Does messaging matter? Investigating the influence of media headlines on perceptions and attitudes of the in-group and out-group

ABSTRACT

Messaging and media stories can influence several aspects of consumer perceptions and behaviors. We experimentally investigated how exposure to various mediated messages and headlines influenced perceptions of favorite and rival brands. Using the sport setting, fans were exposed to either a positive, neutral, or negative story regarding an upcoming contest between their favorite team and rival team. Results showed that people exposed to a story about a fight between rival supporters (i.e., negative story) reported stronger negative perceptions toward the rival team and also negative attitudes toward the favorite team than people exposed to a story about a joint-blood drive (i.e., positive story). Discussion focuses on what sport and non-sport practitioners can learn from the findings and how they can work to decrease the effects of negative publicity.

KEYWORDS:

• Rivalry
• consumer behavior
• mediated messaging
• in-group bias
• consumer perceptions
• consumer attitudes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cody T. Havard

Cody T. Havard, Ph.D. is an associate professor of sport commerce in the Kemmons Wilson School at The University of Memphis. His research interests involve fan and consumer behavior, with a specific focus on how fans perceive rival teams and brands.

Patrick Ferrucci

Patrick Ferrucci, Ph.D. is an assistant professor of journalism in the College of Media, Communication & Information at the University of Colorado Boulder. He’s a media sociologist whose work examines influences on journalism practice, particularly ones relating to economics and technology.

Timothy D. Ryan

Timothy D. Ryan, Ph.D. is an associate professor of sport commerce in the Kemmons Wilson School at The University of Memphis. His research interests include employee and fan satisfaction in sport.