International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship最新文献

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of ChatGPT adoption on consumers’ soccer betting behavior, with a particular focus on behavioral intention and word of mouth, by applying the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of reasoned action (TRA).

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional survey design was employed to collect data from 418 soccer bettors in Eskisehir, Türkiye. The study utilized a structured questionnaire with validated measures adapted to the context of ChatGPT adoption in soccer betting. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test the hypothesized relationships among the constructs.

Findings

The findings revealed that perceived ease of use significantly influenced both perceived usefulness and attitude, while perceived usefulness also positively affected attitude. Attitude and subjective norms emerged as strong predictors of behavioral intention. Interestingly, perceived usefulness did not directly affect behavioral intention but instead exerted an indirect effect through attitude as the mediator. Additionally, word of mouth was significantly influenced by subjective norms and behavioral intention, highlighting the importance of social influence in promoting ChatGPT adoption within the soccer betting community.

Originality/value

Theoretically, this study extends the application of TAM and TRA by examining behavioral intention and word of mouth in the context of AI adoption, specifically ChatGPT, among soccer bettors. Practically, the findings provide valuable insights for AI developers, offering actionable strategies to enhance user adoption and effectively promote AI innovations within the rapidly evolving soccer betting market.

Purpose

This study explored communication regarding corporate social responsibility (CSR), with a focus on how message specificity influences the images of corporations as well as the attitudes and behavioral intentions of sport consumers. A research model was developed based on the elaboration likelihood model and construal level theory to examine the moderating effect of perceived CSR fit on the relationship between a company’s image and its chosen social cause.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through an online survey (N = 338) and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

Findings

The findings revealed that CSR message specificity positively impacts corporate image, which in turn enhances consumer attitudes and behavioral intentions. Perceived CSR fit negatively moderates the relationship between CSR message specificity and corporate image, indicating that detailed CSR messaging more effectively improves corporate image when consumers perceive a low fit between a company’s core business activities and the social causes that they advocate.

Originality/value

The findings deepen the understanding of CSR communication and offer valuable insights for companies on crafting messages that maximize favorable consumer responses.

Purpose

With the rise of esports, research on the perceived fit between esports sponsors and events remains limited. This study uses the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) to investigate how the perceived fit between sponsors and esports events effects brand awareness, consumer attitudes and purchasing behavior, aiming to offer insights for more effective marketing strategies.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 245 participants during the Taipei Game Show 2024, using purposive sampling of individuals aged 18 and above. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with Smart PLS 4.0.1.6 to examine the relationships among perceived fit, brand awareness, consumer attitudes and purchasing behavior, and to investigate the mediating effects.

Findings

The results discovered that brand awareness, perceived fit and consumer attitudes had significant positive effects on purchasing behavior, explaining 75% of its variance. Additionally, perceived fit positively affected both brand awareness and consumer attitude. Mediating effect showed that both brand awareness and consumer attitude play significant mediating roles between perceived fit and purchasing behavior, with consumer attitude having a stronger mediating effect.

Originality/value

This study highlights to the limited body of research on esports sponsorships by demonstrating that perceived sponsor-event fit is crucial for enhancing brand awareness, advancing positive consumer attitudes and driving purchasing behavior. The ELM framework highlights the importance of central and peripheral routes in influencing consumer decisions, offering strategies for companies to optimize sponsorship effectiveness and improve brand competitiveness.

Purpose

Building on memory-dominant logic, this study proposes a theoretical model explaining the antecedents and consequences of memorable activation experience.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a qualitative research methodology – a narrative review, an analysis of current activation trends, eight interviews and content validity evaluation by five experts – this study hypothesized that six antecedents (positive emotions, novelty, meaningfulness, involvement, experience intensification and serendipity) positively influence memorable activation experience, which in turn significantly affects two managerial outcomes: positive word-of-mouth and sponsor recall. To evaluate the proposed hypotheses, this study analyzed data collected from consumers who participated in a sponsorship activation by Lafleur (n = 215) and Salon de jeux de Québec (n = 306) using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Findings

The results indicate that all antecedents, except for novelty, have a significant impact on memorable activation experience, which positively impacts positive word-of-mouth and sponsor recall.

Originality/value

By extending the scope of memorable experience to the sponsorship field, this study enhances its conceptualization and application. It also contributes to a better understanding of designing activations to increase the likelihood of memorability, thus improving their effectiveness.

Purpose

Adopting the context, input, process and product (CIPP) evaluation assessment model, this study aims to achieve three objectives: (1) to identify the characteristics of educational activities conducted by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) museum; (2) to explore the key factors that promote and optimize the educational objectives of the ITTF museum and (3) to develop a framework that attempts to unpack the complex and dynamic processes of activities conducted by the ITTF museum.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative research using in-depth interviews was conducted to explore the functions and activities of the ITTF museum.

Findings

The path of educational activities carried out is expressed in four aspects: (1) educational background including philosophy and purpose, advantages possessed and the learning needs and readiness of the audience; (2) the resource input includes resource allocation, venue structure, funding channels and the basis of activity program design; (3) the educational activity process includes external cooperation and exchange, the specific content of the activity programs, the teaching strategies and methods during the activities and the response to the challenges of the epidemic and (4) the results of the activities include the number of audience and population distribution, evaluation and feedback of the activities, ways and means of promoting the activities and difficulties and challenges faced.

Research limitations/implications

In the follow-up studies, quantitative research can be conducted by developing a questionnaire based on the current study’s findings. Evaluation scales can be set to continue to enrich and improve the uncovered research content, which is conducive to promoting the objectives of the ITTF museum and giving full play to the educational function, thus enriching the research of sports museums.

Originality/value

The contributions of this study are as follows. First, it enriches the application of the CIPP assessment model in the context of sports museums. It helps the ITTP museum better perform its educational function and provides a reference for future activities of sports museums.

Purpose

Active supporters and the organisations they form are crucial stakeholders for football clubs. Previous literature has noted the increasing interest and positive outcomes associated with corporate social responsibility initiatives within sport organisations, which fans perceive and include employee wellbeing. Whilst scholars have explored various stakeholders’ perceptions of athlete wellbeing, an opportunity exists to understand how active supporters perceive athlete wellbeing programmes. Thus, the purpose of the current research was to explore the perceptions of A-League Men’s active supporters regarding an athlete wellbeing programme.

Design/methodology/approach

Informed by stakeholder theory, active supporters of the A-League provided their perceptions of the Player Development Programme (PDP) – the athlete wellbeing programme associated with professional football in Australia. Data were collected through open-ended questions within an online survey and analysed through inductive thematic analysis.

Findings

Three themes were generated that answer the research question: impactful and beneficial; worthy of more attention and promotion and limited understanding. These themes underscore the positive impact of the wellbeing programme on both the club and its athletes whilst highlighting the necessity for increased programme visibility within the club and the broader community.

Originality/value

The current study’s findings contribute to the sport management literature by exploring active supporters’ perceptions of an athlete wellbeing programme in football. Since athlete wellbeing is essential for active supporters, including wellbeing initiatives within the club’s corporate social responsibility initiatives could produce positive marketing and sponsorship outcomes for clubs.

Purpose

The study investigates the factors influencing the continuance intention to use Mobile Fitness Applications (MFAs), focusing on the roles of switching costs, guilt, and neutralization techniques in addressing temporary discontinuance.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 212 valid responses were collected via an online survey in Malaysia. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to understand the relationships between the constructs.

Findings

The study confirms the significant impact of the Expectation Confirmation Model (ECM) constructs on the continuance intention to use MFAs. It highlights how users employ neutralization techniques to mitigate guilt from temporary discontinuance. Additionally, the study reveals that switching costs moderate the relationship between cognitive satisfaction and continuance intention, as well as between guilt and continuance intention. However, the direct effect of switching costs on continuance intention is negligible.

Originality/value

This research extends continuance intention literature by integrating switching costs, guilt, and neutralization techniques into the ECM framework, providing novel insights into user behavior regarding MFA discontinuance.

Purpose

The aims of this study are to, first, articulate the drivers for predicting rights fees in television sports programming on National Sports Networks (NSNs) and, second, to further investigate the interrelationships of the identified drivers.

Design/methodology/approach

The entire annual (24-h days over 12 months) schedule of a NSN is assessed using a series of regression models to determine the drivers, magnitude (Study 1) and interrelationships (Study 2) of those drivers, on the rights fees paid (or received in some cases) by the network to (from) those sports properties.

Findings

TV ratings are found to be a driver for identifying rights fees for television sports programs. However, there are other drivers to consider, including the very strong influence of off-the-field engagement. Another finding is the negative influence that deal length has on rights fees, with longer deals providing security but lower fees. The geography of the sports property also influences rights fees. The inclusion of female sports content resulted in lower fantasy sports participation (H1). Active fantasy sports participation has a positive relationship with television ratings (H2), rights fees (H3) and increased viewership of actual matches or games (H4).

Originality/value

Active fantasy sports participation contributed positively to rights fees, and women’s sports content had an inverse effect on active fantasy sports participation. The association between the inclusion of female sports on broadcasts and fantasy sports participation requires intervention and further investigation into why this relationship is negative. The knowledge that participation in fantasy sports results in increased ratings and rights fees, that television ratings mediate the fantasy sports/rights fees relationship and that it supports the importance of fantasy sports for sports properties and media organizations.

Purpose

Promoting people’s interest in sports is not only important to sports enterprises to improve financial performance but also to the healthy development of the whole society. As virtual reality (VR) devices become more accessible and consumers’ demand for immersive experiences increases, VR advertising is gradually attracting the attention of advertisers. However, there is limited research on what situations are more suitable for VR advertising compared to traditional advertising forms in promoting people’s sport interest. This study aims to compare the influence of experiential VR advertising and informational video advertising on sport interest.

Design/methodology/approach

As sports programs are advertised not only to novices but also to experienced people, this study investigates the interaction effect of advertising type (experiential VR vs informational video) and previous experience (high vs low) on promoting sport interest. We recruited 216 participants. They were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: an experiential VR advertisement of table tennis played by using a VR headset and an informational video advertisement of table tennis watched on a PC.

Findings

The results show that experiential VR advertising generates higher sport interest than informational video advertising for those with low previous experience and vividness and presence play a sequential mediating role. For those with high previous experience, there was no significant difference between the two advertising forms.

Originality/value

The findings extend sport advertising research with different advertising types and complement the new moderator of previous experience, providing a new perspective for insight into the differences between VR advertising and video advertising.

Purpose

Influencer marketing is a significant element in modern marketing. Both influencer marketing and college athletics are billion-dollar industries. As the two collide in the wake of college name, image or likeness (NIL) regulations, allowing for NIL athletes to monetize themselves and their personal brands, it is important to evaluate the implications of NIL influencers. This paper specifically examines whether sports-themed posts differ from lifestyle posts in terms of consumer perceptions.

Design/methodology/approach

Experimental design was used to explore the impact that NIL influencer source attributes have on audiences’ consumer attitudes. Participants (N = 222) viewed Instagram posts of four of the top NIL-earning athletes (two men and two women athletes) from 2023. Perceptions of the posts were examined under two collapsed conditions: sports-themed posts focusing on athletic pursuits and lifestyle posts that focused on lifestyle. Participants answered questions concerning credibility, wishful identification, homophily and behavioral intention.

Findings

Sports-themed content was regarded as more credible and linked to greater behavioral intentions, including intent to engage on social media and intent to purchase an endorsed product when compared with more traditional lifestyle posts. Both homophily and wishful identification play an important mediating role in the processing of influencer content.

Originality/value

Given the recency of NIL regulations, this research focuses on the underexplored topic of college athletes as endorsers. Understanding the type of posts that elicit greater behavioral intentions has marketing implications for a wide variety of organizations interested in partnership opportunities with NIL athletes.