Sport team-endorsed brands on Facebook. Effects of game outcome (win/loss), location (home/away) and team identification on fans’ brand evaluations

Date13 August 2018
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/OIR-11-2016-0317
Pages438-450
Published date13 August 2018
AuthorJoe Phua,Po-Lin Pan,Kuan-Ju Chen
Subject MatterLibrary & information science,Information behaviour & retrieval,Collection building & management,Bibliometrics,Databases,Information & knowledge management,Information & communications technology,Internet,Records management & preservation,Document management
Sport team-endorsed brands
on Facebook
Effects of game outcome (win/loss),
location (home/away) and team
identification on fansbrand evaluations
Joe Phua
Department of Advertising and Public Relations,
Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication,
University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
Po-Lin Pan
Department of Communication, Arkansas State University,
Jonesboro, Arkansas, USA, and
Kuan-Ju Chen
Department of Business Administration,
National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Abstract
Purpose Applying social identity theory, the social identity-brand equity model and excitation-transfer
theory, the purpose of this paper is to examine effects of game outcome (win/loss)and location (home/away)
on sport fansbrand attitude and purchase intention toward a brand endorsed by their favorite sport team on
Facebook, as well as the mediating role of team identification.
Design/methodology/approach A two (win/loss) by two (home/away) full-factorial between-subjects
experiment was conducted during the US National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football season
over a four-month period. Participants (n¼338), who were Facebook users and fans of a NCAA division
I football team, completed an online questionnaire assessing brand attitude and purchase intention toward a
team-endorsed brand on Facebook, during weeks after the team: won a home game, lost a home game, won an
away game, or lost an away game. Results were analyzed using analysis of variance and bootstrapping
mediation methods.
Findings Results revealed a significant main effect for game outcome (win/loss), and a significant
interaction effect between game outcome (win/loss) and game location (home/away). Team identification also
mediated between game outcome (win/loss) and game location (home/away) to influence brand attitude, but
not purchase intention.
Originality/value Implications for use of social networking site (SNS)-based brand endorsements as an
integral part of brandsadvertising strategies were discussed. Specifically, brands utilizing SNSs to advertise
to sport fans should highlight team endorsements, particularly after home game wins, and also target highly
identified fans, to maximize positive SNS-based brand evaluations.
Keywords Advertising, Social identity, Social networking sites, Sport fans, Excitation-transfer,
Social identity-brand equity model
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Social networking sites (SNSs) have become ubiquitous in the everyday lives of people
around the world, not just as a way to stay connected to their friends and family, but also to
interact with other likeminded individuals based around hobbies and interests, such as
sports, as well as to engage with brands. SNSs have also been incorporated as part of
numerous companiesintegrated marketing communications, allowing them to play
functional roles to promote their brands (Baena, 2016; Stavros et al., 2014). Recent research
Online Information Review
Vol. 42 No. 4, 2018
pp. 438-450
© Emerald PublishingLimited
1468-4527
DOI 10.1108/OIR-11-2016-0317
Received 7 November 2016
Revised 21 March 2017
27 April 2017
4June2017
Accepted 5 June 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1468-4527.htm
438
OIR
42,4

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