Sports Business Journal

Current Issue

By Issue

By Author

By Subject

Author Index

Keyword Index

About Journal

Aims and Scope

Editorial Board

Publication Ethics

Indexing and Abstracting

Related Links

FAQ

Peer Review Process

Journal Metrics

News

Registration Guide on the Journal Site

Guide for Authors

Main Tamplate for Site

Title Pages (with authors' affiliation)

Conflict of Interest Form

Cover Letter

Respons to Reviewer

Save a Backup of Your EndNote Library

Reviewers List 2023

Reviewers List 2022

Reviewers List 2021

A Guide to Using Publons

Developing the Brand Equity of Football Clubs: The Partial Role of Identity Distinction, Identity Attractiveness, and Fan-Team Identification (Case Study: Iranian Premier Football League)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Associate Professor in Sport Management, Department of Sport management, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran.

Abstract

Purpose: The study aimed to develop the brand equity model of football clubs in the Iranian premier football league. We emphasized the partial role of identity distinction, attractiveness, and fan-team identification.
Methodology: The research method was quantitative, correlational, and practical. The participants consisted of football fans in the Pro League of Iran, and a sample of 450 fans was selected through random sampling in virtual pages attributed to chosen clubs. The research tool was a combination of standard questionnaires. Their content validity was verified using marketing experts' comments, and the structural validity was verified using confirmatory factor analysis. According to Cronbach's alpha equal 0/82, the questionnaire's reliability was confirmed. Structural Equations Modeling (SEM) by AMOS software has been applied to use the validity of the results.
Finding: The results showed that identity distinction and attractiveness significantly and positively affected fan-team identification. Fan identification also had a substantial and positive impact on brand equity. The effect of identity distinction and identity attractiveness on fan-team identification and fan-team identification on brand equity demonstrated the importance of psychological and social elements in football club branding.
Originality: Trying to make the identity of Iranian football clubs attractive and different can provide the necessary ground for the unity of the fans with the clubs and facilitate the branding by improving brand equity. This research can be one of the few studies conducted in the field of sports brands in Iran by combining identity distinction, identity attractiveness, fan-team identification, and brand equity as a comprehensive model.

Keywords

References
  1. Ahearne, M., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Gruen, T. (2005). Antecedents and consequences of customer-company identification: expanding the role of relationship marketing. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(3), 574-585. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.90.3.574
  2. Asadollahi, E., Keshtidar, M., Heydari, R., & Peric, M. (2020). Brand Identity Transfer and Consumers Sport Commitment in the Iranian Football Premier League: Mediating Role of Promotional and Advertising Tools. Journal of New Studies in Sport Management, 1(1), 10-21. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22103/jnssm.2020.16545.1008
  3. Ashforth, B. E., & Mael, F. (1989). Social identity theory and the organization. Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 20-39. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1989.4278999
  4. Bhattacharya, C. B., Rao, H., & Glynn, M. A. (1995). Understanding the Bond of Identification: An Investigation of its Correlates among Art Museum Members. Journal of Marketing, 59(4), 46-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299505900404
  5. Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2003). Consumer–Company Identification: A Framework for Understanding Consumers’ Relationships with Companies. Journal of Marketing, 67(2), 76-88. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.67.2.76.18609
  6. Boyle, B., & Magnusson, P. (2007). Social Identity and Brand Equity Formation: A Comparative Study of Collegiate Sports Fans. Journal of Sport Management, 21(4), 497-520. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.21.4.497
  7. Branscombe, N. R., & Wann, D. L. (1991). The Positive Social and Self Concept Consequences of Sports Team Identification. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 15(2), 115-127. https://doi.org/10.1177/019372359101500202
  8. Brondoni, S. (2001). Brand policy and brand equity. Emerging Issues in Management(1), 5-25. https://ssrn.com/abstract=2213233
  9. Carlson, J., Quazi, A., & Muthaly, S. (2002). Enhancing fan identification and brand equity in the online environment: A conceptual framework for professional sport websites. Australian and New Zealand Marketing Academy, 731-740.
  10. Chen, C.-F., & Tseng, W.-S. (2010). Exploring Customer-based Airline Brand Equity: Evidence from Taiwan. Transportation Journal, 49(1), 24-34. https://doi.org/10.2307/40904819
  11. Cucka, M. (2005). Establishing Your" Smart" Equity. Consulting to Management, 16(2), 21-24. https://www.proquest.com/openview/22c6705f113c7e10740158c7cc09f02e/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=46088
  12. Dutton, J. E., Dukerich, J. M., & Harquail, C. V. (1994). Organizational images and member identification. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39(2), 239-263. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393235
  13. Fortunato, J. (2008). Pete Rozelle: Developing and Communicating the Sports Brand. International Journal of Sport Communication, 1(3), 361-377. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsc.1.3.361
  14. Ghasemizsdeh Nugh, M., Jaberi, A., & Sharifian, E. (2022). The Partial Role of Marketing Dimensions in Attracting Females to Football Academies (Case Study: Female Football Academies in Kerman). Sports Business Journal, 2(2), 183-199. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22051/sbj.2022.41926.1055
  15. He, H., Li, Y., & Harris, L. (2012). Social identity perspective on brand loyalty. Journal of Business Research, 65(5), 648-657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.03.007
  16. Hodson, J. M. (2021). Connecting Brand Identity and Consumer-Based Brand Equity for Tourism Destinations: A Structural Model of Leisure Visitors’ Destination Brand Associations. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. https://books.google.com/books?id=kQorEAAAQBAJ
  17. Holt, D. B. (1995). How Consumers Consume: A Typology of Consumption Practices. Journal of Consumer Research, 22(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1086/209431
  18. Jaberi, A., & Barkhordar, Z. (2022). Investigating the Role of Fan-Team Identification in the Sponsorship Consequences in Professional Football League of Iran. Research in Sport Management and Marketing, 3(4), 14-28. https://doi.org/10.22098/rsmm.2022.1800
  19. Jaberi, A., Pool, J. K., & Kazemi, R. V. (2014). Factors affecting fan-team identification and fan loyalty: An empirical study of Iranian premier football league. International Journal of Research in Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management, 2(3), 104-120. https://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:ijrobhrm&volume=2&issue=3&article=011
  20. Jaberi, A., sajjadi, N., & Khazaei pool, J. (2019). Providing a model from the formation process of fan-team identification among football fans in Iran. Sport Management Journal, 11(1), 1-14. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22059/jsm.2019.28060.
  21. Jaberi, A., Sajjadi, S. n., Asadi, H., & Khabiri, M. (2020). The Effect of Self-Definitional Need Elements on Brand Equity of Iran Football Premier League Clubs. Sport Management Journal, 12(3), 601-620. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22059/jsm.2021.113748.1266
  22. Kiani, M. S., & Nazari, L. (2022). Investigating Brand Equity in Sports Product Advertisements and Recommending it to Consumers. Sports Business Journal, 2(2), 169-181. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22051/sbj.2022.41652.1050
  23. Liaogang, H., Chongyan, G., & Zi'an, L. (2007). Customer-based brand equity and improvement strategy for mobile phone brands: Foreign versus local in the Chinese market. International Management Review, 3(3), 76-83. https://www.proquest.com/openview/01583b5bdaa7701f9d24df0b59ac99d0/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=28202
  24. Ma, S., & Kaplanidou, K. (2021). How Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Identities Lead to Corporate Brand Equity: An Evaluation in the Context of Sport Teams as Brand Extensions. Sport Marketing Quarterly, 30(1), 16-29. https://doi.org/10.32731/SMQ.291.032021.02
  25. Mael, F., & Ashforth, B. E. (1992). Alumni and their alma mater: A partial test of the reformulated model of organizational identification. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13(2), 103-123. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.4030130202
  26. Mahlangu, H., Dlodlo, N., & Mokoena, B. (2013). Supporters' perceived brand equity of the Bafana Bafana National Soccer Team of South Africa. African Journal for Physical Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 19(2), 324-335. https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC137202
  27. Marin, L., & Ruiz, S. (2007). “I Need You Too!” Corporate Identity Attractiveness for Consumers and The Role of Social Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 71(3), 245-260. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-006-9137-y
  28. Mariutti, F. G., & Giraldi, J. d. M. E. (2020). Country brand equity: The role of image and reputation. BAR-Brazilian Administration Review, 17(3), e180128. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-7692bar2020180128
  29. Mazloomi Soveini, F. (2022). The Effect of Brand Association on Brand Equity of FC Persepolis Football Team with the Mediating Role of Fan-Team Identification. Sports Business Journal, 2(2), 127-144. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22051/sbj.2022.41604.1047
  30. Osborne, R. L., & Cowen, S. S. (2002). High‐performance companies: the distinguishing profile. Management Decision, 40(3), 227-231. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740210420174
  31. Pina, R., & Dias, Á. (2021). The influence of brand experiences on consumer-based brand equity. Journal of Brand Management, 28(2), 99-115. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41262-020-00215-5
  32. Rezaei, M., & Sharifian, E. (2021). Assessing the Brand Equity of Majid Brand in Comparison with Nike from the Perspective of Iranian Consumers. Journal of New Studies in Sport Management, 2(2), 192-201. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22103/jnssm.2021.17270.1022
  33. Rionaldo, J. (2020). Business Model Innovation: Engineering Brand Equity. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 12(4), 52.
  34. Ross, S. D. (2006). A conceptual framework for understanding spectator-based brand equity. Journal of Sport Management, 20(1), 22-38. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.20.1.22
  35. Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (2004). The social identity theory of intergroup behavior. In Political psychology (pp. 276-293). Psychology Press. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203505984-16/social-identity-theory-intergroup-behavior-henri-tajfel-john-turner
  36. Tarighi, R., Pashaklaei, N. R., Salehi Rostami, M., & Salahi Kojour, A. (2021). The Factors Affecting Brand Associations of the Iranian Football League Organization. Journal of New Studies in Sport Management, 2(4), 300-312. [In Persian]. https://doi.org/10.22103/jnssm.2021.18412.1035
  37. 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. https://doi.org/10.1080/10696679.2001.11501881
  38. Ventura, K., & Dedeoglu, A. (2013). Do marketing programs of Turkish football teams really affect the customer mindset? Pamukkale Journal of Sport Sciences, 4(1), 16-35. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/psbd/issue/20579/219271
  39. Wakefield, L., Wakefield, K., Keller, K. L., & Rivers, A. (2021). Are Brands Wasting Money On Sport Sponsorships?: A New Look at Brand Personality, Brand Equity, and Official Sponsorship Effects. Journal of Advertising Research, 61(2), 192-211. https://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-2020-029
  40. Wann, D. L., & Branscombe, N. R. (1993). Sports fans: Measuring degree of identification with their team. International Journal Of Sport Psychology, 24(1), 1-17. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1994-00035-001
  41. Wu, S.-H., Tsai, C.-Y. D., & Hung, C.-C. (2012). Toward team or player? How trust, vicarious achievement motive, and identification affect fan loyalty. Journal of Sport Management, 26(2), 177-191. https://doi.org/10.1123/jsm.26.2.177
  42. Yoo, B., & Donthu, N. (2001). Developing and validating a multidimensional consumer-based brand equity scale. Journal of Business Research, 52(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(99)00098-3
Sports Business Journal
Volume 3, Issue 4 - Serial Number 8
November 2023
Pages 13-28
Files
Share
How to cite
Statistics