Strategic Drivers of Inter-Customer Social Support in Sports Teams - Example

STRATEGIC DRIVERS OF INTER-CUSTOMER SOCIAL SUPPORT IN SPORTS TEAMS by Student’s name Code+ course name Professor’s name University name City, State Date Introduction Traditionally, the study of marketing has focused on the transaction, embedded values and exchange of tangible resources (Vargo & Lusch, 2004). Firms offer a product, determine a value and exchange occurs. While this has been a central focus of marketing for the past decades, recent perspective are focusing on service provision rather than goods provision as the fundamental unit of exchange. Firms are recognizing that they must offer a unique value to customers to gain a competitive advantage. This change in perspective is a direct result of consumers being more connected, involved and informed. From a service dominant logic perspective, organizations have utilized sports to develop unique value in customers as well as creating a customer’s service oriented and relational service centered views. Scholars have developed branding models about sports industry. Gladden and colleagues (1998) designed a model to investigate brand equity in universities sport, in the United States, based on the impacts of the marketplace and team related antecedents. Ross’s (2006) sector based brand equity model (SBBE) was developed to understand the experience induced precursors that resulted in rising in spectator based brand equity. Ross and colleagues (2008) performed an empirical assessment to test SBBE model among professional basketball consumers. Underwood and colleagues’ (2001) model of Social identity brand equity (SIBE) argues that social identification be sports team is significantly related-brand equity of the team. The SIBE model was tested among the collegiate basketball team in the United States (Boyle & Magnusson, 2007). Boyle and Magnusson (2007) divided the study group into community identification and salient group identification. The researchers defined salient group identification as the level to which the sporting event served as a strategy for social interaction and identification with the perceived team. The researchers labeled community group identification as a sporting symbol for the community. The study results affirmed Wunderwood and colleagues’ assumption that social identification was significantly related to brand equity among the fans. This recent research demonstrates a positive linkage between entering customer social support and customer wellbeing as well as financial returns for the firm. Despite these positive findings regarding the consequences of inter-customer social support, little research has been conducted on the strategic drivers of inter-customer social support. Although the developed model has been tested among different fans, as per researcher knowledge, the models have not been used in European countries. Therefore, the primary research question addressed in this research is: what are the key strategic drivers of inter-customer social support? Using a social networking perspective, the social networks and identification literatures, the study will answer the above question by adopting and modifying Wunderwood and colleagues’ (2001) model of Social identity brand equity (SIBE). Literature review Wunderwood and colleagues designed a model for social identification in sports branding. The model argues that social identification results in a high customer-based brand equity. The dimension of the model can be modified to strengthen social identification of customers with the brand. The dimensions of the model include the history of the team; the experience of the group; place and team rituals. The model used a social identity approach as a basis to investigate the concept of identification with the sports team. The significant assumption regarding the social identity approach is that group membership contributes to self-definition. The social identity approach is based on two separate theories: self-categorization theory and social identity theory. Self-categorization theory indicates that people who have a desire to simplify the world categorize people into groups, while social identity theory posits that people strive to enhance their self-concepts and self-esteem by improving their social identity. Social identity research finds that people can do this through their identification with the group. Ahearne and colleagues (2005) believe that identification is the personal connections with the organization. According to Bergami and Bagozzi (2000) identification can be accomplished through: a cognitive membership recognition; an emotional investment in recognition and interest in group activities; and an assessing dimension in which the recognition is connected to the values of the group. Customers who are not connected to the group may be interested in joining the group if they find the group attractive and positively impacts their social identity. People tend use membership and connectedness to the certain group as a self-defining strategy. Wann (2006) agree that it is a human behavior to be identified and associated with certain group activities. As the identification of the people with the group increase, they internalize the group values, which resultantly impacts their opinion and attitude on the brand (Underwood et al., 2001).Social identification is linked to factors such as involvement, reputation, satisfaction, and relationship with the group activities. As more people are affiliated with a certain team, the more the possibility of social identification with that team. People tend to use social groups to describe others and themselves in a social environment (Donavan et al., 2005). In the world of sports, the concept “us against them” is evident of rivalry that exists among teams. The need to belong to a group motivated people meant their group affiliation. The ability to make a positive judgment of an individual's team avails an explanation for team loyalty despite a losing team record. Donavan and colleagues (2005) noted that individual traits of agreeability, arousal needs, extraversion and materialism had a positive impact on group affiliation. Therefore, planning approaches that encourage a sense of social identification among fans is critical for sports brands. The research on brand communities looks at social connections that exist among individual that are centered on a brand. Therefore, brand communities represent a strong connection to the brand; however, the connections between customers can vary in strength. Schouten and McAlexanfer (1995) performed an ethnographic study to understand the concept of the subculture of consumption. They found the customers to structure themselves around consumption activities, product categories or even brands. They found that these groups of customers use their relationships to derive a certain understanding of the brand. Customer’s connection with other customers can influence their understanding of the product or service. Qualitative and quantitative research in a brand community (Jeep) empirically demonstrated support that customers from network connections with the brand, the product and other customers (McAlexander et al., 2002). Literature also suggests that brand identification positively influences: membership continuance intentions and behavior; community recommendation intentions and behavior; and community participation intention and behavior. The common bond developed by sports among the fans is that it distinguishes them from being just spectators. Sports social identification moves the fans from spectators to active stakeholders who handle the success of the team (Boyle & Magnusson, 2007). Phua (2010) agrees that participation in group activities like sports leads to high social identification where individual become responsive salient group norms. The connection among fans of a tam develops an in-group kind of solidarity and an “us against them” environment when facing an opposing team. Besides, fans recognized with sports brands are considered as the high level of the group and enjoy high social status. According to SIBE model, a fan connected to the history of the team provides an emotional foundation for the team (Underwood et al., 2001). This is significant for the service based brands since to provide a connection to the brand. History of the team presents an obligation for the team fans to support the team in public. The continued support of the team results in the continued history of the team. Fans having a deep appreciation and recognition of the team’s history could enhance their identity with the team (Boyle & Magnusson, 2007). SIBE model stipulates that as more people are connected with team history and tradition, the more the like hood of increased social identification. The uniques history of the team equips the fans with unique association with the brand that will be the significant impact the awareness of the brand as well as the team image (Underwood et al., 2001). Richelieu and Pons (2009) assert the historical component of the team brand provides an opportunity for the fan to develop an attachment to the team. The team develops their loyalty to the team through historical participation with the rivalry team. Wann (2006) supports the need for a sports team to remind fans of their tradition and history so as to identify the team with the fans. Research methodology The aim of this study is to test the SIBE model and its component relationship among different sports in Europe. According to SIBE model, alteration and modification of market characteristics (i.e. venue, history, group experience and ritual) the marketing managers can increase social identification with the team as well as developing brand equity of the team. Integration of venue, history, group experience and ritual can enhance social identification with the team, leading to brand equity for the team. Therefore, the study has hypothesized that social identification is can lead to brand equity of the team. The study tested this hypothesis by utilizing quantitative approach. This approach can be implemented either with grounded theories, biography, ethnography or case study (Zegwaard, 2011). The researcher applied case study approach since this technique has been used in various learning centers. Questionnaires were administered to international students from Europe. 100 of the student respondent to the questionnaire (80% response rate) from across the range, while 80 of them completed the study. The study had both open ended and closed questionnaire relating to the components of SIBE models. Interview, each lasting less than thirty minutes took place in the university environment. Provided the nature of the research and its involvement with human responded, the researcher thought of ways that could be implemented to make the research success. First, the researcher had to consider ethical issues that may arise in the data collection process as an outcome to the country’s culture as well as the culture of the responded. Secondly, the researcher ensured that nobody was harmed during the data collection process. To accomplish this, the researcher considered respondent’s confidentiality protection as well as informed consent as ethical guidelines in protecting the participants. Within the guidelines of the informed consent, the researcher pointed out to the possible respondent harms that may occur as well as ensuring the respondent understood the significance of the study. Besides, the researcher did not influence the respondents in any way and provided them with a consent agreement form as evident of their agreement to participate. The researcher did not include the respondent’s individual information for example phone number, name as well as an address in the questionnaire. Besides, the researcher maintained confidentiality agreement by asking the responded not to supply their names or information that could identify them during the pilot study and the actual study. The research utilized statistical package SPSS for window application to perform all the data analysis and processing of the questionnaire. The SPSS program avails the capabilities for the data to be analyzed fully and flexible (Garson, 2005). Prior to the use of the SPSS, the questions were coded with variables names so as to simplify data entering the process. Among the methods the researcher used includes the frequencies, Cronbach's reliability test, and Pearson correlation. Results The study applied Cronbach’s alpha to test the reliability and validity of the questions within the questionnaire. Since the Cronbach’s alpha results of all the item were .860, the questions were validated for this study. Reliability Statistics Cronbach's Alpha N of Items .860 7 Nonparametric regression analysis was appliedto explore the relationship between the components of SIBE model to team support. The results are presented in the table below. According the results, group experience had a large significance ration of 0. 599 followed by history (0.227), and then venue (0.172) with Ritual having the minimum significance ratio of 0.194. The large values of H (Chi-squire) result in rejection of the null hypothesis while less than the table value results in the acceptance of the null hypothesis. The Chi-square values of Group experience, history, venue, and ritual are found significant that leads to acceptance of the null hypothesis. According to the descriptive statistics, there was a significant relationship between SIBE’s model components. Discussion The objective of the study was to test components of the SIBE model and determine their relationship to social identification. The study has demonstrated a significant correlation among the components of the SIBE model. The results of this study are in accidence with Boyle and Magnusson’s study of social identification among college basketball students. According to their study, community group experience had a critical impact on social identification among the pupils. However, history did not have a significant influence on social identification among the students (p < .05). Both venue and ritual had a significant influence on social identification. There some factor to the seeming difference in finding of Boyle and Magnusson (2007) to the current research. Unlike the current research, Boyle and Magnusson's study incorporated basketball student in American Universities. Although the current study included college students, the numbers of respondents were limited due to less number of international students in the campus setting. The difference in finding also suggests that the SIBE model may be limited in its generalizability among different teams. Marketing managers for college basketball team may not be able to apply the same tactics to a professional sports team in advancing social identification. While the two studies prove support for group experience, venue and ritual as a significant correlation between social identification, history cannot be generalized to other sports teams. Limitation of the study The findings of this study are limited in the number of teams and sample size used in the research. Although each team provides a unique contribution to the findings, the do not present a generalizable sample of all teams in Europe. Besides, the teams considered in the study represent a large market among the teams in Europe. A small market team was not represented in the research. The size of the market could represent difference in how marketing managers cultivate a relationship with the fans. Conclusion The study demonstrates that group experience, history, rituals, and venue have a positive impact on customer-based brand equity for a sports team. Therefore, the study has attempted to assess customer-brand relationship by highlighting strategies for meaning relationships as well the effects of the branding strategy. The study uses the SIBE model to provide support for recognizing some antecedents of social modification, especially enhancing experience of the group of being a team fan. the study also agrees with SIBE model that social identification is a critical pointer on how marketing manager should perceive the brand equity of the sport team. Future substantial and reliable study need to address social identification among sports fans in the rest of the world. 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