IJMB Journal – Abstracts

International Journal of Management and Business

IJMB Volume VII, Issue 2

Factors driving Purchase Intention and Word-of-Mouth Communication for Sports Sponsors: A Comparative Analysis between “Star” clubs and “Underdogs”

Koronios, Konstantinos*1; Psiloutsikou, Marina2; Kriemadis, Athanasios3; Gatsis, Georgia4;

1,3,4Department of Sport Management, University of Peloponnese, Sparti, Greece,
2School of Business, Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens, Greece
E-mail: Konstantinos Koronios

ABSTRACT

The primary goal of this study is to scrutinize the growing importance of sport sponsorship, by identifying the key factors in the sport sponsorship relationship, and singling out how these factors are anticipated by supporters of teams at the top and bottom of the league standing. According to literature, this study examines the impact of sponsor recognition, attitude toward sponsor and perceived sponsor’s sincerity on two major behavioral outcomes, supporters’ purchase intention and word of mouth communication (Olson, 2010; Wakefield & Bennett, 2010). However, research regarding sponsorship evaluation is not well established as the interactions between constructs proposed are complex and dynamic. A quantitative method was used for the purpose of this study and 1311 questionnaires were completed by supporters from two distinct fan bases; one from a “star” football club and one from an “underdog” football club. The proposed hypotheses were empirically confirmed, either fully or partially. The attitude towards the team’s sponsor had a significant effect on both purchase intention and word of mouth communication. Nevertheless, altruistic motivation seems to be the most powerful factor affecting word of mouth, both positive in favor of the team’s sponsors and negative against the rivals’ sponsors. The comparison between the two teams shows significant differentiation in the main variables; however, no mediation or moderation role can be attributed.

Keywords: Sponsor recognition, sincerity, attitude, purchase intention, word-of-mouth (WOM).

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