Abed Mahmoudian, Saeed Sadeghi Boroujerdi, Sardar Mohammadi, Vahid Delshab and Do Young Pyun
Athlete brand image management has become a popular topic among sport marketing scholars. This study aims to test the impacts of the attributes of an athlete brand image on fan…
Abstract
Purpose
Athlete brand image management has become a popular topic among sport marketing scholars. This study aims to test the impacts of the attributes of an athlete brand image on fan loyalty.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 500 questionnaires were delivered to university students and 472 completed questionnaires were returned. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the psychometric properties of the measures and structural equation modeling was carried out to test the hypotheses.
Findings
The findings of this study show that three attributes of athlete brand image (e.g. marketable lifestyle, athletic performance and attractive appearance) positively influenced fan loyalty.
Research limitations/implications
To increase the loyalty of fans, effective marketing strategies could be designed to create positive images of athletes with both athletes’ on-field (e.g. athletic skills, competition style and excellence in sport) and off-field performance (e.g. engagement with fans, community involvement, public relation and charity activities).
Originality/value
This paper provides valuable insights into the measurement of athlete brand image and fan loyalty and offers a foundation for future research on athlete brand management.
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Vahid Delshab, Mathieu Winand, Saeed Sadeghi Boroujerdi, Do Young Pyun and Abed Mahmoudian
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between employee values and knowledge management (KM) in sport organizations.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between employee values and knowledge management (KM) in sport organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
Data (N = 234) were collected online through a structured questionnaire from employees of 33 sport organizations in Iran. To test the hypotheses, Pearson correlation test and a regression analysis was conducted.
Findings
The results from the study revealed that there were significant relationships between employee values and KM. Both instrumental and terminal values significantly influenced KM.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this study is related to the generalizability of the results. Therefore, the current study is required to be replicated with other sport organizations in various sectors (public or private) to improve external validity of the results.
Practical implications
Based on this study, employees of sport organizations in developing countries tend to store knowledge more than sharing and applying it. The findings can be used by human resources and KM practitioners who are interested in developing organizational knowledge through employees’ values.
Originality/value
Through this study, the positive roles of employee instrumental and terminal values, as the key drivers in determining intangible assets in organizations, were found.
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Sardar Mohammadi, Abed Mahmoudian and Manuel Alonso Dos Santos
Currently, attention to customer experience management is one of the most important management approaches in the business field. Focussing on improving customer experience and…
Abstract
Currently, attention to customer experience management is one of the most important management approaches in the business field. Focussing on improving customer experience and having a customer experience management strategy is one of the actions that service providers can take to improve their marketing performance by providing superior experiences to customers. The nature of customer experience is very important for the retail industry, especially for sportswear stores, because sports products are mostly experience-oriented and can be classified as a general experience. Despite the importance of consumption experience in consumer behaviour studies, the design of sports customer experiences has received less attention from researchers. Therefore, this chapter seeks to answer the question of what aspects of creating and developing customer experience in sportswear retail stores are. To answer this question, this chapter attempts to identify the areas of creating customer experiences in sports stores by using the views of sports marketing experts through qualitative research and using content analysis techniques. The findings indicate that sports stores try to provide the best experience for their customers by considering six aspects of human resources and employees, products, interior design, exterior space, technology and interaction and communication in their strategic marketing plans and investing in creating and developing these aspects. They create a distinct experience for customers and provide a basis for purchasing, satisfaction, loyalty and other positive marketing consequences for customers.
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Sardar Mohammadi, Abed Mahmoudian and Mike Rayner
Although the needs and desires of customers are different, obtaining positive and negative experiences is an inevitable consequence of consuming products and services purchased by…
Abstract
Although the needs and desires of customers are different, obtaining positive and negative experiences is an inevitable consequence of consuming products and services purchased by the consumer. The nature of these experiences is very important for the retail industry and in particular sports stores, as the intangible experience includes the main essence of the products and services provided by businesses; in other words, sports products are mostly experience-oriented and can be classified as an overall experience. Despite the importance of the consumer experience as a dominant and effective paradigm in consumer behaviour, the design of sports customer experience has received less attention from researchers. Therefore, the present study seeks to answer the question of what aspects of creating and developing the customer experience in sports and recreational complexes are. To answer this question, this chapter attempts to identify the areas of creating customer experiences in sports and recreational environments by examining the case of the Enghelab sports and recreational club (in Tehran, Iran) using qualitative research methods and interviewing experts in this field and using the content analysis technique. The findings indicate that cognitive, functional, comprehensive, human, physical, functional, aesthetic, sensory, social, emotional and communal components are the most important components of creating and enhancing customer experience in sports and entertainment complexes.
Therefore, the owners, managers and marketing unit of these collections should invest in the creation and development of these components in the design of their strategic marketing plans in order to provide a memorable experience for the customer during their journey and finally be able to benefit from the subsequent positive consequences such as customer satisfaction, word-of-mouth advertising, loyalty and return intention.