Christian Dissertation April 2019
Playing for a Good Cause: Investigating Consumer Perceptions of Sport Brands in Cause-Related Marketing Campaigns By Ronald G. Christian Submitted to the graduate degree program in Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Brian S. Gordon ________________________________ Dr. Jordan R. Bass ________________________________ Dr. Phillip M. Gallagher ________________________________ Dr. Tien-Tsung Lee ________________________________ Dr. Piotr (Peter) S. Bobkowski Date Defended: April 30, 2019 i The Dissertation Committee for Ronald G. Christian certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: Playing for a Good Cause: Investigating Consumer Perceptions of Sport Brands in Cause-Related Marketing Campaigns ________________________________ Chairperson Dr. Brian S. Gordon Date approved: April 30, 2019 ii Abstract Drawing from previous research on the Stereotype Content Model (Fiske, Cuddy, & Glick, 2007) the brand processing model (MacInnis & Jaworski, 1989), and brand image transfer (Simonin & Ruth, 1998), the author aimed to advance the study of cause-related marketing (CRM) strategy by (1) investigating brand traits (i.e., perceived warmth, perceived competence) as potential processing elements for consumer brand attitude formation, and (2) analyzing the subsequent impact of the brand attitude formation process on purchase intention. Specifically, this research analyzed how the presence of a charitable cause (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital) in a CRM promotional offer to purchase NBA-licensed team apparel (Golden State Warriors vs. Phoenix Suns) impacted consumer perception of brand traits (i.e., perceived warmth, perceived competence) for the team, brand attitude toward the team, and purchase intention, while controlling for team identification and perceived value.
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