Satellite fans engagement with social networking sites influence on sport team brand equity: A UGT perspective

Guided by the uses and gratification theory (UGT), this research aims to investigate the influence of gratification (i.e., personal, social, and tension release gratification) sought from social networking sites (SNS) on customer engagement behaviour of satellite fans. Additionally, this research examines the influence of customer engagement behaviour (i.e., consuming, contributing, and creating activities) on sports teams' brand equity. Data for the study were obtained from 347 respondents who followed their favourite sports teams on SNS. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the empirical data. The findings reveal that the SNS gratification needs of football fans influence their customer engagement behaviour. Also, customer engagement behaviour, that is, consuming and contributing activities, influences sports teams' brand equity. These findings provide great insights for brand managers on how to effectively use SNS to influence consumer.