Communal Brand Associations as Drivers of Team Identity and Consumer Behavior

ABSTRACT

Increasingly, sport management scholars have been examining sport fans and teams through a brand community lens, where fans are viewed as a community of identified consumers. However, there remains a need to further examine the role that sport team brands play in creating a sense of community and the behavioral outcomes this may catalyze. The purpose of this research was twofold: (1) to investigate how communal brand associations influence team identity; and (2) to examine whether team identity mediated the relationship between communal brand associations and behavioral intentions. Utilizing an adapted brand association instrument and multidimensional team identity instrument, we found that communal brand associations significantly influenced team identification. Further, team identity mediated the relationship between communal brand associations and consumer behavior.

社区品牌协会——团队认同和消费者行为的驱动力

体育管理学者越来越多地通过社区品牌的角度来审视体育迷和球队, 其中球迷们被视为一个被认定的消费者群体。然而, 仍然有必要进一步研究体育团队品牌在创造社区意识方面的作用, 以及可能催化的行为结果。本项研究的目的是双重的: (1) 调查社区品牌协会是如何影响团队认同的; (2) 研究团队认同是否影响了社区品牌协会与行为意向之间的关系。通过利用自适应品牌协会工具和多维团队识别工具, 我们发现社区品牌协会对团队认同有着显著的影响。此外, 团队认同调节了社区品牌协会和消费者行为之间的关系。

KEYWORDS:

• Brand associations
• brand community
• team identity
• brand management
• consumer behavior

关键词:

• 品牌协会
• 社区品牌
• 团队认同
• 品牌管理
• 消费者行为

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Henry Wear

Henry Wear (Ph.D., University of South Carolina, U.S.) is a lecturer in Department of Management at Deakin University. Dr. Wear's research interests include brand management, brand community, consumer behavior, and community development.

Stephen Hills

Stephen Hills (Ph.D., Florida State University, U.S.) is a senior lecturer in Guildhall School of Business and Law at London Metropolitan University. Dr. Hill's research interests include sport for development, organizational strategy, and marketing.

Bob Heere

Bob Heere (Ph.D., Florida State University, U.S.) is an associate professor in Department of Sport and Entertainment Management at University of South Carolina. Dr. Heere's research interests include the social impact of sport on society, social identity theory and community development.

Matthew Walker

Matthew Walker (Ph.D., Florida State University, U.S.) is an associate professor in Department of Health and Kinesiology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Walker's research interests include corporate citizenship, environmental responsibility, social impact, and social responsibility.