Does team identification of satellite fans influence brand-related sponsorship outcomes? What we learned from Manchester United supporters in Malaysia

ABSTRACT

The aim of the research was to explore how satellite fans identification with their favorite foreign team influences sponsorship outcomes. Manchester United and Adidas agreement was examined and a sample of 284 satellite fans from Malaysia was collected using an online survey. The findings provided evidence for the effect of team identification on sponsor-sponsee perceived fit, of perceived fit on sponsor’s products perceived brand quality (PBQ) and on word of mouth (WOM), and of PBQ on WOM. Although the direct effect between team identification with PBQ and with WOM was not significant, the results uncovered a full mediating effect of perceived fit in both relationships. The same held true for PBQ on the relationship between team identification and WOM, while PBQ exerted a partial mediating effect on the relationship of perceived fit and WOM. This study offers recommendations on how to strengthen sponsors’ return on investment on an international level.

KEYWORDS:

• Sport sponsorship
• satellite fans
• team identification
• perceived fit
• perceived brand quality
• word of mouth

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Bryan Nickson Anak Lomas for assisting with the collection of data for this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).