Citation
(2015), "Executive summary of “Out with the old and in with the new: a study of new kit sponsorship and brand associations in the Barclays Premier League.”", Journal of Product & Brand Management, Vol. 24 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPBM-05-2015-848
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Executive summary of “Out with the old and in with the new: a study of new kit sponsorship and brand associations in the Barclays Premier League.”
Article Type: Executive summary and implications for managers and executives From: Journal of Product & Brand Management, Volume 24, Issue 3
This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives a rapid appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the research undertaken and its results to get the full benefit of the material present.
Sports sponsorship is viewed as potentially highly lucrative for brands involved. It is assumed that the inherent emotions in the sporting arena can generate significant loyalty toward the sponsoring brand from the fans of sponsored entities.
Consumers believe that brands help them to readily distinguish between alternatives and, thus, reduce their need for searching. The literature also notes that people engage more closely with brands that best meet their needs and consolidate their identity. In a sporting environment, brands come to incorporate symbolic meaning that emerges through their association with teams or individual participants. By purchasing the sponsoring brand’s products, supporters strengthen their identification with their team.
Various direct and indirect encounters with a brand lead to the formation of brand image. Composed on “functional, symbolic and experiential” dimensions, brand image serves as an information cue to the consumer and enables the brand to be more easily recognized. A prevailing view is that brand image is constructed from the range of associations that individuals ascribe to the brand. As associations can influence purchase decisions and subsequent loyalty, a goal of marketers is to ensure that associations to their brand are favorable and distinctive. Research has shown that associations are based on both tangible and emotional elements.
An analysis of brand associations is central to the present work in which Thomas explores the attitudes of supporters toward a new sponsor. The team in question is Tottenham Hotspur, a London-based soccer team that performs in the Barclay’s Premier League, recognized as one of the world’s major club competitions.
Since 1978, kit sponsorship at Tottenham has involved a variety of mostly well-established brands. Prior to the season 2012-2013, the club announced a five-year deal with US company Under Armour. The deal represents the largest European team sponsorship for a brand whose activities to that point have largely been focused in the USA, along with some involvement with lower-profile soccer leagues around the world.
The intention of the study was to obtain the attitudes and feelings of Tottenham fans toward this sponsorship deal and a qualitative methodology was deemed most suitable. Data were collected over two seasons, as it was felt that a longitudinal approach would help best capture both “individual nuances” and “lived collective experiences” during the transitional sponsorship period.
A pilot study was carried out involving both online and physical focal groups. It was used to test exploratory questions and refine the topics intended for discussion. Following this initial stage, it was decided that using online focus groups represented the best means of communicating and engaging with the fans. The removal of geographical boundaries thus considerably widened the scope of who could participate in the main study. Consequently, various supporter groups from across the UK were contacted along with others in several European nations and the USA. The 213 fans who agreed to take part represented varying levels of support in terms of the number of home and away games attended per season. Males accounted for 78 per cent of the sample and females 22 per cent, with average ages, respectively, being 30.2 years and 33.6 years.
Data collection began at the start of season 2012-2013 with a free association task to generate words which fans identified with their team and the new kit sponsor. This was seen as an ideal way of gaining insight of the opinions and feelings of supporters. Most frequently occurring words were grouped into clusters to help guide subsequent topics and questions. This same exercise was repeated prior to the following season to identify possible changes in sentiment and to the relationship with the now more familiar sponsoring brand.
A total of 26 online groups were formed and included an average of eight members. Participants were contacted in advance to inform them about the nature of impending discussions, and questions were organized into various themes which included, among others: brand reputation, social image, distinctiveness, relevance of brand name, brand reputation and loyalty intentions toward the new sponsoring brand.
Further analysis and organization of the data generated revealed:
A sense of apathy toward previous sponsors. Nike, Adidas and PUMA dominated kit sponsorship in the Barclay’s Premier League and it was felt that such brands were being overly exposed. Negative associations with such ubiquitous brands were seemingly, in part, attributed to boredom on the fans’ part. Having the opportunity to engage with a new brand served to heighten these unfavorable perceptions.
That uniqueness is viewed as a positive brand association. A considerable part of the appeal of Under Armour was their lack of connection with any other English team. In contrast, some of the other sponsors were typically associated with several. The resulting “mutual identification” with other clubs, because of shared sponsorship was seen as decidedly negative. Respondents indicated a strong belief that this current deal made them conspicuous to an extent that they could easily be identified as Tottenham fans. The authors suggest that a significant need to have a distinct identity exists in such a “congested sporting environment”.
The difference and perception as being an outsider added to the appeal of the sponsorship brand. Some fans were concerned at the outset about the “foreign” identity of the firm and their limited footballing background. However, such characteristics prompted curiosity rather than discontentment.
A favorable impact was on individual and collective identity. Thomas notes how fans become positive toward a sponsor because of their shared connection with their team. However, different respondents indicated they perceived that the brand also contributed to their personal and social identity outside of the sporting context. This is illustrated by fan willingness to wear the brand casually which partly arises from the belief in the brand’s overall credibility. Of particular, significance here is that the brand rather than the team has become the focal point in the quest for supporters to express themselves. Desire to be different is again apparent. Fans value being able to demonstrate their distinctive identity through wearing the sponsor’s non-football clothing is social situations. It was argued that the more mainstream brands were unable to permit this as everyone could be observed wearing their products.
General concern about price revealed by respondents is seen by Thomas as indicating the “utilitarian buying behaviors” of supporters. Brands should, therefore, be aware of providing value for money as well as ensuring products are functional, suitable and of good quality.
The author points out the potential benefits to a brand for maintaining its difference as compared to the “almost totalitarian” brands that fans evidently seek to avoid. Such a strategy might help build longer-term arrangements with clubs. But, sponsors are advised against extending their portfolio by creating additional alliances with other teams, as fans believe that such behavior violates their own loyalty. Even though single arrangements are the exception, Thomas suggests that such an approach could prove an effective means of garnering support and market share.
To read the full article enter 10.1108/JPBM-07-2014-0657 into your search engine.
(A précis of the article “Out with the old and in with the new: a study of new kit sponsorship and brand associations in the Barclays Premier League.”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for Emerald.)