popularity can only lead to watching intention, it shows no effect on consumer's purchase intention. These findings highlight streamer characteristics as key factors in affecting streamers' popularity and consumers' watching and purchase intentions and its complex effect in live streaming and marketing.     

Equity ownership and control of international joint ventures in the retail sector

Abstract

This study examines the relationships that exist between consumers' perceptions of a retail environment and their emotions, satisfaction and behavioural intentions with respect to that shopping setting. A model of these relationships is developed and then tested in two distinct retail settings—shopping centres and traditional retailing areas. The results show that, in general, positive perceptions of a retail environment have a positive influence on positive emotions, on repatronage intentions, and on the desire to remain longer in the shopping area in both retail settings. However, some interesting differences emerge between shopping centres and traditional retailing areas: (i) the internal environment has a stronger effect on emotions in shopping centres than in traditional retailing areas; and (ii) the internal environment has a negative effect in shopping centres on the disposition to pay more.