On the positive impact of fan communities on brands sponsoring rival teams
| Date | 20 November 2024 |
| Pages | 320-332 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-09-2023-4727 |
| Published date | 20 November 2024 |
| Author | Thomas M. Hickman,Michael Stoica |
On the positive impact of fan communities on
brands sponsoring rival teams
Thomas M. Hickman and Michael Stoica
School of Business, Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, USA
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study is to determine if regional proximity and fan club involvement could be used topredict success for brands that
jointly sponsor a team and their key rival.
Design/methodology/approach –A brand with regional proximity to the rival teams it sponsored was identified. Fan club members of a major
college sports team served as respondents. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model that predicted antecedentsto purchase intentions
and positive word-of-mouth based on individual fan characteristics.
Findings –Results suggest that the intrinsic and social components of fanship as well as regional proximity facilitate the success of brands jointly
sponsoring rivals. The intrinsic dimension of fandom foreshadowed approval of the joint sponsorship investigated but did not directly enhance the
sponsor’s brand equity. Instead, it was demonstrated that fans must first approve of the joint sponsorship arrangement before conferring elevated
brand equity onto the sponsor. Increased social interaction with the fan club resulted in higher levels of purchase intentions and positive word-of-
mouth of the joint sponsor.
Originality/value –This study differs from prior studies investigating joint sponsors in four ways. First, the intrinsic and social dimensions of fanship
were measured within the context of a fan community. Second, the context of the study included a sponsor with regional proximity to bothrival
teams. Third, it was determined that the proclivity for social interaction within a fan community enhances the positive outcomes for joint sponsors.
Fourth, unlike previous research studying joint sponsors, this study demonstrates a path to success for these brands.
Keywords Sponsorship, Sports marketing, Consumer brand equity, Brand communities, Word-of-mouth
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Sport sponsorship,defined as a “fee paid to a sports property in
exchange for access to the exploitable commercial potential
associated with the property”(Ukman, 1995, p. 1) has gained
increased prominence in marketing communications in recent
years and is expected to growfrom US$62.21bn in 2021 to US
$116.39bn in 2030 (Gough, 2023).Brands continue to seek to
capitalize on this method of marketing communications by
targeting fans of teams as it has long been established that
brands are able to create a meaningful connection with fans
through sponsorship (Madrigal, 2001). Indeed, forging a
consequential connection with consumers is vital to brand
success (Koskie et al.,2024;Loureiro et al.,2020;Vredeveld
and Kara, 2022).
It is theorized that sponsoring brands tap into the psyche of
the consumer through the fan-brand-team triad (Herrmann
et al., 2016). Fan identification, the mechanism making this
triad attractive to brands, is characterizedas the emotional
investment customers havewith a team (Sutton et al.,1997). It
is derived from social identity theory (Tajfel, 1974) that posits
that an individual’s recognition that they belong to a social
group is impactful to their self-perception. Extensive literature
has demonstrated that highly identified fans desire to support
their team’s sponsors as a byproductof their identification with
the team (Silva, 2024). Findings have substantiated that
sponsorship has the capacity to generate goodwill among fans
and that it can lead to criticalbrand outcomes such as increased
purchase intentions, sales, positive word-of-mouth and brand
awareness (Cornwelland Kwon, 2020).
Although the potential for brands to realize gains through
sponsorship-linked marketing exists, there are barriers to
success. A fundamental consideration is oppositional brand
loyalty, conceptualized as consumers who possess negative
views regarding rival brands (Kuo and Hou, 2017). This
stream of researchhas determined that consumers demonstrate
hostility toward rival brands,and that this fervent opposition is
an important component of their identity (Thompson and
Sinha, 2008;Japutra et al., 2014) conjecture that brands can
hasten oppositional loyalty when individuals perceive that the
brand is acting in an opportunistic fashion and when there is a
disconnect between the values of the brand and those of the
consumer.
Oppositional brand loyalty has been extended to examining
fan reaction to brands sponsoring a rival team. Drawing on
balance theory (Heider, 1958;Dalakas and Levin, 2005)
The current issue and full text archiveof this journal is available on Emerald
Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/1061-0421.htm
Journal of Product & Brand Management
34/3 (2025) 320–332
© Emerald Publishing Limited [ISSN 1061-0421]
[DOI 10.1108/JPBM-09-2023-4727]
The authors are grateful for the insightful comments of the reviewers and
editor during the review process.
Received 21 September2023
Revised 16 February 2024
1 June 2024
4 September 2024
Accepted 5 September 2024
320
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