Adam Karg

Social capital and sport events : spectator attitudinal change and the Homeless World Cup

Increasingly, the staging of sport events promoting a social cause has become commonplace. This study collects data from spectators at two consecutive Homeless World Cups (Melbourne 2008 and Milan 2009) – an event that seeks to raise awareness of the global issue of homelessness. This paper aims to advance the understanding of specific attitude changes in spectators and to identify how these can be activated towards behaviours to produce enduring social impacts for events. The role of social capital in attitudinal change is emphasized, specifically bridging capital that signifies the creation of relationships between disparate individuals. Quantitative analysis provides insight into spectator demographics and attendance patterns, and contributes to the understanding of spectator attitudes towards homelessness. Patterns and trends suggest demographic and attendance variables align with differing forms of attitudinal change, and further suggest a hierarchy of effects may be relevant to the findings and provide a valuable contribution to future research.

Predicting which season ticket holders will renew and which will not

Research question: A major barrier to retaining existing customers is the difficulty in knowing who is most at risk of leaving (or ‘churning’). Given the strategic and financial importance of season ticket holders (STH) to professional sport teams, this paper examines the effectiveness of a range of variables in identifying the STH who are most likely to churn. Research methods: A longitudinal field study was undertaken to reflect actual conditions. Survey data of a professional sport team STH were collected prior to the conclusion of the season. Actual renewal data were then tracked from team records the following season. This work was replicated across five professional sport teams from the Australian Football League, with renewal predictions made and tracked for over 10,000 STH. Results and findings: The results suggest that the ‘Juster’ Scale – a simple, one-item purchase probability measure – is an effective identifier of those most at risk of churning, more than 3 months in advance. When combined with ticket utilization and tenure measures, predictive accuracy improves markedly, to the point where these three measures can be used to provide an effective early warning system for managers. Implications: Whilst there is a tendency to view STH as highly loyal, these data reinforce the importance of actively managing all customers to reduce churn. Despite their commitment, STH do churn, but those most likely to can be predicted by examining their patterns of behaviour in the current season. Efforts to retain STH need to shift their focus from transactional value assessments.

Quantifying the positive effects of sponsor level, length, prominence and relatedness on recall and residual recall rates over time

This study is the first multi-year examination of the relative influence of the four main variables said to influence sponsorship recall. Sponsor recall data were collected from season ticket holders (STHs) of 10 professional sports teams, over periods ranging from 3 to 5 years per team. Across those teams and over that time, 309 sponsor–team relationships were examined, and sponsor recall data from over 117,000 individual STHs were collected. Sponsorship length and level were shown to have the strongest impact on recall, followed by relatedness and prominence. These variables affected both the recall of current sponsors and the decay rates of residual recall following the end of a sponsorship. The average rates of sponsor recall growth and decline have been derived from these data, giving managers a tool by which to benchmark sport sponsorship recall performance.

Female season ticket holders: how their satisfaction is derived differently from males

ABSTRACT Research questions: This study models how the satisfaction of male and female season ticket holders (STHs) is derived, and whether the antecedents of satisfaction differ between genders. In doing so, this study has sought to not only increase the understanding of a previously under-researched group – female STHs – but to also gain managerially useful insights into how female fans might be attracted to, and retained, as STHs. Research methods: Data were collected from almost 14,000 STHs from 12 professional sport teams. Guided by past work on the antecedents of STH satisfaction, the dataset was split by gender and matched on key variables, before established satisfaction models were tested across groups. Results and findings: Overall, STH satisfaction appears to be derived the same way, regardless of gender. However, the relative importance of different aspects of the STH experience often varies. Customer service and home ground facilities are significantly more important among females. Men instead derive more satisfaction from feeling involved with the team and the way it is managed. These differences are explained in light of what is known about gender differences in relation to consumption motives and behaviors. Implications: This study provides valuable insights for sport or team managers into the factors that drive satisfaction for both female and male STHs, including concomitant positioning strategies to grow female STH numbers. Of critical importance are high service standards and female-friendly facilities.

Using New Media to Engage Consumers at the Football World Cup

For one month, every four years, the FIFA World Cup draws global attention to 32 national teams competing to win the Jules Rimet Trophy. In 2006, the World Cup final attracted a global audience of more than 715 million people; in 2010, expansive television rights deals led to the broadcast of the tournament to 204 countries. The magnitude of the World Cup in terms of global interest and viewership provides clear evidence of consumer interest. However, engaging consumers — as new-media technologies evolve — represents an increasingly complex challenge for FIFA, event organizers, host cities, partners and sponsors. As such, understanding the process of consumer engagement as distinct from other established marketing constructs provides an important basis to introduce strategies to allow audiences to interact with and create content before, during and after the tournament.

Framing the Ultimate Fighting Championship: an Australian media analysis

Abstract Reporting about combat sports generates much discussion within the broader community. Many opinions abound and views impact on the acceptance of these types of sports in society. Within Australia, the introduction of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contests has generated significant debate. This debate has been presented in the media reflecting political, social and moral arguments about the value or social acceptance of this sporting activity. This research explores the manner in which the media frames the reporting into UFC in Australia. A process for framing newspaper articles is broken down and adopted through analysis of 68 articles drawn from two major Australian National newspapers. Themes that emerged included Defining and Legitimizing the Sport, Growth and Economic Benefit, Image and Impact on Society and Political and Government Factors. Upon establishing these themes, it was apparent these presented a Conflict Frame.