Capturing the meanings of sport licensed products

The current two-part study investigated the meanings embedded in sport licensed products and aimed to develop and test the psychometric properties of an instrument designed to capture those meanings. Data analysis resulted in the development of the five-factor 17-item Meanings of Sport Licensed Products (MSLP) scale that was found to be a reliable and valid instrument. It is suggested that sport licensed items present value through their aesthetic appeal and their contribution to sport consumers’ experience, socialization, personal history, and sense of locality. Regression analysis showed that the MSLP are a significant predictor of future behavior, specifically sport consumers’ willingness to recommend these products to others and their intention to buy them again in the future. Understanding how consumers choose certain products and why those products become important to them could lead to more effective strategies for the development, promotion, and sale of sport licensed items.     

The role of destination personality in predicting tourist behaviour: implications for branding mid-sized urban destinations

The purpose of this study was to explore urban tourists' perceptions of the personality of a mid-sized city destination in Greece and to assess the effect of destination personality on the city's overall image and tourists' behavioural intentions. Experience with the destination was taken into account as the sample consisted of three distinct groups of urban tourists: local residents, past visitors of the city and non-visitors. Through a mixed-methods approach, excitement and sincerity were found to be the predominant personality characteristics of the destination across all respondents. Further analyses offered support for the significant role of personality in influencing overall destination image and predicting tourists' intention to (re)visit the city or recommend it to others. Differences among the three groups as well as implications of the findings for branding small or mid-sized urban destinations are also discussed.