Exploring the Explicit and Implicit Appeal of Retro Sport Logos

Abstract

The current multi-study examination explored explicit and implicit appeal of a prominent form of retro sport marketing: retro team logos. Study 1 utilized the stimuli-organism-response framework to test preference differences between those offered team merchandise with a retro logo and those offered the same merchandise with the current logo. Statistically significant preference differences were not uncovered, yet it was found that previous exposure to the retro logo negatively impacted preference of the retro logo. Based on these results, Study 2 utilized an implicit association test to assess the style appeal of retro and current logos. This assessment, once again, found no difference in the explicit preference for the retro and current logos, yet an implicit bias of freshness toward the current logo and outdatedness toward the retro logo was found. Together, the results provide preliminary evidence of the ephemeral impact of retro team logos within a professional sports context.