Football Sponsorship in a Context of Club Rivalry: the Possible Moderating Effect of Product Type Based on the FCB Grid
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Football Sponsorship in a context of Club Rivalry: the possible moderating effect of product type based on the FCB grid Can the Negative Effects of Sponsoring a Football Club from the Rival Fans in a Rivalry be Avoided for any Sponsor Brand, depending on its product type? by Léandre Tellene May 2021 Master’s Programme in International Marketing & Brand Management Advisor: Burak Tunca Examiner: Javier Cenamor Abstract Title: Football Sponsorship in a context of Club Rivalry: the possible moderating effect of product type based on the FCB grid Date of seminar: June 4th, 2021 Course: BUSN39 Degree Project in Global Marketing Authors: Léandre Tellene Advisor and Examiner: Burak Tunca, Javier Cenamor Purpose: The purpose is to explore the potential difference of the adverse effects of sponsoring a football club in the context of team rivalry between brands based on the level of involvement and rationality when purchasing/using/choosing them. Methodology: A quantitative study, drawing upon multiple answers from an online survey. A series of paired samples T-Tests and independent samples T-Test will help us to determine potential effects of the product type on the negative association. Theoretical Perspective: Literature review on sports sponsorships and football club rivalries lay down a solid basis for our research. The analysis is based upon theory on product type classification and advertising message elaboration models, and other previously researched factors. Empirical Data: Collected through an online survey, the empirical data is based on the answers of 145 respondents in France. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that the product type of a sponsor brand has no significant moderating effect on the negative association made by rival supporters compared to other, previously researched factors. Practical Implications: Based on this study, brands looking to sponsor football clubs do not need to pay attention to their product offering and focus on other moderating factors. Keywords: sports sponsorship, rivalry effects, oppositional loyalty, social groups, product type Acknowledgements This thesis is the outcome of numerous months of intense work, written in particular conditions, representing my final work in the International Marketing and Brand Management program. This research paper allowed me to grow in ways I thought were impossible before starting this Masters. Looking back, I am sure I will see this experience as a milestone in my journey and only see the positives (obviously!). I would like to thank my supervisor Burak Tunca and my quantitative research professor Antonio Marañon for their continuous help during both the writing and the analysis process. I also would like to thank the other professors and the administration for delivering such a fantastic Master program. I also would like to thank all the participants of the online survey and the moderators for allowing me to share my questionnaire on their social media groups. I am forever thankful to all my friends at the Lund University School of Economics and Management for encouraging me in achieving this goal. Finally, I am grateful to my family to allow me to pursue my dreams abroad and for always supporting me, even from afar. Léandre Tellene Table of contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... 3 Table of contents ........................................................................................................................ 4 Table of figures .......................................................................................................................... 6 List of tables ............................................................................................................................... 7 1 – Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background and problematisation .................................................................................... 1 1.2 Research Question ............................................................................................................ 4 1.3 Research purpose .............................................................................................................. 4 1.4 Intended Contribution ....................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Outline of the Thesis ......................................................................................................... 5 2 - Literature Review .................................................................................................................. 6 2.1 Sport Sponsorships ........................................................................................................... 6 2.2.1 What is a sports sponsorship? .................................................................................... 6 2.2.2 How it works and its benefits ..................................................................................... 7 2.2.3 The fit between the brand and the object/subject ....................................................... 8 2.2 Club Rivalries and Fans .................................................................................................... 9 2.2.1 Football rivalries ........................................................................................................ 9 2.2.2 Football supporters and their subculture .................................................................... 9 2.2.3 The impact on club sponsorships ............................................................................. 11 2.3 Summary and Theoretical Framework ........................................................................... 12 2.3.1 Previous studies on sports sponsorships and club rivalries ..................................... 12 2.3.2 Conceptual framework ............................................................................................. 14 2.3.3 Theoretical Background: the FCB grid .................................................................... 15 2.3.3 Theoretical Background: The Elaboration Likelihood Model ................................. 17 3 – Methodology ...................................................................................................................... 20 3.1 Research philosophy ....................................................................................................... 20 3.2 Research strategy ............................................................................................................ 21 3.2.2 Research approach ................................................................................................... 22 3.3 Selection & Proceeding .................................................................................................. 22 3.3.1 Selection of football clubs ....................................................................................... 22 3.3.2 Selection of brands ................................................................................................... 24 3.4 Collection of data ............................................................................................................ 25 3.4.1 Selection of platforms .............................................................................................. 25 3.4.2 Survey design ........................................................................................................... 25 3.5 Data analysis ................................................................................................................... 28 3.6 Ethical considerations ..................................................................................................... 28 4 - Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 30 4.1 Demographic Information .............................................................................................. 30 4.2 Reliability ....................................................................................................................... 31 4.3 Supporter Engagement and Rivalry Intensity ................................................................. 33 4.3.1 Supporter Engagement ............................................................................................. 33 4.3.2 Rivalry intensity according to the fans .................................................................... 35 4.4 Confirmation of product-type differences ...................................................................... 37 4.5 Testing the hypothesis .................................................................................................... 39 4.5.1 Analysis of perception change ................................................................................. 39 4.5.2 Analysis of purchase intention and likelihood within groups .................................. 40 4.5.3 Analysis of purchase intention and likelihood between groups ............................... 46 5 - Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 52 6 – Conclusion .........................................................................................................................